THE HEAD of Bombardier in the UK is declining to rule out a formal challenge to the selection of Siemens as the preferred bidder to build 1,200 vehicles for the new Thameslink fleet, in a contract which is worth some £1.4 billion.
There have been protests ever since the transport secretary Philip Hammond made his decision in mid-June. His colleague, transport minister Theresa Villiers, said the choice represented the best value for money for taxpayers, and that 2,000 British jobs would be created.
But the 'best value for money' claim has been vigorously disputed, following the revelation that no account was taken of the wider effect on the British economy in general and that of Derby in particular, where there have been warnings that up to 20,000 jobs are now at risk. Some 3,000 of these are at the Bombardier plant in Litchurch Lane, which will run out of work by 2014. The rest are in the supply chain and its associated businesses.
Bombardier has already announced that it is proposing to shed more than 1,400 jobs at Litchurch Lane, although work is continuing for now on several contracts, including the supply of 191 S-stock subsurface trains for London Underground, consisting of almost 1,400 vehicles. Although this is by far the largest of the jobs on hand, the last of these trains, destined for the District Line, is due to roll off the production lines in about three years from now.
The head of Bombardier in the UK, Colin Walton, was one of a number of speakers at a protest rally held in Derby on 23 July. Mr Walton told the demonstrators on Cathedral Green that he and his management team were doing all they could. Afterwards, Railnews asked him if a formal challenge to the selection of Siemens was on the cards.
He replied: “We're looking at every opportunity. We're looking at every option available to us, and we'll make decisions further down the line. We still believe it should be changed. There's no need for a challenge at this stage, in any shape or form. It's a negotiation phase. But we are looking at everything.”
Another speaker, Derby South MP Margaret Beckett, who has held several cabinet posts and served as Foreign Secretary in 2008, told Railnews she was questioning whether the correct European Union directive had been used when evaluating the bids.
She added: "All that stands in the way is the political will. If you look at the tender documents, there are a number of potential loopholes."