New Facility Doubles BEP Budget for 2022

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has submitted its fiscal year 2022 budget request to Congress.

The main component of the $1.9 billion requested funds is for special projects. Chief among them is $897 million for the Replacement Production Facility in Beltsville, Maryland. Work began in 2021 when $30 million was dedicated to contracts for the removal of hazardous building materials, demolition of old agriculture research buildings and the relocation of some needed utility systems.

The new funding request will include the award of the construction contract for the replacement facility. The BEP says the new facility, when operational, will reduce its annual operating costs by at least $38 million through production, material handling, and other efficiencies.

Expansion of the Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth, Texas, began in 2018. The purpose was to provide the space and support needed for the new equipment to be used in producing the next generation of currency, the ‘Catalyst’ series. The BEP says the focus of Catalyst will be ‘on the integration of strong, new security features.’ The work should be completed in 2022, with $1 million budgeted for construction close-out activities.