Chinese firm's comments bring new call for Forth Replacement Crossing contracts inquiry
There are fresh calls for a review of contracts for the new Forth crossing after further questions were raised about the project.
An artist's impression of the Forth Replacement Crossing alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge.
- By Craig Smith
- Published in the Courier : 13.02.12
- Published online : 13.02.12 @ 12.45pm
Labour has urged Scottish ministers to look again at the decision to send multi-million-pound steel contracts for the bridge overseas following reports over the weekend that suggested Chinese-based Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) was boasting about securing a deal last April — 10 months before the Scottish Government made its formal announcement at the end of last month.
The Scottish Government has insisted ZPMC was only a ''potential supplier'' at that stage, in line with normal procurement rules, but — given last week's furore over foreign contracts — Richard Baker, Scottish Labour's infrastructure and capital investment spokesman, has reiterated calls for an inquiry.
''The questions are mounting about the Forth Crossing deal and it is not good enough for the SNP to hide behind EU rules or commercial privacy,'' he said. ''Why, for instance, did the SNP Government wait until last month to announce where it was sourcing its steel from when it appears this was already known in China before the election last year?
''Given the size of this deal and its importance to the Scottish economy, we cannot afford to get it wrong and that is why we need more transparency about the process.''
A consortium called Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC), including Scots firm Morrison Construction, Dragados (Spain), Hochtief (Germany) and American Bridge International, won the contract to build the bridge, and a Scottish Government spokesman stressed that ZPMC was included on FCBC's shortlist of potential suppliers within its final tender for the principal contract.
''This is standard industry practice,'' the spokesman added.
Transport minister Keith Brown said: ''Scottish firms the length and breadth of the nation are clearly already benefiting and will continue to do so.''
09.39am - 14.02.2012 Max - Tayside, Scotland Report This
So which bit of the following statement do opposition politicians don't get, "Scotland no longer has manufacturing fabrication facilities for steel". They were all closed down by the Tories and Labour.
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