The Trump administration has advanced two major White House construction projects—a ballroom and a helipad—using non-standard procurement routes and private funding, according to US media reports and Italian state media. A no-bid contract worth up to $500m for a new East Wing ballroom was awarded to Virginia-based Clark Construction through the Executive Residence, an office exempt from federal rules requiring competitive tenders and public disclosure. Simultaneously, construction of a helipad on the South Lawn began this week, with Lockheed Martin donating $5m to the project, Italian news agency AGI reports.

According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, the ballroom contract was routed through the Executive Residence—a small office normally responsible for maintenance and furnishings—to bypass standard procurement procedures. The documents indicate President Trump was directly involved in negotiating cost structures. While Trump previously stated that Clark Construction executives had offered to undertake the work without charge, internal cost projections show the company stands to earn approximately $65m through profit, overhead and staffing costs. Senate Republicans, with an eye on the November midterm elections, rejected a subsequent administration request for $1bn in taxpayer funds for security upgrades, US media note.

The helipad addresses a technical problem created by the new VH-92A Patriot helicopters, whose low exhaust vents scorch the South Lawn grass. Past administrations considered but abandoned similar plans, partly to preserve the iconic image of the president boarding a helicopter on the lawn. The ballroom project forms part of a wider reshaping of federal landmarks that has also seen no-bid contracts awarded for renovations to Lafayette Square, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and ornamental fountains, US media investigations have found.

A federal judge ruled earlier this year that the president’s authority to alter the White House complex did not extend to demolishing the East Wing without additional authorisation; the administration has appealed that decision. Procurement experts quoted in US media have questioned whether a project of this scale should have been exempted from competitive bidding. The ballroom’s estimated cost has risen from $200m to as much as $600m, while the helipad construction proceeds behind barriers on the South Lawn. The legal appeal remains pending, and no public timetable has been set for the ballroom’s completion.