A final rush is under way for the conclusion of the tenders that will see the commissioning of works for the entire Lyon-Turin base tunnel. While the commissions are at work to decide the winning enterprise groupings for the contracts in Italy and France (works worth approximately 3 billion euros) among the more than 100 companies competing from all over the world, the current works are already showing some significant numbers. After involving 350 SMEs in the design phase, currently about 150 players are working on the construction sites of the large cross-border project: 65 companies directly hired for the construction side and about 90 professionals involved in various sectors, from monitoring to studies. There are about 600 companies on the white list, qualified to become suppliers of the public promoter in line with the procedure established with the Italian and French prefectures.

These numbers will grow with the stipulation of contracts for the next work phase, representing a fundamental turning point in the history of the project. Close attention has been paid by the trade associations that have mobilised their members both in Italy and in France with initiatives providing information on TELT’s calls for tenders, the involved procedures, and the applicable laws. They have thus established a strong group of interested companies at all levels in order to be prepared for the next appointments.

To date, 3.2 billion euros have already been spent and allocated for the work and calls for tenders are in progress for the base tunnel works. Starting in early 2021, contracts will be signed. This will result in the employment of about 4000 people, who will be directly involved in the construction of the project, and about the same number for economic related activities.