Crossrail project: commercial aspects of works contracts for London’s Elizabeth line

Choosing the right commercial arrangements between the client and contractors was critical to successful delivery of the £14·8 billion Crossrail project to deliver the Elizabeth line east–west railway across London. This paper explains how delivery organisation Crossrail Limited used the NEC3: Engineering and Construction Contract to procure £6·5 billion of main works packages from a wide range of major contractors. The objective was to ensure a fair balance of risk and reward, to allow changes to be accommodated and to enable programme challenges to be addressed as they arose. The paper also deals with the client’s approach to commercial management during the course of the 6 year programme, through to final settlement of accounts with contractors.