Negotiated call for tenders, deadline 15th March, 2007 for design and build of various high voltage cable and high pressure gas pipeline tunnels within the South East of England. A number of feasibility studies have been commissioned to provide specific information once they have been finalised. This information will then be provided within the tender documentation and issued to the qualified respondents to this tender. For guidance, the National Grid’s previous high voltage cable tunnels have been constructed using precast concrete segments and were of approx. three metres of diameter and the gas pipe tunnels have used auger boring, pipejacking, etc., to accommodate maximum pipe diameter of 1,220 mm. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=34204-2007, OJ S 28, or contact National Grid, Warwick, fax +44 1926656601. E-mail ernie.savage@uk.ngrid.com 08/07.Costain, Murphy and Morgan Est are the three firms working up bids for a tender return in September for a GBP600 million scheme to build four cable tunnels in London for National Grid. National Grid is planning to start building the 4 m-diameter tunnels next year. The first part of the deal is worth about GBP473 million and will involve boring 27.5 km of tunnel in two sections - including a continuous tunnel of 20 km - from Hackney in the east to Willesden in the west, due to be completed in 2015. The winning team will also be responsible for a 7.1 km stretch between Hurst and Eltham in southeast London, which will be finished by 2014. A fourth tunnel, which runs for 7.4 km between Wimbledon and Kensal Green in southwest London, is being tendered separately and construction will run from late 2009 to 2016. This package will carry a price tag of about GBP127 million. All the tunnels will house 400 kV cables that will feed into National Grid's substations in Hackney, St John's Wood, Wimbledon, Willesden, Hurst and Eltham. The total construction time for all four tunnels will be six years, starting on the Hurst to Eltham route in spring 2009 and completing the Wimbledon to Kensal Green route in 2016. The project will see tunnels sunk to an average depth of between 12 and 60 m, including one stretch below the River Thames. Click here to see a route map. 34-35/08.