黑洞社区

HS2 has hired four consultants to deals on the second phase of the 拢55bn megaproject worth up to a combined 拢520m.

The client has confirmed CH2M for the 拢170m development partner role, as tipped by 黑洞社区, and picked Arup, an Aecom, Capita and INECO joint venture and a team of Mott MacDonald and WSP for professional services roles worth up to 拢350m.

The winners will work on the development of the high-speed line branching north of Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds.

CH2M saw off American rival Bechtel and a joint venture between Mace and Turner & Townsend (T&T), while an Atkins and Arcadis joint venture missed out on the professional services lots.

Alison Munro, HS2 managing director for development, said: 鈥淭his contract awards mark an important milestone for HS2 - giving us the expert resource needed to progress the second phase of the project and bring high speed rail to Manchester and Leeds by 2033.

鈥淥ur new partners bring a wealth of recent experience on some of the world鈥檚 most challenging and complex infrastructure projects and I look forward to working with them to ensure that HS2 can benefit from the experience and innovation they have to offer.鈥�

CH2M鈥檚 win is likely to prove controversial coming soon after HS2 Ltd鈥檚 appointment of CH2M European managing director Mark Thurston as its chief executive last month, after the client鈥檚 previous boss Simon Kirby left last September for an executive role at Rolls-Royce.

Thurston will replace interim HS2 Ltd chief executive Roy Hill, who was himself seconded to the client from CH2M and will return to the engineer.

CH2M 鈥� which has been the subject of press speculation of a possible 拢3bn merger with Atkins 鈥� also won the 拢350m contract to be engineering delivery partner on phase one of the HS2 megaproject last spring, in joint venture with Atkins and Spanish engineer Sener.

Responding to the risk of conflicts of interest in Thurston鈥檚 new client role, HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins said earlier this month Thurston will 鈥渃ut all links鈥� with CH2M before starting his new job.

He added: 鈥淸CH2M] will be treated in the same way as any other supplier - no more or less favourably than that.

鈥淎ll those who bid for work with HS2 have the right to know that they will be treated on the same basis and, as we have shown to date, we are determined that our systems are constructed in such a way as to deliver that equal treatment.鈥�