Contenders for contract falling by the wayside

THE final contenders for the £230 million contract to fund, build and maintain the Borders Railway came from among five groups which formally expressed interest.

The Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency invited three of these to submit tenders in March last year, with the order due to be awarded this winter.

Bid 1

NEW BORDERS RAILWAY comprised US rail firm Fluor, Edinburgh-based Miller Construction and Uberior Infrastructure Investments, part of the Lloyds Banking Group.

It pulled out after Fluor, whose previous projects included a high-speed line in the Netherlands, withdrew from the consortium in November last year without explanation.

Bid 2

IMCD is made up of construction giant Sir Robert McAlpine, Spanish firm Iridium Concesiones de Infrastructuras and Carillion Construction. Carillion is understood to have left the consortium over "governance issues" with the project, but no-one from the company was available for comment last night.

In addition to rail work, the firm was responsible for moving underground pipes and cables as part of the Edinburgh tram project after it took over original contractor Alfred McAlpine.

Bid 3

BAM, the other bidder, built the new Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum in Glasgow, which opens next week, after being involved in a range of Scottish rail projects.

The firm, part of the Dutch-owned Royal BAM Group, was also involved in tram track laying as a sub-contractor in Edinburgh's Princes Street, and was part of the unsuccessful consortium bidding for the new Forth bridge.