HS2 is seeking a development partner to lead phase two of the project through the hybrid bill process, as well as consultants to design three of the main civils packages for the route north of Birmingham.

The seven-and-a-half-year £170m development partner’s role mirrors that of the £70m phase one development partner contract won by CH2M Hill in 2012.

The successful bidder will join HS2’s in-house team to manage the progress of phase two’s hybrid bill application through parliament, with royal assent slated for 2022.

Consultancy firms will also battle it out to design the three main phase two civils packages, covering the route from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester.

The packages will be worth a total of £350m and last more than seven years.

Bills will be asked to produce models, plans, drawings, sections, schedules, technical reports and construction cost estimates for each programme of works.

The news comes a week after HS2 revealed the nine shortlisted firms for the £11.8bn civils work packages for phase one of the line.

Shortlisted consortia include Laing O’Rourke/Murphy /FCC Construcción, Carillion/Kier /Eiffage, Bouygues/Volker/Sir Robert McAlpine, Dragados/Hochtief/Galliford Try and Costain/ Skanska/ Strabag.

Ferrovial/Bam Nuttall/Morgan Sindall, Acciona/Sisk/Lagan Construction Group and a sole bid from Bechtel complete the shortlist for the packages worth a total of £11.8bn.