Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the notice to proceed on the main civils works concept and design stage of High Speed 2 Phase 1 has been extended from November 2018 to June 2019; and for what reasons that extension has been so made.

Notice to Proceed is the point at which the Phase One Main Works Civils suppliers are authorised by HS2 Ltd to proceed to Stage 2 of the contracts (detailed design and construction).

HS2 Ltd is the procurement authority for the Main Works Civils contracts. All decisions related to this procurement are made by HS2 Ltd’s Board. Having carried out the biggest ground investigation exercise this country has ever seen, involving some 8,000 bore holes, HS2 Ltd are now using the knowledge gained, along with the European expertise in each Joint Venture to complete the initial design phase. This process will drive out risk and increase cost certainties prior to starting construction. HS2 Ltd’s Board has recently decided to move the date of Notice to Proceed from 1 March 2019 to 1 June 2019 in order to provide suppliers with additional time to optimise their designs. HS2 Ltd’s latest advice to Government is that Phase One service opening dates are unaffected.