The city's commercial construction industry is among the best in the country, partly thanks to the large amount of local military construction, but local firms that have been kept busy by years of backed-up projects are now finding themselves facing competition.
The reduction in construction work throughout the nation has caused many outside firms to open offices in San Antonio, which has in turn increased the number of bidders looking for work to keep their staff employed, resulting in some companies even bidding below price.
According to an article by San Antonio Express-News, some experts think more public bond programs should be passed and the private development market should restart in order to fix the problem.
"We've been blessed with a robust public market," Doug McMurry, executive vice president of the San Antonio Chapter of Associated General Contractors of America, said. "On the other hand, there's an incredibly big need for more private work to keep all of these construction firms busy."
Thankfully some big projects are slated to begin construction in the coming years, including $3 billion in military work and $900 million worth of capital improvements to University Health System, but even those aren't enough to sustain the market.
Some other projects are currently in the pipeline, such as a $515 million project by the San Antonio Independent School District to renovate 22 schools, improve technology and security, and improve the Alamo Stadium and the Convention Center.
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