Network Rail’s top 20 suppliers were paid nearly £3.8bn last year – nearly half of the infrastructure provider’s total spend with suppliers.

Network Rail raised spending among its leading suppliers by 10%, with major power supplier EDF continuing to rank as the biggest supplier followed by signalling and train control specialist Siemens Mobility in second place.

Network Rail’s top 20 suppliers by spend

Rank
Supplier
23/22
22/21
21/20
20/19
% of latest total

1
EDF Energy Customers
£527m
£474m
£407m
£425m
5.90%

2
Siemens Mobility
£509m
£353m
£289m
£121m
5.7%

3
J Murphy & Sons
£292m
£233m
£206m
£146m
3.3%

4
Amalgamated Construction
£254m
£221m
£199m
£175m
2.8%

5
BAM Nuttall
£213m
£317m
£247m
£202m
2.4%

6
Colas Rail Ltd (RS Alliance)
£176m
£170m
£163m
n/a
2.0%

7
Alstom Transport UK
£170m
£99m
n/a
n/a
1.9%

8
SPL Powerlines UK
£156m
£93m
n/a
n/a
1.7%

9
Octavius Infrastructure
£148m
£105m
£93m
£91m
1.7%

10
Story Contracting
£148m
£110m
£111m
£77m
1.7%

11
Atkins
£146m
£113m
£112m
£90m
1.6%

12
Amey Rail (TransPennine route)
£143m
£172m
£124m
£263m
1.6%

13
Balfour Beatty Rail (RS Alliance)
£135m
£127m
£122m
n/a
1.5%

14
Balfour Beatty Rail
£134m
£119m
£141m
£225m
1.5%

15
Colas Rail
£125m
£115m
£110m
£169m
1.4%

16
QTS Group
£118m
£110m
£109m
£89m
1.3%

17
East West Rail Phase 2 Alliance
£116m
£242m
£173m
£86m
1.3%

18
Bam Nuttall – (TransPennine route)
£108m
n/a
n/a
n/a
1.2%

19
Alexander Mann Solutions
£108m
n/a
n/a
n/a
1.2%

20
British Steel
£104m
£84m
£86m
n/a
1.2%

Total top supplier spend
£3.83bn
£3.47bn
£3.1bn
£2.7bn
42.9%

Among the civils contractors, BAM Nuttal ranked top again with a total spend, including Transpenninne route upgrade work listed separately, rising to £321m.

Combined revenue from Colas Rail and its Rail Systems Alliance operations, totted up to £301m placing it second.

Among those civils firms enjoying increased spend, J Murphy & Sons rose up the rankings to third place after a big 25% jump in rail revenue to £292m.

The top 20 suppliers saw their take of total spending in the supply chain reach 43%, slightly down from 45% in 2022/21.