Seven firms dominate Crossrail shortlists and award wins

This week Crossrail confirmed the shortlisted bidders for the four remaining central London stations. Once again the biggest firms in the industry dominated the lists.

Costain, Skanska, Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall, Vinci, Kier, Laing O’Rourke and Balfour Beatty all made the cut having already landed work on other Crossrail projects. All firms feature in the top ten of Barbour-ABI’s list of contractors ranked according to turnover.

Thus far Crossrail has managed to distribute contract awards fairly evenly among the firms.

Most have won work through joint ventures and a number of interesting alliances have been formed.

A Morgan Sindall, Vinci and Balfour Beatty consortium have already bagged Whitechapel and Liverpool Street tunnels contracts worth £235m with Alpine BeMo Tunnelling also chipping in on the joint venture. The same grouping are also on the shortlists for four central London stations.

In bidding for Crossrail contracts Laing O’Rourke formed a partnership with German outfit Strabag. They landed an advance works contract for Farringdon station worth £25m and are on the shortlists for two central London stations. In the latest round of shortlist announcements however Laing has dropped their continental partners and has tendered solo bids for three projects.

A Costain and Skanska alliance has made five of the six shortlists for the major station jobs. In addition the duo have secured a £35m contract to redevelop the Bond Street ticket halls.

The final consortium of leading firms is between Bam Nuttall and Kier. Along with Ferrovial Agroman they have won a lucrative tunneling contract worth an estimated £550m. They’re also in the scope for five Crossrail station schemes.

The central London station shortlists

Liverpool Street

Balfour Beatty/Morgan Sindall/Vinci JV
Costain/Skanska JV
Laing O’Rourke Construction
Dragados/Sisk JV

Whitechapel

Balfour Beatty/Morgan Sindall / VINCI JV
Costain/Skanska JV
BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier JV
Dragados/Sisk JV

Bond Street

Costain/Skanska JV
Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd
BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier JV
Lend Lease Construction (EMEA)d

Tottenham Court Road

BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier JV
Dragados/Sisk JV
Lend Lease Construction (EMEA)
Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd

Farringdon station

Balfour Beatty, Alpine BeMo, Morgan Sindall & Vinci
Costain Skanska
Laing O’Rourke & Strabag
BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman & Kier Construction

Paddington station

Costain Skanska JV
Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Vinci JV
BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman and Kier Construction
Laing O’Rourke and Strabag JV
Carillion Construction