Businesses in Redditch are set to benefit from the construction of HS2 after attending an event to discuss supply chain opportunities available as part of the £7.5billion packages of contracts awarded to deliver Phase One of the new high-speed rail network.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Nusrat Ghani, confirmed to Rachel in a letter that businesses from her constituency recently attended the ‘Meet the Contractor Day’ at HS2 Ltd in Birmingham.
The Transport Minister wrote to Rachel after the Redditch MP back in January called on the Government to ensure Redditch’s small and medium-sized businesses can take advantage of some of the contracts that are being awarded to construct HS2.
Royal Assent was granted last year for Phase One of the HS2 route between London and the West Midlands. Last July, contracts worth £6.6billion for civil engineering works on Phase One were awarded, in addition to the £900million contracts for enabling work in 2016.
At the contractor day event, HS2’s direct contractors held over 1,400 one-to-one meetings with over 430 firms, including businesses from Redditch. Ninety contract packages were discussed with potential suppliers, ranging from environmental works, to landscaping, to construction materials and plant supply.
The Government is determined that the benefits of the HS2 project are felt far and wide across the UK, whether through direct supply chain opportunities or the wider economic benefits of the project.
Rachel said: “Although Redditch won’t be a stop on the HS2 route, it doesn’t mean that our town can’t benefit from the biggest rail network infrastructure project since the Victorian era.
“Back in January, I called on the Government to ensure businesses in Redditch were made aware of the supply chain and contract opportunities available to them as part of the HS2 project. I’m thrilled the Government has listened and invited Redditch businesses along to the contractor event in Birmingham. I now hope the Redditch businesses that attended the event will be awarded contracts and our town can reap the economic benefits of this project.
Rachel is also keen for businesses who were unable to attend the event to register their interest on the HS2 website.
She added: “I would urge those businesses who were unable to attend the contractor day event to learn more about how to get involved in the HS2 project by visiting www.hs2.org.uk/supply-chain.”
