Bidders emerge for construction jobs contract - 28-08-2008 - 13:58

A number of firms from either side of the Atlantic are in the running to carry out construction jobs on the main section of London's Crossrail project, it has been revealed.

Construction News reports British businesses Balfour Beatty, working with Parson Brinckerhoff, and Laing O'Rourke have expressed interest in the £400 million contract for the 21km of tunnel from Paddington to Stratford, as have US companies Bechtel and Fluor.

The awards are said to be the first "major contracts" offered as part of the project, which is expected to cost £16 billion in total.

Steve Rowsell, head of procurement at Crossrail, told the news provider: "We have been enormously impressed by the quality and experience of the organisations that expressed an interest in these major contracts for Crossrail."

New Civil Engineer magazine, meanwhile, recently reported Crossrail and other large projects such as the 2012 Olympic Games and Thameslink risk budget overruns due to cost increases.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors stated raw materials and labour costs have risen by 12.2 per cent over the past year and predicts a further 12 per cent increase over the next two years.

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