Calls for expressions of interest were issued in early April to companies looking to provide overall programme and project delivery partner services, and also those seeking to operate as design consultants, for the Crossrail project in London.
The delivery partners will help the client manage detailed design and implementation phases of the project. The deadline for submissions to be a delivery partner is noon, 16 May, and it is planned that the shortlisted firms will be invited in June/July to tender, and the appointments are due before year-end.
Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), the development company for Crossrail, said it wants feedback from prospective delivery partners to refine the outline Delivery Strategy. The programme delivery partner will manage the project delivery team, and it is not excluded that a single bidder could hold the role at each level. The project delivery partner will be responsible for the central tunnel section, excluding the Heathrow spur.
Firms seeking to operate within the design consultant framework for the project have until noon, 12 May, to submit expressions of interest. The development phase of the project, which will result in a single option design solution for most locations for the consultants to take forward, is to be completed mid-year.
The Crossrail team said that the number of TBMs required for the project remains at seven for the US$33bn project (T&TI, November 2007, p7). Main construction work is still planned for 2010, tunnel boring is to commence mid-2011 and train services are due to commence 2017. In total, 41.5km of 6m i.d. rail tunnel is to be bored. Tunnelling works for stations in central London are to be excavated using SCL with steel fibre reinforcement for primary and secondary linings.
The Bill to give legal authority to execute the project has almost completed the third of six stages in the House of Lords, and Royal Assent is expected mid-year. The third stage is the Select Committee hearings. Last year, the Bill was passed by the House of Commons.
CLRL is jointly owned by the state and London’s transport authority, TfL. It has utility diversion works underway in central London but will not be able to take possession of land or property until the Bill receives Royal Assent. At that point, TfL will become sole shareholder of CLRL, which is a private company. Also, CLRL will not decide on the award of contracts until after the Bill is approved.
A notice was also issued early April for enabling works in advance of the contract notice that is to be issued later this year.
