East West Rail Company (EWR) has issued a pipeline notice for a construction integrator to oversee early-stage delivery of its rail scheme connecting Oxford and Cambridge, with a contract worth up to £140m.
An envisaged eight-year deal, worth an estimated £116.7m excluding VAT, would see the successful bidder act as principal contractor for pre-construction and enabling works on the central section of the railway.
The planned contract would run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2034, but the notice also mentioned a potential two-year extension until 2036.
According to the notice published yesterday evening (22 May), the role will include “resolving design conflicts” and ensuring the programme’s sustainability objectives are met.
The integrator will also serve as the NEC contract supervisor responsible for checking compliance against scope and specification throughout construction.
A formal tender notice is expected to be published on 1 July under the Utilities Contracts Regulations.
The project will be procured under the Procurement Act 2023.
EWR was set up by the Department for Transport to focus specifically on the East West Rail project. It is reviving the Varsity line rail connection between Oxford and Cambridge – scrapped in the 1960s – with the aim of reconnecting communities and stimulating economic growth along the arc.
The project will be implemented in three phases: firstly Oxford to Bletchley/Milton Keynes, then Bletchley to Bedford, and finally Bedford to Cambridge.
Source: Gov.uk Find a Tender
This story was written with AI assistance from Harmsworth
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