Imagine a client that spends £1,500million a year deciding to cut out management companies and main contractors and go directly to the specialists. Well, you don't have to because London Underground has done it in a ground-breaking new way of procuring £250million worth of work a year.

Part of its incentive to get specialist sub-contractors to bid for the work and carry it out effectively is the promise of long-term contracts.

London Underground's aim is to cut its procurement bill by 20% while accommodating almost 20% more passengers by 2018 – and it already carries 4million a day.

That was the message from Geoff Gilbert, Head of Commercial-Infrastructure at London Underground when he spoke at the Streetwise Subbie Breakthrough Construction 2014 conference in Nottingham on 10 June.

Find out how the new procurement process will work in the next issue of Natural Stone Specialist magazine.