Crossrail has so far awarded direct, tier 1 contracts with a value of more than £5.5bn.
Of the contracts monitored by Crossrail, 43% of businesses winning work are based outside of London and the southeast and 62% are based outside the capital.
To date, 58% of businesses in the project’s supply chain that have been monitored by Crossrail are small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).
The majority of contracts throughout the supply chain are yet to be awarded as the project’s main contractors still need to buy a wide range of goods, works and services from companies of all sizes.
Crossrail has issued a three-point plan for businesses looking for Crossrail work:
- Sign up to the CompeteFor website, which matches suppliers to opportunities that suit them and allows them to apply for contracts.
- Go to the suppliers’ section of the Crossrail website to see the latest summary of all the direct contracts awarded and download a supplier guide, which is designed to help businesses find out more about how to become a Crossrail supplier.
- Contact your trade association, as many are in contact with Crossrail about the opportunities available for the sectors that they represent.
Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme said: “Crossrail is proving to be a much needed boost for a range of industries, creating and safeguarding jobs and providing tens of thousands of opportunities for UK businesses.
“Crossrail will not just benefit London and the southeast - the project’s economic benefits are being felt well beyond the confines of the M25. Firms right across the UK are winning business on the back of Europe’s largest construction project. Work is set to peak over the next two years, so it’s vital that businesses continue to seize the opportunities that Crossrail has to offer.”
Businesses that have already benefitted from work related to Crossrail include:
- Express Reinforcements, of Neath, south Wales, has supplied steel rebar cages to 10 Crossrail sites.
- Derbyshire-based Street Crane has manufactured and installed 10 overhead travelling cranes on the project.
- Cleveland Bridge, based in Darlington, has supplied Crossrail with 2,500 tonnes of steel, which has gone to Bond Street and Canary Wharf stations.
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