Contractor earning $850,000 more than usual on no-bid Trump deal to fix Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, report says

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Wednesday 27 May 2026 19:30 EDT


The Trump administration’s no-bid, $13.1 million contract to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool featured “excessive” profit margins” and “inflated overhead,” according to federal documents.

The deal, awarded to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, saw the contractor ask for 20 percent profits, roughly doubling the typical 6 to 12 percent margin on such projects, netting it at least $850,000 in extra compensation, per a National Parks Service analysis obtained by The New York Times.

The Reflecting Pool project contained other irregularities, the paper found, including that work reportedly began before a final price was agreed upon, a method more typically used in emergencies.

Ultimately, however, the government decided to move forward with the deal, according to the documents. “The contracting officer determined that due to the risk of the project, the inflated overhead and profit percentages of 20 percent were reasonable,” the analysis concluded.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-reflecting-pool-lincoln-memorial-contract-b2984806.html

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Link to NYT REPORT - Reflecting Pool Contract Has ‘Inflated’ Profit Margin, Government Analysis Finds

[thesquanderer]

1. re: "the only company that had the expertise, staff, and materials necessary to complete the project in time"

That's an odd claim to make, when there was no bid process. Without such a process, how do they know they were the only company that could do it?

If only we had reporters instead of stenographers.

[gab13by13]

2. Define "fix." What was broken?

[Dr. T]

3. I get prices from different sources for any purchase

over $200. No-bid contract? I'd like a Repuglican rep to explain that to me from a government efficiency perspective.

[Vinca]

4. Shouldn't the headline be "to destroy the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool?"

Heard this morning he's now going after the WWII Memorial. Before he's done, the center of our government will look like an amusement park.

[tanyev]

5. They need a 20% profit so half of that can be "donated" back to Trump.

😒

[mitch96]

10. Yup, it's all about the kickback to rump...follow the money...nt

[oasis]

6. New dimensions in "Waste, fraud and abuse"

under this Trump administration.

[Prairie Gates]

7. "to fix"

[AllyCat]

8. If the contractor gets paid

[Emile]

9. More fraud and abuse from the Trump administration.