Subject to consent from the Planning Inspectorate, construction on the project is due to start in 2016 and will involve 24 construction sites across London.
The three main works packages are worth a total of up to £2.3 billion.
The shortlisted contractors will be bidding for one or more of the three work packages which have been split into geographical sections.
The shortlisted ventures are:
- East: Bam Nuttall, Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall; Bechtel and Strabag; Bouygues Travaux Publics; Costain, Vinci and Bachy; and Hochtief and Murphy
- Central: Bam Nuttall, Balfour Beatty and Morgan Sindall; Costain, Vinci and Bachy; Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke; and Skanska, Bilfinger and Razel Bec
- West: Bam Nuttall, Balfour Beatty and Morgan Sindall: Costain, Vinci and Bachy; Dragados and Samsung; Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke
Mike Gerrard, managing director of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, said: “We are building for 22nd Century London to create a cleaner, healthier River Thames. The Thames Tideway Tunnel is needed to tackle the millions of tonnes of raw sewage which discharge into the River Thames every year. The river needs cleaning up and it needs to be cleaned up now.
“It will be the biggest tunnelling project ever undertaken in the UK’s water industry. We have shortlisted the contractors with the right expertise and experience, who will deliver the best value for money for our customers.
“We are following a rigorous tender process and are confident the successful tenderers are capable of delivering the project.”
Thames Water says construction of the tunnel will create more than 9,000 jobs.