Crossrail train work has to benefit Brits
BOMBARDIER’S hopes have been raised over lucrative work to build trains for London’s Crossrail project, after the government said the supplier must fulfil the contract in a way that benefits Britain.
The Canadian firm, which has a factory in Derby, will compete with Hitachi, Siemens and Spanish group CAF for the contract to supply around 60 new trains and a London depot.
Transport secretary Justine Greening said the tender process “includes requirements for responsible procurement” that ask bidders to set out how they will offer training and jobs in the UK, as well as requiring them to “establish an appropriate local presence to manage the delivery of the contract”.
Bidders must also set out where each element of the contract will be sourced.
However, Greening said the “made in Britain” requirements would not be a factor in deciding who wins the contract, but rather a rule that the eventual winner must follow.
The move comes after Germany’s Siemens won a £1.6bn contract to supply Thameslink trains last summer, prompting Bombardier, which missed out, to announce some 1,400 job cuts at its Derby plant.
Trade union Unite gave a cautious welcome yesterday. “At first sight, the procurement criteria for the Crossrail contract looks like an improvement on the Thameslink fiasco. We hope that this is a strong indication, that in this instance, the government has learnt lessons,” said assistant general secretary Diane Holland.
“We expect a fair and transparent bidding process. We are not asking for favours, we are asking for fairness for British based manufacturing and the supply chain.”
Labour’s shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle echoed the sentiment, saying the focus on British jobs is “a huge victory for common sense”.
The four companies will submit tenders during the summer, when the government will narrow down the competition to two bidders. A final decision expected in spring 2014, a year later than first planned.
The new 200m-long trains will carry up to 1,500 passengers each when the route linking towns from Maidenhead to Shenwood begins operating in 2018.