DfT prepares £3.4bn worth of contracts for the next 18 months

The Department for Transport (DfT) is prepared to sign off on a batch of HS2 delivery contracts during the next 18 months worth up to £3.4bn.In the latest update of the DfT’s commercial pipeline document, which includes all the potential contracts worth over £2M that it expects to progress in the next 18 months, it includes four contracts for the high speed rail programme that are worth between £50M and £3bn.Most intriguingly, it includes a provision for the much anticipated automated people mover between the HS2 Birmingham Interchange station and Birmingham Airport, which was recently redesigned to include a stop at the National Exhibition Centre and improve integration and accessibility. The contract for design and construction is valued between £100M and £250M.There is also the contract for the main partner in the delivery of civils for Phase 2a – West Midlands to Crewe – which is worth between £500M and £3bn and will be going out for procurement in the next few months.