Balfour Beatty wins £4 billion public sector engineering contract

Balfour Beatty has won the right to act as sole contractor on two public sector civil engineering frameworks worth a combined total of £4 billion.

The two Scape frameworks run for four years from 2023 and encompass a range of projects, including bridges, roads, flood defences and schools across the UK.

Public bodies such as councils or regional governments use the frameworks to find companies to carry out major infrastructure work.

Balfour Beatty will be expected to work with local businesses on the planned projects, particularly small companies, in a bid to hand more public sector work to a wider variety of firms and keep public cash in local areas.

Balfour Beatty has previously worked on Scape frameworks to deliver multiple schemes including Reading’s new Green Park train station, a flood protection scheme in Perth and the delivery of a new bridge in Ebbsfleet, with projects worth up to £100 million each.

But the renewal of the contract, which comprises £3.25 million for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a separate £750 million framework for Scotland, represents a much larger commitment, with no upper limit on the value of the projects.

This new framework will also focus on net zero carbon delivery.

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty’s CEO, said: “With a long-standing history of successful delivery through the Scape Group frameworks, we now look forward to continuing on this positive trajectory; working with our customers to drive forward innovative, sustainable projects across the length and breadth of the UK.”