Midlands firms seek HS2 work in Birmingham
Direct contractors for HS2 were today meeting140 businesses from across the Midlands at its largest supply chain engagement event to date.
It was taking place at The Vox in Birmingham to enable businesses to discuss supply chain opportunities available as part of the £7.5bn civil engineering contracts to deliver phase one of the UK’s new high speed rail network.
More than 1,400 one-to-one meetings are expected to take place for the businesses, 73 per cent of which are small and medium-sized firms.
There are 90 contract packages with potential suppliers, ranging from environmental works, such as landscaping, to construction materials and plant supply.
The size of the HS2 project means that there will be thousands of opportunities within the HS2 supply chain, across many business sectors.
More than 520 companies in the Midlands have already been awarded work on HS2, either directly or through its supply chain, and HS2 Ltd has engaged with more than 1,400 businesses in the Midlands on potential opportunities
HS2 Ltd’s procurement and supply chain director, David Poole, said: “Today’s event is a great next step in our programme to engage with businesses, big and small, from across the UK, and give them all the tools to make the most of HS2’s emerging supply chain opportunities.
“HS2 is a long term national programme and it’s great that businesses from across the UK, from as far as Inverness and Belfast, are gearing up to get on board with HS2.”
Today is the first time that HS2’s main works contractors, the consortium of companies that will be building the new line between London and Birmingham have taken part in a large-scale supply chain event.
Companies were given the opportunity to attend the event after being identified by a range of relevant trade bodies and other appropriate networks and then matched to the future supply chain opportunities which will arise from HS2 contracts in the coming 12 to18 months.
