of the three contractors approached by moorhouse to tender for the work, the two lowest priced were discounted, leaving the highest tender, that of holmes & richardson. george holmes undertook by written agreement on 16 april 1861 to carry out the contract on offer on the proviso that "the description corresponded with the fact". he travelled to canterbury with moorhouse where he signed the contract. the cost of the tunnel works agreed to was £188,727, or complete with portals, £195,000. this compared with smith & knight's figures for the same work of £183,051 and £190,551 respectively. during the course of the contract, improvements to the lyttelton portal were agreed at an additional cost of £5,000.