Minister defends new Forth bridge contracts
An artist's impression of a new Forth replacement bridge alongside the current Forth bridge
Transport minister Keith Brown has argued it is wrong to suggest no Scottish firms are benefiting from the new Forth bridge.
He was responding to reports that contracts for up to £40 million of steel that could have been produced in Scotland have gone to China, Portugal and Spain.
Mr Brown said: “Scottish firms the length and breadth of the nation are clearly already benefiting and will continue to do so – 118 Scottish firms have already risen to the challenge of working on this iconic project and the total value to Scottish firms is around £20m, with more to be announced.
“In addition, 870 out of 1,041 supply orders awarded on the principal contract have already gone to Scottish companies.
“For the avoidance of doubt, these contracts are awarded by Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors [FCBC], which includes Scottish firm Morrison Construction.”
According to Mr Brown, the project will support 1,200 Scottish jobs, securing 3,000 more, and every year will also provide 45 vocational training positions, 21 professional-body training places and 46 positions for long-term unemployed people.
The total estimated cost of the project is up to £1.6 billion, with £790m going to FCBC.
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There are 14 comments to this article
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Vote 'NO'
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 08:09 PM12. One question - if the SNP Executive is completely blamesless for this embarrassing failure (it's for a company to do, not an Executive) then WHY is Salmond going to meet this company's represntatives now?
gratislobotommy
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 08:00 PMABDUCTIONS FORCED BRAIN ELECTRODE-CHIP IMPLANTS BLACKLISTING FORCEFUL UNEMPLOYMENT HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION MK-ULTRA BRAINWASHING AND ASSASSINATIONS AGAINST WHITE(under "NAZI" lie) CIVILIAN POPULATION TODAY IN 20112012 ACROSS THE EUROPE AND NORTHERN AMERICA! VISIT ALL NEW http:notethicsbutbutchery.blogspot.com OR WHOLE STORY http:myshortbiography.blogspot.com ARIZONA = UTOYA = THERE WAS NO SHOOTING EITHER IN NORWAY OR ARIZONA, BUT INSTEAD “AFTERLIFE” CASH$$ & FLASH MOB WITH TEAR GASS AND THEATER WHILE CALLING YOU TERRORISTS !!!! Guilt or blame and shame weapon against us and our families in our own countries during bogus “economic crises” while importing here non white third world foreigners! 911(TWIN TOWERS) = NORWAY BOMBING OR STATE SPONSORED TERRORISM, HOWEVER, WAS REAL !!! http:stateofterror.blogspot.com OR http:avsecbostjan.blogspot.com
Sneeky
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 07:20 PM#11 VOTE YES - http:news.bbc.co.ukdemocracylivehiscotlandnewsid_96930009693393.stm - _______ It is taken from the First Ministers response and is on the BBC Democracy Live website. ________ The easiest way to access it is to go to the news site for Scotland and scroll to the bottom. If you want extra fun, read the description of the encounter at FMQ's before you watch the dabate and wonder if you are watching the same debate... As far as the steel mills go you need only google to see that we only have the capability to make Steel plate now. TATA actually own a Scottish Mill for steel plate but never submitted for the contract to have its Steel Plate from their Scottish yard at Clydebridge. If they are on the ball they may get another shout for this if they play their cards right. I understand the First Minister is going to be holding talks with TATA about the Steel Plate.
VOTE YES
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:11 PMSneeky, I find your steel post interesting but would have any sources to support these figures?
Danielrober2
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:19 AM# 4 Ancient Wisdom ..................... The causeway would have been a very delicate and sophisticated structure, that could have been built by now. This crossing choice is though, in its conceptual approach might be above the threshold of the First Minister and his advisers, which is a shame for Scots Engineering. Besides, you would not see it from marginal seats, so therefore it has a high transport value and cost benefits, but low voter recognition value. So its the old bridge concept, with three towers at that eh :-(
Danielrober2
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:15 AMAfter 5 years of talk, about how this great project will reinvigorate Scottish Engineering what we actually gets for billions is [provide 45 vocational training positions, 21 professional-body training places and 46 positions for long-term unemployed people]. ................................................ A local authority is any part of the EU, with such a massive budget could do better. It is a poor show and again raises the questions of who is actually advising the SNP on industrial policy and why do they have such low employment, training and industrial reequipment aspirations? I find it hard to fathom that the concrete is not been bought around the corner, not only for economic and job reasons, but also for environmental reasons. Its a little strange and the SNP could change the situation if it wishes to do so. Or id this just another Tram like scheme where a contract has been signed without looking at the detail and then suffer from a lack of interest fro the SNP Devolved Government. .............................................. The SNP have the people, so why not let them do their jobs, instead of yet more excuses and Ministry of Alec.S is Right statistical quotes.
Sneeky
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:33 AM#1 REPOSTED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND... The steel Contract is worth 5-10% of the £790 million budget so that is £39.5 million to £79 million. Of this figure rougly 25% refers to Steel Plate, which we can manufacture in Scotland (thats £9.9 million to £19.8 million). However NO SCOTTISH PRODUCER SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL FOR THIS. The remaining steel cannot be fabricated in Scotland as there are no yards capable of creating it. This is since the decimation of the Scottish steel industry under thatcherism in the 80's and early 90's. 118 of the 155 subcontracts on the project had gone to firms in Scotland, while Scottish companies are benefiting from 870 of the 1,041 supply orders. To further improve upon this the Scottish government have gone to the lowest cost supplier for the sections we cannot provide through indigenous industry, i.e. the steel fabrications. This is all on top of the EU procurement laws that prevent the Scottish Government from favouring local suppliers and instead having to focus on the best bid. The reason that so many scottish firms have got a part of the contract is due to the online submission system set up by the SNP to allow smaller contractors to bid for parts of the work rather than large multinationals bidding for the whole thing. This has allowed them to get the best deal in each section and reduce the overall cost of the bridge down from its original £1.6 Billion price tag proposed to a more acceptable £790 million. _____ It doesn't matter how hard this is spun, it cannot be shown to be bad news... you only need to look at the figures to realise that Johan Lamont is on another PLANET if she thinks that the overall 71% of contracts awarded to Scottish Firms on a £790 million project comes to only £20 milion. _____ People are not stupid and the Labour party and MSM should stop treating them as such!!!
Auld Twa
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:20 AM#4 Ancient Wisdom. Where exactly are you going to put this causeway ? How does water get down and shipping get up the river after it is built ?
baggy troosers
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:00 AMWe'll get all the steel we want from Ravenscraig ,whats the problem?.
thinking
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:46 AM#3 Why do you and so many posters on other stories blame Governments, of whatever ilk, for business failures? Businesses make money, thus providing employment and bringing wealth to a country. If they don't make money they go bust. Here, in Scotland, mines, steel works, ship yards etc etc have gone because they were losing money This has happened throughout the UK, not just Scotland (in some instances because of the intransigence of unions but mostly because costs were higher in the UK than other countries, or, in the case of mines, they were petering out). Because they were big employers tax payers' money (no such thing as Government money) was used to prop them up. There comes a point, though, when you have to say, 'enough is enough, and stop the financial drain.
Ancient Wisdom
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:26 AMThis bridge is costing eight times the original (allowing for inflation) and yet use less steel and fewer labourers, as well as benefiting from existing roads. Now the steel and the contract have gone abroad. A causeway could have been completed by now at a far lower cost and been entirely Scottish. If this is how SNP manages our scarce resources then let us pray.
Finnzz
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:13 AMBut wait, Lamont said that the steel contract was worth £800 million. And Scotlands decimated steel industry should have won the lot. Perhaps she's forgotten about Westminsters penchant for destroying northern heavy industry which meant that there wasn't actually anyone in Scotland that could bid for the steel contract...............................................................................looks like another made-up headline to deflect the really big news regarding Labour councillor meltdown in Glasgow and their imminent loss of their jobs.
Vote 'NO'
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:00 AMPending Moderation
Beachdair
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:35 AMFor more detailed info see post #6 by 'sneeky' on '‘Call for review of Forth bridge steel contracts’ in the Friday Scotsman.
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