Held in Birmingham, businesses will discuss supply chain opportunities available as part of the £7.5 billion civil engineering contracts to deliver Phase One of the UK’s new high speed rail network.

Today’s event will open up the opportunity for businesses from across the UK to become part of the biggest infrastructure in Europe. HS2’s direct contractors will hold over 1400 one to one meetings with targeted businesses, discussing 90 contract packages with potential suppliers, ranging from environmental works, such as landscaping, to construction materials and plant supply.

The size of the HS2 project means that there will be thousands of opportunities within the HS2 supply chain, across many business sectors, requiring a wide range of capabilities, over a number of years that will be suitable for suppliers of all types and sizes.

A total of 21 companies in the Scotland have already been awarded work on HS2, either directly or through its supply chain, and HS2 Ltd has engaged with more than 170 businesses in Scotland on potential opportunities.

HS2 Ltd’s procurement and supply chain director, David Poole, said: “Today’s event is a great next step in our programme to engage with businesses, big and small, from across the UK, and give them all the tools to make the most of HS2’s emerging supply chain opportunities.

“HS2 is a long term national programme and it’s great that businesses from across the UK, from as far as Inverness and Belfast, are gearing up to get on board with HS2.”

This is the first time that HS2’s main works contractors, the consortium of companies that will be building the new line between London and the West Midlands, have taken part in a large-scale supply chain event.

Companies were given the opportunity to attend the event after being identified by a range of relevant trade bodies and other appropriate networks and then matched to the future supply chain opportunities which will arise from HS2 contracts in the coming 12-18 months. As well as the series of one-to-one meetings, there were also a number of other opportunities for business networking, and a series of workshops to attend.