Cost consultant Gleeds and its Olympic ambassador Sir Steve Redgrave have joined forces with Amec and Balfour Beatty to bid for the Olympic delivery partner role.

Gleeds will become part of G3, a consortium that includes international engineering consultant Jacobs Babtie, in the bid to manage construction of the Olympic park in Stratford, east London.

News of the link-up came before the deadline for bids passed on Tuesday.

Gleeds will take on the role of risk management within the consortium, while Redgrave will advise on technical issues related to athletes' requirements.

Richard Steer, Gleeds' senior partner, said: "The partners need to be moulded together, and it will be an endurance test. It is very early days yet."

It will be an endurance test. It is early days

Richard Steer, Gleeds

Mace has also confirmed that it has bid for the role (as predicted in 黑洞社区, 24 March) with Laing O'Rourke and international CH2M Hill. Davis Langdon is understood to be advising the team but has not taken a central role. Other bid teams include Parsons Brinckerhoff, Taylor Woodrow and EC Harris; Bovis Lend Lease, Capita Symonds, Franklin + Andrews and KBR; and a team led by Bechtel. It is unclear what role Turner & Townsend will play in the process, although the consultant is thought to be involved with a bid.

  • Culture minister Tessa Jowell has hinted that costs for the Games could rise. Speaking at a press conference to launch the International Olympic Committee's first inspection of London's preparations, she said: "We are carrying out a review of all the costs and that will be a continuing discipline. Some costs will rise and some others will come down."

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