Another month, another wave of big contracts shaping the future of transport and infrastructure. Here’s what you need to know.
Back To Insights
A joint venture between Ferrovial and BEMO Tunnelling has been awarded a £230m contract by National Grid to upgrade the electricity infrastructure between Grain and Tilbury. The project, commencing in early 2025 and concluding by the first quarter of 2029, involves constructing a 2.2km high-voltage (400kV) cable tunnel beneath the Thames, along with two 35m deep shafts, headhouses, and Cable Sealing End compounds.
This initiative is part of National Grid’s Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the UK’s electricity network in generations.
The South East Consortium (SEC) has initiated the tender process for a Decarbonisation Partnerships framework valued at up to £1bn, set to run for four years.
Successful suppliers will have the opportunity to secure regional contracts through direct selection or mini competitions. Bidders are required to base their pricing on operations within Greater London, defined as the area inside the M25 motorway.
The framework is designed to align with the ‘Strategic Partnerships fund’, which allocates £500m for the 2024/25 financial year to foster collaborative solutions between clients and contractors. Additional funding may become available depending on future government initiatives.
Interested parties must submit their bids by 11am on the 16th of April 2025.
Vattenfall and BASF have awarded four major contracts for the Nordlicht 1 and 2 offshore wind farms, located 85km north of Borkum in the German North Sea. The contracts have been awarded to EEW Special Pipe Constructions (SPC), CS Wind Offshore, DEME, and Jan De Nul.
Pending final investment decisions in 2025, construction is expected to commence in 2026, with full commissioning expected by 2028.
Skanska has secured a NOK 507m (£36m) contract from Statkraft to construct the new Svean hydroelectric power plant in Klæbu, Trøndelag County, Norway. The facility, set within a mountain rock cavern, will replace an existing plant from the 1940s. Once operational, it is expected to generate approximately 130 GWh annually, sufficient to power around 6,000 households. The project involves excavating 1.6km of tunnels and constructing a new intake tunnel in Selbusjøen.
Construction is slated to begin in January 2025, with completion anticipated by December 2027.
Southern Water has awarded £550m in contracts to nine companies to enhance wastewater removal performance and operational resilience across its service area. The initial four-year term has an option to extend for an additional four years, potentially bringing the total expenditure to c£1.09bn.
Awarded companies include MTS Cleansing Services, Lanes Group, Cappagh Browne Utilities, BioMarsh Environmental, FGS Organics, Envirovue (Asprey St John & Company), Biffa Waste Services, Countrystyle Recycling, and Austin Contract Services.
Barhale has secured an £11.6m contract from Thames Water for the East Putney Zone Calming scheme, aiming to enhance water network resilience in central London. The project involves upgrading four pumps at the Park Lane pumping station with low-voltage, variable speed models to better control water pressure and reduce leakage risks.
The project is planned to be completed by September 2027.
Network Rail has initiated the tender process for a £100m, 96-month framework contract to appoint a programme partner for the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU). This multi-billion-pound electrification project aims to enhance connectivity across the Pennines, linking cities such as Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
The selected partner will collaborate with Network Rail to form an integrated delivery team, managing various TRU projects and interfaces to ensure timely and budget-compliant delivery.
Additionally, Jacobs has been selected by Network Rail as the Technical Services Integration Delivery Partner for the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU). Under an eight-year framework, Jacobs will provide service services including technical system integration, cross-project coordination, technical change control, development engineering, and program business case production.
Mott MacDonald and WSP have been appointed principal designer for the East West Rail project. MWJV will focus on planning, risk mitigation, and long-term infrastructure efficiency. Their role includes technical and management support for EWR as it seeks a development consent order (DCO).
Chancellor Rachel Reeves allocated funding for the £7bn East West Rail project in her November budget and recently supported a new station at Tempsford.
Birmingham-based civil engineering firm MPB Structures has been awarded the contract to construct the substructure for HS2’s Curzon Street Station. This phase involves significant earth removal, concrete installation, and reinforcing steel work. Construction is set to begin in early 2025.
PORR has awarded Vossloh a contract worth around €30m to supply rail fastening systems for HS2. These systems will be installed on the slab track between London and Birmingham, with deliveries scheduled from 2025 to 2027.
PORR and Aggregate Industries were awarded a £260m contract to design and manufacture precast slab track for HS2 in 2020.
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has awarded a $1.18bn contract to a joint venture between Frontier-Kemper and Tutor Perini for the Manhattan Tunnel Project, a critical component of the $16bn Hudson Tunnel Project.
This project aims to enhance rail connectivity between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City’s Pennsylvania Station.
Construction is set to begin in the coming months, with an expected completion date in 2029.
The Canadian Government has selected the Cadence Consortium as the preferred private developer for the Alto high-speed rail project, which aims to connect Quebec City and Toronto.
The consortium includes CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRéalis, Keolis, Systra, SNCF Voyageurs, and Air Canada.
The Eastern Highways Alliance has announced the nine contractors selected for its fourth-generation construction framework (EHF4) which is set to run for four years. The framework, valued at up to £800m, is divided into three lots based on project size:
Breheny Civil Engineering, Henderson & Taylor, Octavius Infrastructure, Tarmac Trading, VINCI Construction UK t/a Taylor Woodrow, and Winvic Construction.
Breheny Civil Engineering, Jackson Frameworks, Milestone Infrastructure, Octavius Infrastructure, VINCI Construction UK t/a Taylor Woodrow, and Winvic Construction
Milestone Infrastructure, Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure, Octavius Infrastructure, and Winvic Construction.
The framework is being managed by Central Bedfordshire Council on behalf of the alliance, which also includes local authorities across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk and Thurrock.
Gloucestershire County Council has awarded a £60m, four-year contract to WSP to provide engineering design consultancy services for the county’s highways. WSP will oversee major projects, including the £249m M5 Junction 10 improvement works and the £40m Gloucestershire Cycle Spine, which aims to create walking and cycling routes from Stroud to Bishop’s Cleeve.
This contract succeeds the current six-year agreement with AtkinsRéalis, set to expire on the 31st of March 2025.
Oxfordshire County Council has awarded contracts to GRAHAM Construction and AECOM for the second stage of the £332 million Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure scheme (HIF1).
GRAHAM will handle the detailed design of the Culham River crossing and the Clifton Hampden bypass, while AECOM will focus on the Didcot Science Bridge and the widening of the A4130. Construction is anticipated to commence in early 2026, following the completion of detailed design work.
This project aims to alleviate congestion and enhance sustainable travel options around Didcot.
NHS England has initiated the procurement process to select 10 contractors for the £37bn Hospital 2.0 Alliance framework, aimed at delivering the Labour Government’s revised hospital building programme, which is planned to run over the next 12 years.
This framework ensures that all selected firms will have the opportunity to undertake hospital construction projects. The initial contracts are expected to be awarded promptly, with the first wave of projects commencing in the 2025/26 financial year.
The deadline for applications is 19th March 2025, with shortlisted firms invited to tender in early May.
Kier has secured a £684m contract from the Scottish Government to construct HMP Glasgow, a modern prison designed to replace the 143-year-old HMP Barlinnie. The facility, to be built on the former Provan Gas Works site in Glasgow’s East End, will accommodate 1344 inmates and is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Kier started remediation and enabling works in October 2023, but inflation saw the original £400m budget for land and construction rise, halting progress. The total project costs have risen to £998m due to construction inflation.
A joint venture between Graham and Bam Ireland, known as the Graham-Bam Healthcare Partnership (GBHP) has been awarded a £671m contract to construct a new children’s hospital at the Royal Victoria Hospital site in Belfast.
Construction is set to begin shortly and is expected to take five years to complete, with funding provided by Northern Ireland’s Department of Health capital budget.
Associated British Ports has selected Bouygues Travaux Publics to undertake marine works for the Immingham Green Energy Terminal. The £170m project includes dredging and building a 1.2km jetty to handle imported liquid ammonia, which will be converted into hydrogen to support the green economy.
Construction is scheduled to commence following the recent granting of the Development Consent Order.
Galliford Try has been awarded a £63m contract by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to construct Single Living Accommodation (SLA) at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire. The project entails building four three-storey blocks.
Construction is scheduled to commence in March 2025.
