Crossrail Programme Partner Contract Awarded To Transcend Consortium Including Nichols Group

27 March 2009

Crossrail Ltd (CRL) and the Transcend consortium today signed the contract for Programme Partner on the prestigious UK rail project.

Transcend was formed specifically to bid for the Programme Partner role on Crossrail and comprises three world class industry leaders: AECOM, CH2M HILL, and the NICHOLS GROUP. These in turn are supported by three highly respected companies: Turner & Townsend for cost planning, Unipart Rail for logistics services and First Class Partnerships for rail operations.

Following a competitive tender process, this significant appointment, worth in the region of £100 million, means that Crossrail remains on schedule to begin main construction works in 2010.

Frances Nichols, Creative Director of The Nichols Group said: “We at Nichols as part of Transcend are delighted to have won this important Programme Partner role for Crossrail, as it enables us to help make a positive difference to London and build a world class railway for the future.”

Mike Nichols, Chairman of Transcend and Chairman of The Nichols Group, said: “It is an enormous privilege for Transcend to have become the Programme Partner for Crossrail – the biggest transport development in the UK for many decades. We look forward to working seamlessly with CRL as part of a single, integrated team to ensure the successful delivery of this hugely exciting and important programme.”

Jhan Schmitz, Team Leader of Transcend, said: “I am immensely proud of our team and their willingness to join me on this challenging venture. We have selected our most experienced and talented people to work on this programme. Together we have over 1,000 years of rail and programme management experience between us.

“We are all well aware that Crossrail has been planned over many years and, now the contract has been signed, we move into delivery phase when we can start work with colleagues at CRL and other stakeholders involved in Crossrail.”

The award of the Programme Partner contract to Transcend follows an extensive competition process run in accordance with EU procurement rules, including the standard ten day ‘stand still’ period which ended on 25 March.

For Transcend, the parent companies and supporting partners:

Matthew Neylan or Luke Blair
London Communications Agency 00 44 (0)20 7612 8480
mn@londoncommunications.co.uk 00 44 (0)7958 924130
lb@londoncommunications.co.uk 00 44 (0)7779 023 188

For Crossrail Ltd

pressoffice@crossrail.co.uk 00 44 (0)20 3229 9552
Alick Whitfield 00 44 (0)7515 922 813

Notes to Editors

1. About Transcend

Transcend’s parent companies and sub-consultants have more than 2,000 people in London and the vast majority of the Programme Partner team have been drawn from London. Through the parent companies Transcend has a global reach, and is able to draw on a worldwide resource of more than 65,000 people working in more than 100 countries. This provides a ready source of world-leading expertise to tap into throughout the programme from 2009 to 2017. The Transcend team brings experience of major infrastructure programmes from across the world including Panama (Panama Canal Expansion), Korea (New Bundang Railway Line), Hong Kong (West Rail Link), New York (Second Avenue Subway) and Singapore (Deep Tunnel Sewerage System) as well as UK projects such as the West Coast Main Line, Docklands Light Railway and Thameslink.

2. About Mike Nichols

Chairman of Transcend, Mike Nichols, is also Chairman of the NICHOLS GROUP. He has extensive experience in the direction of major capital projects and business change programmes in the transport, telecommunications and power industries. In particular, he directed a management contract for the first phase of the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway and project managed the initial phase of the Docklands Light Railway, both completed on time and within budget. Mike contributed to the Government’s Strategic Defence Review; and, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, carried out a strategic review of the Highway Agency’s £12 billion Major Roads Programme. He is Chairman of the Association for Project Management, Board Member of the Major Projects Association, and Member of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee of the British Standards Institute. Mike is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.

3. About Jhan Schmitz

Team Leader for Transcend and a Senior Vice President of CH2M HILL, Jhan Schmitz, is a highly-qualified, experienced, infrastructure programme manager who brings to Crossrail more than 40 years of experience in managing international, multi-billion dollar engineering and construction programmes. With his extensive expertise in programme and operations management, Jhan has managed numerous types of infrastructure programmes on four continents – most recently working as Programme Director for the Panama Canal expansion programme. He has previously been responsible for the delivery of all CH2M HILL programmes and projects in the Middle East, leading large, diverse and high-performance teams on a number of major programmes and projects. He has also directed programmes throughout Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

4. About AECOM - http://www.aecom.com/

AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management services to a broad range of markets including transportation, infrastructure, environmental and energy. AECOM is ranked as the No. 1 in the world by Engineering News Record for providing transportation consultancy services. AECOM, through its 42,000 people, is involved in major capital programmes in the UK and more than 100 countries worldwide. In the UK AECOM’s operating brands include Faber Maunsell and EDAW.

5. About CH2M HILL - http://www.ch2m.com/

CH2M HILL provides programme management services for high profile programmes and is ranked No.1 in the world by Engineering News Record for programme management and construction management services. CH2M HILL has more than 25,000 employees worldwide and is currently providing programme management services for the Panama Canal expansion and London Tideway Tunnels for Thames Water in the UK.

6. About the NICHOLS GROUP - http://www.nicholsgroup.co.uk/

The NICHOLS GROUP is a UK consultancy top rated by its major clients for strategy, programme management and project management. For over three decades, it has played a key role in the management of large infrastructure projects and business change programmes in the power, water, telecommunications and transport sectors, in the UK and Far East. It is the leading strategy consultancy in the UK rail industry.

7. About the three sub-consultants

• Turner & Townsend is a global business focused on providing high-quality construction consultancy, programme and project management, cost management and management consultancy services across six continents from a network of 56 offices - http://www.turnerandtownsend.com/
• Unipart is one of Europe’s leading independent logistics companies which brings to Crossrail world-class rail logistics and supply chain experience and expertise - http://www.unipart.co.uk
• First Class Partnerships provides strategic, commercial, operations, engineering and infrastructure rail consultancy and advice to leading rail companies, investors in rail, governments and regulators around the globe. FCP is the leading rail operations consultancy in the UK - http://www.firstclasspartnerships.com/