GOVERNMENT ministers are urging businesses across the East of England to tender for some of the 400,000 contract opportunities expected to be created by the HS2 project.
Construction of the first phase of the new low carbon high speed new railway, between Birmingham and London, is expected to generate around £25 billion worth of opportunities that are expected to flow out into the wider supply chain over the coming years.
And those will be explored in a one-hour business webinar on Wednesday next week (October 20) at 3pm.
It will include an address from HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson and presentations by local already working on the project. They will share their personal experiences of how HS2 has helped their business to grow, along with tips and advice on how to stand out as a winning bidder.
Andrew Stephenson, government minister for HS2
Mr Stephenson said: “HS2 is at the heart of the government’s commitments to build back better after the Covid-19 pandemic, level up communities and drive economic growth across the country.
“The vast majority of contracts on HS2 have gone to UK businesses so I would encourage businesses to get involved and take the opportunities offered by this once in a generation investment in our country’s transport infrastructure.”
Local businesses are well placed to bid for work and secure their place in HS2’s supply chain, which already includes over 2,000 businesses – 97% of which are UK-based.
The East of England is home to some of the UK’s most recognised talent pools, including ICT, advanced materials and manufacturing. But HS2’s supply chain team is eager to spread the word that the share of opportunity extends far beyond the products and services you might traditionally associate with major infrastructure projects.
HS2 supply chain manager Robin Lapish said: “In the current climate, local businesses are looking for confidence and assurance in the supply chain and a contract with HS2 provides that. My advice to small businesses is to invest an hour of your time – HS2 is not just about track and trains and that is exactly what this webinar will demonstrate.”
The business webinar is free to attend. To register, visit https://hs2sceast.eventbrite.com
