ADDIS – At least three businesses with ties to Louisiana – one of which is based in the Baton Rouge area – are interested in the president's plan for a wall between the United States and Mexico.

Some 600 businesses have signed up as interested vendors for a pre-solicitiation notice. The selection process is swift – by March 20th, interested designers must complete a concept paper of their prototype; by May, the federal government wants specifics about costs. However, the posting does not indicate when a border wall would be built or how many miles it would cover.

“The intent of this procurement is to acquire and evaluate available wall prototypes and provide some initial construction of some wall segments, but is not intended as the vehicle for the procurement of the total wall solution for the border with Mexico,” the government wrote on its online portal seeking contractors.

The three companies – based on the westside, another in the Lafayette area and the third in the New Orleans area – range from small construction companies to oil technology corporations.

At least one, the smaller of the three businesses, said it was unclear Monday if its engineers would meet the quick deadline for concepts.

According to preliminary information released ahead of proposal requests, the wall would be concrete, stand 30-feet tall and meet certain requirements for aesthetics, anti-climbing, and resistance to tampering or damage. 

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