The Lower Thames Crossing is a major government road project to add another river crossing east of Dartford. It aims to improve people’s journey times and boost the economy of the Thames Estuary region, providing more jobs and opportunities to boroughs like Havering.
Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, has been working to make sure that this big transport investment directly benefits local Havering businesses. Last October, she and her team worked with Havering Means Business to put on a networking event in Cranham to help local businesses bid for contracts related to the project. Havering firms were able to hear directly from representatives of National Highways about how they may get involved in the supply chain of the Lower Thames Crossing project and register on their SME Directory.
Mrs Lopez now wants to highlight a follow-up ‘Meet the Bidder’ event that the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) is hosting in September for local businesses to learn more about the programme, project ambitions and, crucially, the procurement process and opportunities open to them. The events will include:
- Presentations from Matt Palmer, LTC's Executive Director, and his senior leadership team about the programme, the project’s carbon neutral construction ambition, and how this can be achieved through the supply chain
- Introductions of LTC’s Main Works Bidders and information around the procurement process and timelines
- Time with Main Works Bidders via speed dating sessions that will allow local suppliers to ask questions about the procurement process
- Information from the Supply Chain Sustainability School about free resources that will help your business get ready to bid for work on the project
- Opportunities to meet with regional business groups and other local suppliers for networking.
The event in Essex is taking place on Wednesday 28 September at Orsett Hall Hotel in Thurrock. If you are interested in attending, you can register a maximum of two people from your business here.
Limited spaces are available. Any questions – please contact the Lower Thames Crossing directly at [email protected].
Julia Lopez, MP for Hornchurch & Upminster, said: ‘If it is granted development consent, the Lower Thames Crossing will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe and presents an incredible opportunity for local businesses to tender for work in a varied supply chain. Events like this are essential to ensuring that local businesses can make the most of this opportunity not just to win contracts within the project itself but to network with other business groups and suppliers as well as receive advice on the procurement process which may be transferable to other large projects. I hope that the Havering business community will find this event helpful.’
