How much were the bids?

During the Depression, capital was scarce. As a result, the government received only three bids for the construction of the dam. Six Companies' winning bid was almost $10 million lower than the next lowest bid. Even though skeptics wondered if the dam could be built for such a comparatively low price, the bid was awarded to Six Companies. In 2003 the winning bid would be equal to $577,364,058.70

• Woods Brothers Construction Co. (Lincoln, Nebraska) - $58,653,107.50
• The Arundel Corporation (Baltimore, Maryland) - $53,893,878.70
• The Six Companies, Inc. (San Francisco, California) - $48,890,995.50