Prequalification bids for over £12bn of work in seven lots along the route from Euston to Birmingham are due in on Wednesday.
Eight international consortia are now putting the finishing touches to PQQs for a total of seven packages each worth between £900m and £1.4bn.
According to a report in the Times this morning Laing O’Rourke hopes to steal a march on competitors by putting in a strong offsite element to its submission.
The firm, which is bidding in a joint venture with Spanish giant FCC and Murphy, is said to be particularly targetting the lot covering a 30 mile street of high speed line from rural Warwickshire to Birmingham.
This is considered to be one of the most technically challenging with a mix of tunnels, viaducts and as many as 80 short bridges over existing rail lines and roads.
Laing O’Rourke will use its Steetley works 90 miles away to manufacture pre-cast bridge components to cut time on site and reduce costs.
All consortia and firms that meet the minimum requirements will be invited to tender in Spring 2016, with winners revealed in early 2017.
HS2 Phase 1
Bidding consortia
- Carillion/Kier/Eiffage
- Vinci/Balfour Beatty
- Bouygues/Sir Robert McAlpine/Volker Fitzpatrick
- Acciona/Sisk/Lagan
- Laing O’Rourke Group/FCC Construcción/Murphy
- Morgan Sindall/BAM/Ferrovial Amey
- Dragados/Hochtief/Galliford Try
- Costain/Skanska/Strabag
HS2 lots
- S1 – Euston Tunnels and Approaches £0.6bn – £0.9bn
- S2 – Northolt Tunnels £0.9bn – £1.4bn
- C1 – Chiltern Tunnels and Colne Valley Viaduct £0.8bn – £1.3bn
- C2 – North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley £0.8bn – £1.3bn
- C3 – Brackley to Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel South Portal £0.6bn – £0.9bn
- N1 – Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel to Delta Junction / Birmingham Spur £0.9bn – £1.5bn
- N2 – Delta Junction to West Coast Main Line Tie-in £0.8bn – £1.3bn
Accelerated HS2 Phase 2
- Birmingham to Crewe (four lots) £1.8bn-£3.3bn
