Network Rail awards £1.2 billion infrastructure deals

(Press release Network Rail:) London, 17 December 2013 - Network Rail has nominated its four preferred suppliers for framework agreements worth a total of £1.2 billion covering enhancements, buildings and civils work on its Anglia, Kent, Sussex and Wessex routes over the next five years.

The agreements, which will be executed on 1 April 2014, will be signed by the company’s Infrastructure Projects (IP) Southern region, and will cover a substantial part of the region’s £2.5 billion workbank in control period five (CP5) which runs from 2014 to 2019. The four frameworks, which will have an agreed minimum contract value, are with VolkerFitzpatrick Limited (Anglia); Costain Limited (Kent); BAM Nuttall Limited (Sussex); and Geoffrey Osborne Limited (Wessex).

The frameworks are intended to encourage and facilitate suppliers working closely with Network Rail from initial development to delivery and will incorporate jointly agreed objectives which align with Network Rails outputs for CP5. Collaboration formed 25% of the evaluation criteria emphasising the commitment by Network Rail to work more closely and transparently with its supply chain. This is also supported by the introduction of a new form of agreement to Network Rail, the NEC 3 (New Engineering Contract).

For the first time, safety issues made up 15% of the evaluation criteria when choosing the partners Network Rail will work with. Nick Elliott, Regional Director for Network Rail IP Southern, said: ‘This represents a significant change in the way we assess safety and underlines our commitment to delivering a fundamental improvement in workforce safety within the rail industry. When you combine this with BS11000 and early contractor involvement in design, it shows how we are changing the way we work to bring even closer collaboration between Network Rail and the supply chain.’

Further information: Network Rail, Media Relations (National), 020 3356 8700, mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk


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Network Rail is the not for dividend owner and operator of Britain's railway infrastructure, which includes the tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, viaducts, level crossings and stations - the largest of which we also manage. We aim to provide a safe, reliable and efficient rail infrastructure for freight and passenger trains to use. www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk Twitter: @networkrailPR