Eight firms vie for trams contract
EIGHT firms have been short-listed to build either all or part of Merseytram, just two weeks after the £200m contract was reopened to new bidders.
Among the shortlist chosen yesterday was Balfour Beatty, the contractor abruptly dropped from the flagship scheme last month.
Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales had concerns over the cost, the timetable and the design of Balfour's original bid.
His rejection of Balfour's offer led to the dissolution of the MET consortium (Mersey Express Tramway) which had been appointed as preferred bidder on the project.
That led to concerns construction could be delayed, possibly hitting the longstanding intention to finish work on Line One by late 2007.
But Balfour's two original partners - Keolis,, who will operate the trams and Parsons Brinckerhoff who will help design the system - remain on board, and the firm was expected to come back with a revised offer.
The building contract was readvertised in four parts: civils (track, depot etc), utility diversions, systems integration and signalling/telecoms.
An emergency notice was published across Europe and a total of 21 companies have expressed an interest in bidding over the last 14 days.
Balfour Beatty has been shortlisted for all four parts of the contract, as has rival Amec.
Laing O'Rourke, the main contractor on the Grosvenor project in Liverpool city centre, has also been selected in the civils and utility diversion sections.
Bombardier, already picked as the firm which will build the trams themselves, will compete for everything apart from the utilities work, in a partnership with Grant Rail.
Mr Scales said: "I am absolutely delighted with the response we have had since the notice went out."
Merseytravel won the power to build Line One of the tramway, to run from Liverpool to Kirkby, last December after a public inquiry earlier in the year.
The Department of Transport (DfT) has now confirmed that no legal challenges have been submitted within the statutory six week period so that approval will stand.
It was also confirmed that preliminary work will start on the Merseytram depot on the East Lancs Road in two weeks.
By Andy Kelly, Daily Post
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