Where can I find public procurement records or contracts for White House construction projects?
Executive summary
To find public procurement records for White House construction projects you should start with federal contract databases — primarily USAspending.gov and FPDS data sources — and relevant White House and agency pages (for example, the White House announced the ballroom project and named Clark Construction, AECOM and McCrery in its July 31, 2025 release) [1] [2]. Public oversight is fragmented: USAspending is the official searchable spending portal but GAO has found reporting gaps, and congressional oversight letters and committee releases are important complementary records for projects where agency reporting is incomplete [3] [4].
1. Where the contracts usually live: central federal spending portals
The first stop is USAspending.gov, the federal government’s official database of awards and obligations; it’s designed to let the public trace grants, contracts and other federal awards and is explicitly recommended for tracking federal contracts [2] [5]. USAspending pulls data agencies submit and provides search filters; Congress and watchdogs use it to follow obligations and places of performance connected to projects [5].
2. Why you’ll often need FPDS and agency systems too
USAspending draws from agency submissions and from contract systems such as the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS); deep procurement work commonly requires querying FPDS and agency procurement pages because USAspending depends on what agencies report [5]. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy and OMB guidance frame how contracting data flows to public portals, so procurement-policy pages (OFPP/OMB) provide context on where contract records are filed [6] [7].
3. White House and agency press releases, FOIA logs and committee letters as primary leads
For White House projects specifically, start with the White House announcements and FOIA logs: the White House press release announcing the ballroom named Clark Construction, AECOM and McCrery Architects as the teams involved [1]. The White House’s FOIA log (quarterly FOIA reports) can list responsive requests or internal records that point to contract files [8]. Congressional offices have also sought details: Sen. Blumenthal’s letter to contractors asked how they were selected and requested contract terms — a useful document trail when public contract files are scarce [4].
4. Expect reporting gaps and political friction
GAO has documented that many agencies do not fully report data to USAspending — it identified dozens of nonreporting agencies and recommended improvements — so absence of an award in USAspending does not necessarily mean no contract exists [3]. That matters for politically sensitive projects: oversight letters and news reporting (AP, Washington Post, CNN, Fortune) have been the primary sources naming contractors and donor lists for the White House ballroom project where formal public procurement notices were disputed [9] [10] [11] [12].
5. How to search effectively — keywords and places of performance
Searching USAspending by place of performance (Washington, D.C. and “White House” keywords) and by contractor names (Clark Construction, AECOM, McCrery, Shalom Baranes Associates) will surface federal awards tied to the project if agencies reported them [5] [1]. Also search agency procurement portals (e.g., GSA, Army Corps, Secret Service if they play a role) and FOIA logs for “ballroom,” “East Wing,” or the White House expansion project referenced in press statements [1] [8].
6. If public records aren’t in portals: use oversight and investigative paths
When an administration moves ahead without standard approvals — as reporting indicates the East Wing demolition and site prep proceeded before NCPC sign-off — journalists and congressional investigators rely on letters, hearings and subpoenaable records; Sen. Blumenthal’s queries illustrate how oversight offices press private firms and agencies for contract terms when public postings are lacking [9] [4]. Committee repositories (House and Senate oversight websites) and the House Democrats’ document downloads are complementary sources [13].
7. Read the politics into the paperwork
Procurement policy changes promoted by the White House (including consolidation of procurement in GSA and a FAR overhaul) change where and how contracts are posted and reviewed; that reform agenda increases the chance records may shift platforms or reporting rules, so always confirm which portal an agency now uses [14] [7]. Expect partisan conflict around disclosure when a high‑profile presidential project is privately funded but uses federal real estate or interacts with federal planning commissions [12] [9].
Limitations and next steps: available sources do not mention a single, guaranteed URL where every White House construction contract is published; instead use USAspending.gov and FPDS along with White House press releases, FOIA logs, congressional letters and news reporting as a composite record [2] [1] [8] [4]. If you want, I can draft a step‑by‑step search plan with precise queries and contractor names to run on USAspending and FPDS and list likely agency FOIA targets based on the sources above.