Deal of the year

Balfour Beatty set a new benchmark for contracting with its surprise £380m acquisition of US engineer Parsons Brinckerhoff in September. The move puts Balfour even further ahead of its UK rivals in turnover terms, but more importantly it gives it increased strength in the infrastructure sectors, which look set to be a reliable source of work. It also means that just over half of Balfour’s business will be in the US – which, with the looming spending cuts in the UK, looks a shrewd move.