HS2 contracts up for grabs as Black Country businesses urged to bid for share of £13bn deals
Businesses across the Black Country are being given a helping hand as the race begins to bid for £13 billion worth of contracts to build HS2.
The Black Country Growth Hub – a partnership of public and private sector business leaders – is launching the support programme which focuses on supplying parts or services to build the £55.7 billion high-speed railway.
Wayne Langford from The Black Country Growth Hub said businesses in the region were perfectly positioned to take advantage of the arrival of HS2.
He said: "There will be thousands of opportunities within the HS2 supply chain across many business sectors, requiring a range of capabilities, suitable for suppliers of all sizes and generated over a number of years.
"Along with colleagues at the Growth Hubs in Birmingham and Solihull, and Coventry and Warwickshire, we've developed a programme of support which will help businesses to understand the procurement process and prepare themselves to be ready for when the opportunities materialise.
"That could range from understanding if their business has the capacity and capability to deliver, or whether they need to have particular accreditation.
"The West Midlands has long been home to some of the UK's most advanced engineering and manufacturing firms so businesses here really stand benefit most from an infrastructure project on the scale of HS2. Our job is to make sure they're in the box-seat and that's what this support is about."
The programme of support was launched by the three Growth Hubs at the HS2 Supply Chain Road Show at The Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry.
Peter Davies from Brockhouse in West Bromwich, which supplies rail components to the rail industry, said: "HS2 is a game-changer for companies in the Black Country because it will help revitalise our manufacturing industry and give the region a chance to showcase its expertise and skills.
"We're looking forward to playing our part in a project that will help transform the UK's infrastructure."
Beth West, HS2 Ltd Commercial Director, said: "Building HS2 is a massive long-term project and one that offers a huge opportunity for businesses across the West Midlands to bid for billions of pounds worth of contracts, starting with enabling works packages through to supply chain opportunities in engineering and construction.
"To deliver a project of HS2's size and complexity will require the right companies with the right skills."
HS2, if approved by MPs, will link London with Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds.
It will cut through 45 miles of Staffordshire countryside.
