The Builders’ Conference said that during March 2015, construction contract awards topped £6bn, representing a mammoth 63% rise on March 2014 and a new record high for the organisation's data gathering service.
There were 14 contractors that signed more than £100m of new orders last month. Leading the way was Laing O’Rourke, which bagged five major contracts for a monthly total of £713m. Balfour Beatty closed 13 new contracts worth a total of £574m.
Builders’ Conference CEO Neil Edwards said: “Received wisdom is that in the run up to a general election, the UK construction industry goes into a voluntary stasis, battens down the hatches, sits on its hands and waits for Westminster to sound the all-clear signal. This time around, however, it appears that the industry didn’t get the ‘sit on your hands’ memo.”
He added: “Whether this euphoria will extend beyond 7th May and the subsequent political fallout remains to be seen. Tenders for the post-election period currently appear stable, although Labour’s stated aim to push the HS2 project into the sidings could impact industry confidence if Ed Miliband lands the keys to Number 10.”
Full details and analysis will appear in the April issue of The Construction Index magazine, out soon. The top 20 for March looks like this:
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