The Home Office signed the contract with its preferred bidder before the outcome of the judicial review was known

16  The Home Office chose Global Solutions Limited in January 2004 as its preferred bidder. Global Solutions Limited's construction price and operating fees were lower than the Home Office's cost estimates (see Figure 3 overleaf). Its bid still had some planning and other issues to be resolved, for example planning compliance. None of the consortiums were willing to accept planning risk, given the history of the project. To freeze the risk of price increases during construction and show commitment, the Home Office was keen to sign the contract as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Home Office's consultants worked with the preferred bidder to resolve detailed planning issues, address other key risks, such as ground conditions, and undertake initial non-planning-dependent works.