Mayoral & HS2 Supply Chain Summit for SME's 2022

HS2 is the largest infrastructure project in Europe and the most important economic and social regeneration project in decades, with the West Midlands at the heart of the new network.

Britain’s new high speed rail line is being built from London to the North-West, with HS2 trains linking the biggest cities in Scotland with Manchester, Birmingham and London. Integrating with new lines and upgrades across Britain’s rail system to deliver faster travel to many towns and cities across Britain not directly on the HS2 route, including Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby.

170 miles of new high-speed line is already under construction between Crewe and London, employing over 20,000 people. In total, the Government is planning over 260 miles of new high speed line across the country. In this region alone, there will be two brand new stations, the HS2 Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot and the Network Infrastructure Control Centre (NICC) for the whole high speed rail network.

A large proportion of the budget will make its way down the supply chain providing transformational opportunities for businesses for more than a decade. The WMCA is committed to maximising the number of West Midlands businesses that benefit from this investment (HS2 funding - HS2).

The session will be chaired by Cllr Ian Courts, Portfolio Lead for Environment, Energy & HS2.

1. Strategic overview of HS2:

• Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, will outline the importance of HS2 to the West Midlands, how it underpins the region’s ambitions and how important the project will be to the region’s post-Covid-19 recovery plans; and how the WMCA is supporting its residents and businesses to become part of the project

• Mark Thurston from HS2 Ltd, will outline the size and scale of HS2, updating the audience on where the project currently is and highlighting that the opportunities for West Midlands businesses extend beyond the region covering the whole of the route

2. Tactical detail of HS2:

Hear directly from the following:

• Kai Ogunbanjo, from Trinity Assets (a company that offers affordable housing to HS2 workers) will talk through his experience of accessing the HS2 supply chain and the benefits that it has provided him and his business

• Hear from Sam Plant – civil engineering degree apprentice and Nicola Frankland – graduate transport planner working at Mott MacDonald, share their journeys into engineering, listen as they talk about the work they currently undertake as a direct result of HS2 and how this work will impact their future career aspirations

• Rebecca Simpson, Procurement Director from Tier One company Balfour Beatty Vinci will talk through live and forthcoming opportunities, and exactly how businesses can become part of the supply chain

3. Panel Q&A session:

Get involved, this is your opportunity to ask our panel a question relating to the subject.

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