黑洞社区

One of Spain鈥檚 largest contractors, OHL, is actively targeting entry into the UK market and gearing up to bid for HS2 work.

The 鈧�4.9bn-turnover (拢4.2bn) contractor - which has worked on high-speed rail networks in Spain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia - is sizing up entry into the UK through merger or acquisition with a UK contractor, or through joint ventures on specific projects.

Pilar Irache Corellano, OHL business development analyst, told 黑洞社区 the firm was eyeing bids with UK partners on 鈥渟everal projects鈥� and had identified HS2 as a key target project.

OHL has unsuccessfully bid on a small number of projects in the UK over the past two years, but is now 鈥渋ncreasing its activity鈥� and targeting entry into the market 鈥渋n the medium term鈥�, Corellano said.

She added: 鈥淎ll of our major competitors are in the UK market, not just from Spain, but major European competitors as well. It鈥檚 a quality test.鈥�

The firm is also open to participating in a third market, such as Latin America, with a UK contractor.

OHL is the sixth-largest contractor in Spain but is bigger than all UK contractors, bar Balfour Beatty and Carillion.

Several Spanish contractors already operate in the UK, including FCC, Ferrovial and Dragados, which last week won the 拢560m contract to redevelop Bank station.

Like Dragados, Corellano said OHL was strategically targeting work in UK infrastructure - particularly rail and associated work such as tunnelling - as well as in the health sector.

One of OHL鈥檚 largest projects in the health sector is a massive 拢1.3bn hospital in Montreal, where it is working in joint venture with three other contractors, including the UK鈥檚 Laing O鈥橰ourke. In India OHL is partnering with Balfour Beatty on bids for projects.

The vast majority of its work 鈥� 80% 鈥� is outside of Spain. The firm has expanded internationally since 2002 when it adopted an overseas growth strategy, several years before the credit crunch and property crash in Spain.