HS2 has revealed that more than 3,200 companies are already providing goods and materials for the construction of the high-speed rail service.
It has also published details of over three hundred ‘work packages' its construction partners will put out to contract over the next eighteen months. It hopes that this will increase the number of local firms taking part in the work. The contracts are together worth over a billion pounds, and their publication gives potential suppliers the chance to prepare a bid.
The project's ‘procurement pipeline' sets out the estimated contract value, start date and location for each package of work. Firms will therefore have the opportunity to assess whether they could take on the work months in advance of procurement beginning. Contact details for HS2's six construction partners are also provided, so that potential bidders can ask about the details.
An example of a contract currently open to bidding is for enabling works for an Automated People Mover (APM) to be installed at the new HS2 Interchange station at Solihull in the West Midlands.
Last month, HS2 revealed quarterly data showing over £11.5bn worth of tier-two contracts awarded by the firms involved in its construction.
HS2 posts subcontract opportunities are on its CompeteFor site about a fortnight before starting the procurement process. Businesses of all sizes, in locations across the UK, can register their interest in working with HS2 and its contractors by registering their details on CompeteFor. Information and advice about becoming an HS2 supplier is contained in HS2's Supplier Guide.
HS2 will create a rail network covering 140 miles, four new stations and two depots between London and Birmingham. So far, UK businesses have secured over £17bn worth of work on HS2.
Robin Lapish, HS2's supply chain lead explains, “Forward planning is absolutely crucial for businesses, so we've worked closely with our stations and civils contractors to develop a simple procurement pipeline setting out what we'll need and when.
“There's a huge variety of contracts on offer, from scaffolding and landscaping to structural steelworks and platform floors. We want more UK businesses to benefit and encourage those that haven't already registered as an HS2 supplier to take a look at what's coming.”
