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Senior sources at the firm said a link up with Laing O'Rourke or the Amec and Balfour Beatty consortium was a possibility.

The decision depends, however, on the contents of tender documents for the role of delivery partner, which were expected to be published on Monday but had not been released by the time ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø went to press on Wednesday.

The delivery partner will oversee design, procurement and legacy issues and replaces the programme manager tender, which ODA chief executive David Higgins scrapped last month.

Mace bid for the original tender in a consortium with fellow consultant Davis Langdon and accountant Deloitte & Touche.

A tie-up with Laing O'Rourke on the tender could be problematic as the contractor is planning a bid to build the 80,000-seat Olympic stadium.

The consortium of Balfour Beatty and Amec is known to be seeking a third partner, although neither has revealed its identity.

Mace declined to comment on the speculation.

The news came as other potential bidders jostled for position to create the final consortiums to bid for the delivery partner role, which the Olympic Delivery Authority posted in the European Union's Official Journal two weeks ago.

It would be an absolute disgrace if a British firm didn’t get itSource at a consultant

Gleeds did not bid for the original role but is understood to be planning talks with potential partners.

Richard Steer, senior partner, said: "We look forward to responding to the OJEU notice in due course."

Arup teamed up with Gardiner & Theobald in the original tender but has not yet declared its hand. It said last week that it was "actively engaged in reviewing the prequalification process". G&T was not available for comment.

Bovis Lend Lease has also said that it will retender for the role, although insiders said it had yet to decide whether to team up with a partner.

American contractor Bechtel is also expected to bid, although its potential involvement in the Olympics has caused concern in some quarters of the industry. One consultant said: "It would be an absolute disgrace if a British firm didn't get it."

Two other teams have announced plans to bid for the role. They are: Kellogg Brown Root, Capita and Franklin + Andrews, and a team made up of Parsons Brinckerhoff and EC Harris.

n The appointment of foreign firms for the Olympic building programme was one of the issues raised when Jack Lemley, ODA chairman, met the Major Contractors Group on Monday. A source said the MCG offered its opinion on dos and don'ts in the lead-up to the event.