NMCN refuses to work for Tier 1 contractors on HS2
HS2: Contractor rejects tier two role on phase one
The boss of a major contractor has rejected working for HS2’s phase one joint ventures because it would mean serving in a tier two role.
In an interview with CN, John Homer said the newly rebranded NMCN (formerly known as North Midland Construction) had been approached by HS2’s phase one contractors to work on the £55.7bn project.
However, while Mr Homer said the group would not rule out working on HS2, it did not want to serve as a subcontractor for a tier one.
“We don’t want to work as a tier two contractor, which would mean that we would get paid by a tier one contractor,” he said.
Mr Homer also told CN that the tier one business model was being “squeezed really hard” and “does not appear to work”.
Citing Carillion’s collapse earlier this year, the chief executive said: “Consciously or naively, they [Carillion] took on risks that proved terminal.
“It killed them. They took on risks that they didn’t understand and couldn’t manage. The model has to be rethought in terms of what it is you need to do.”
Mr Homer said NMCN wanted to change the tier one business model by offering a “full service offering” through design, build and offsite manufacturing services.