Four of HS2 Ltd’s biggest contractors will introduce a standardized pre-qualification (PQ) system for subcontractors in a bid to streamline the process, reduce costs and boost productivity.

The new Common Assessment Standard will ensure that bidders looking for work with the high speed rail company’s four main civils contractors – Align, BBV, EK and SCS Railways – will go through identical pre-qualification processes.

Developed as part of HS2’s collaboration hub initiative, the contractors worked with two of the sector’s biggest representative organisations, Build UK and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), and through industry body, High Speed Rail Industry Leaders Group (HSRIL), to agree the new system.

The new system aims to ensure that all suppliers meet a high-quality standard, essential for HS2 to deliver a safe and quality supply chain, that the best procurement decisions are made, and that the approaches taken to procurement will not only have an impact on HS2 but the wider construction sector.

Andy Cross, procurement director, HS2 Ltd said: “Building Britain’s new high speed railway provides a significant opportunity for the construction industry to innovate and work together, to leave lasting improvements on the sector as a whole. By adopting new approaches, such as the Common Assessment Standard, we can potentially transform the way in which the industry works, and procures goods and services.”

Jo Fautley, deputy chief executive, Build UK said: “The construction industry is making great strides towards more collaborative working and the Common Assessment Standard has been developed by industry, for industry, based on standards that clients, contractors and the supply chain have all agreed on. The adoption of the Common Assessment Standard by leading clients such as HS2 will help to improve efficiency and reduce duplication and cost, supporting the future delivery of world-class infrastructure.”

The new system was announced as serious doubts continue to surround the future of HS2 itself, and before the eagerly awaited recommendations of the government’s independent-led Oakervee Review into HS2 which are set to be published in the very near future.