Updated

The Bush administration, looking ahead to postwar reconstruction of Iraq, is soliciting proposals from U.S. firms in a number of areas, including seaport and airport projects, schools and health services.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. Agency for International Development will undertake a limited selection process that expedites the review and selection of contractors for these projects.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the plan, said the contract could total as much as $900 million, possibly the largest government reconstruction effort since post-World War II Germany and Japan.

Boucher was unable to give a figure for the proposed contract and could not provide the names of the infrastructure-engineering firms invited to submit bids.

The Journal said the projects are designed to demonstrate the administration's resolve to immediately improve the quality of life in Iraq after a U.S.-led invasion.