Mace has decided against a legal challenge over the awarding of £170m development partner contract for HS2’s second phase.
Mace has been vocal in its criticism of the HS2 process, calling the procurement process “seriously flawed” after a whistleblower alerted Mace to the possibility of a conflict of interest regarding HS2’s former chief of staff Chris Reynolds.
After leaving HS2 last June, Reynolds subsequently went to work for CH2M in September.
HS2’s new chief executive Mark Thurston was also CH2M’s former Europe boss and HS2’s interim chief executive Roy Hill was also seconded from CH2M.
Mace had submitted written evidence to the Transport Committee ahead of a session last month, claiming HS2 had “consistently misled taxpayers” and that scoring of the bids for the £170m development partner contract “was geared to favour CH2M” and “to favour American companies”.
But in a statement released the end of last week, Mace said: “Despite the flawed process, we have decided that the importance of the scheme to the national interest, particularly the north of England, outweighs our drive for taking action.
“It is imperative that HS2 now focus their attention on delivering this essential project both on time and in budget.”
CH2M was originally announced as the preferred bidder for the contract, but following the criticism and allegation of conflict of interest it withdrew its interest in March, citing “protracted delays and ongoing speculation”.
HS2 is proceeding with the original second-placed bidder Bechtel, saying it was “confident that our processes were fair and robust”.
