Has your business got something to offer the new national High Speed Rail project? Could your business compete for contracts for HS2 work? These are just some of the questions to be addressed at a free business breakfast event in Redditch on Wednesday 15 November.
Businesses across Redditch are invited to attend a special event hosted by North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration (NWedR) and the Business Solutions Centres at University of Wolverhampton, to find out about the supply chain process, how to tender for HS2 projects and the support that is available to help businesses become HS2 ready.
Dean Piper, Head of NWedR said “HS2 is the largest rail construction project for generations and we want to encourage local businesses of all sizes to be aware of the chance to compete for the many contract opportunities that are being offered through the construction phase and beyond. Even though HS2 is not due to open until 2026, the procurement process is well underway and we don’t want local businesses to miss out.”
At the breakfast event there will be speakers from HS2 Ltd, West Midlands Combined Authority and University of Wolverhampton. Topics to be addressed will be HS2 opportunities for local businesses, how to access business support, routes to funding and up-skilling to meet the HS2 challenge.
Craig Wakeman, HS2 Programme Strategy Manager at West Midlands Combined Authority said “The business opportunities for local companies stretch ‘beyond building a railway’. If we consider the wider elements of the programme, the impacts on the regional supply chains are huge. We must look to proactively engage with the joint ventures that will be delivering the enabling works for HS2 such as Laing Murphy (LM), Fusion and Constain Skanska as well as the main works contractors that have been appointed, Balfour Beatty Vinci, who will deliver the main construction elements of the HS2 programme in this region worth in excess of £2.4bn. We must also ensure that we put in place the necessary skills and address areas of shortage and so that we can create sustainable economic growth for future generations on the back of the HS2 programme.”
Gary Dimmock, Outreach and Business Solutions Centres Manager at University of Wolverhampton said “HS2 represents huge opportunity for local businesses to grow. The Wyre Forest Business Solutions Centre by the University of Wolverhampton will help businesses to find out how to compete for tenders and connect to a suite of business support to help them to get HS2 ready.”
The breakfast event is being held at The Aon Suite, Osprey House, Redditch B97 4DE. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Register here or log onto the NWedR website and register through the events page.