FM Conway leapfrogs rivals with £272m in highways work

Contractor FM Conway was the surprise name at the top of the contractors league table last month, after two major highways jobs gave it a contract haul of £272m.

The news came as the overall measure of contract awards rose 8% on the previous month, after months of decline.

The firm bagged two major highways maintenance contracts - one a £72m contract with the London Borough of Southwark and the other a £200m job with Transport for London.

The wins propelled the firm to the top of the contractors league table, including civils, beating Balfour Beatty, with a £249m haul, and Laing O’Rourke, with a £204m haul into second and third place respectively.

Laing O’Rourke, with six wins totalling £201m, topped the contractors league table, excluding civils.

Balfour Beatty was the big mover last month, up from 27th in the league table excluding civils to fourth and up from 23rd in the table including civils, to second. The firm’s wins included an £18.5m leisure centre in Elephant & Castle and a £22m building job for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Welwyn Garden City.

Overall the CPA/Barbour ABI construction index rose from 112 last month to 121 - which is equivalent to an 8% upturn.

The index, compiled by the Construction Products Association (CPA) using data from construction information firm Barbour ABI, measures contract awards and uses a January 2010 base of 100.

Noble Francis, CPA economics director, said the rise reflected the better weather but he said it was still “far too early to be calling any sort of sustained recovery in construction”.

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