It’s been a busy month across the transport and infrastructure landscape, with significant frameworks and project awards announced in nuclear, energy, rail, water and beyond. Here’s a round-up of the most notable contract wins from October.
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Sellafield has awarded a £4.6bn, 15-year framework to support high-hazard risk-reduction programmes at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, under the new Decommissioning & Nuclear Waste Partnership (DNWP). The framework will oversee the retrieval, treatment and storage of legacy waste materials, and the decommissioning of redundant facilities, succeeding the former Design Services Alliance (DSA) and Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDP).
The four framework lots have been awarded as follows:
Sellafield has also awarded £2.9bn in contracts to establish an Infrastructure Delivery Partnership (IDP) that will provide essential non-nuclear infrastructure works at its West Cumbria site. The long-term framework (initial term of 9 years, with a potential extension of 6 years to 2040) is split into three lots: electrical distribution, utilities, and civils works.
The awarded partners are:
The scope covers design, procurement, construction, commissioning and handover of infrastructure such as power networks, water, roads, bridges and rail links.
Sizewell C Ltd has launched a procurement for a bulk earthworks contract valued at up to £250 million to support the preparation of the main construction area for its twin-reactor nuclear plant in Suffolk.
The two-year programme will involve the excavation of approximately 3.3 million m³ of made-ground, crag sand and peat, followed by the transport, sorting, stockpiling and compaction of reused material.
Work is expected to commence in January 2027 and run until December 2028, allowing back-filling to begin concurrently and thereby accelerating the site’s transition into full construction.
Costain has secured a £70m contract from Nuclear Restoration Services to carry out decommissioning works at the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in North Wales.
The four-year programme will involve reducing the two reactor buildings’ heights from approximately 54 m to 25 m and delivering civils and remedial works to prepare the site for subsequent decommissioning activity.
GRAHAM has been awarded a £49.6m contract by Nuclear Waste Services to deliver the four-year Integrated Site Works Framework at the Low-Level Waste Repository near Drigg, Cumbria.
The scope of work includes the upgrading and replacement of aging infrastructure, demolition and remediation of legacy facilities, and the installation and commissioning of new operational systems to support the site’s future-use mission.
The contract is part of the UK’s broader strategy to ensure long-term safe containment of nuclear waste and bolster the infrastructure at its only facility capable of receiving all categories of low-level radioactive waste.
South East Consortium has appointed 10 contractors to its four-year Decarbonisation Partnerships Framework, valued at £1bn, to deliver retrofit and carbon-reduction works across London and the South East.
The framework will allow public sector bodies and housing providers in London and the South East to appoint contractors to manage and deliver carbon reduction works.
Structured as a single-lot framework, it brings together a mix of national and regional firms to provide both scale and local expertise.
The 10 appointed contractors are: Amber Construction Services, A&E Elkins (Elkins Construction), Bell Group, Cardo (South), Eco Approach, Equans Regeneration, Fortem Solutions, Morgan Sindall Property Services, UI Social Infrastructure, Wates Property Services.
EirGrid has awarded a €160m five-year framework contract for engineering design, planning and project management services to AtkinsRealis and Mace Consult. Together, the firms will delivery consultancy, detailed engineering, risk-management, programme delivery and planning/consenting support. This collaboration is aimed at reinforcing the grid to support on- and offshore renewables, bolster network resilience and align with Ireland’s net-zero ambitions by 2050.
EirGrid has also appointed Turner & Townsend and WSP as key delivery partners for a major multi-billion-euro investment programme to transform Ireland’s electricity grid. The five-year framework (with a three-year extension option) will support grid reinforcement, renewable energy integration (wind and solar), onshore/offshore connections and system resilience.
Turner & Townsend and WSP will bring full-service capacity, including strategic programme management, digital tools and business systems, to accelerate delivery and ensure quality across the investment.
The appointment builds on the companies’ long-standing work with EirGrid on transmission-system upgrades and interconnections.
RWE has secured consent from the Welsh Government for the Alwen Forest Wind Farm in North Wales, a project comprising nine turbines, each up to 200 metres tall, located across the border of Conwy and Denbighshire. With a planned capacity of up to 60 MW, the development is expected to generate enough electricity for around 70,600 homes.
The scheme includes a grid connection via the existing substation at Clocaenog Forest and will incorporate a community benefit and local-ownership model developed with Community Energy Wales. Construction is dependent on a final investment decision and could begin in 2027.
The UK Government has granted a Development Consent Order for the Tillbridge Solar Farm in Lincolnshire, marking the 17th nationally significant clean-energy project to receive approval since July 2024. The project is being developed by a joint venture between Tribus Clean Energy and Recurrent Energy and will connect to the National Grid via the Cottam substation in Nottinghamshire.
With a proposed capacity of approximately 500 MW, the scheme will generate enough renewable electricity to power around 300,000 homes and is expected to support up to 1,250 jobs during delivery. The government has stated that the project aligns with its strategy to strengthen national energy security, reduce consumer costs and advance the UK’s transition towards a low-carbon energy system.
Ørsted has appointed Worley to provide engineering, procurement and construction management services under a long-term agreement covering Ørsted’s power-generation assets in Denmark.
The contract spans eight years (with an initial term of six years plus two optional one-year extensions) and supports both conventional power-generation infrastructure and carbon-capture-and-storage (CCS) initiatives.
Jacobs has been selected by Murphy (on behalf of National Grid Electricity Transmission) as the civil-design partner for the new Uxbridge Moor substation project in west London.
The contract covers design work for a 400 kV substation, a 132 kV substation, underground cabling and modifications to the existing 400 kV overhead-line network.
London St. Pancras Highspeed has appointed Mott MacDonald as its sole strategic partner under a new three-year Sustainable Asset Management Framework. The framework integrates asset management and climate adaptation to support the rail operator’s long-term concession (running until 2040) and its ambition to embed sustainability and resilience into its infrastructure operations.
Mott MacDonald will provide advisory services covering strategic asset management, climate and sustainability consulting, and supply-chain advice, designed to deliver greater value for customers and communities while futureproofing the high-speed rail line.
Greater Anglia has appointed 18 contractors to its new £174 million civils and building-works framework, administered by Transport UK East Anglia. The framework covers station, depot, lineside and non-lineside infrastructure across the East Anglia rail network.
The framework is divided into four lots:
Each lot allows for call-off contracts of any value, and the framework includes an option to extend for up to three years in one-year increments.
Etihad Rail and Keolis have signed a joint-venture agreement to deliver the UAE’s first national passenger rail services, targeting a launch in 2026. The passenger network will connect 11 cities across all seven emirates via the existing 900 km national railway corridor from Ghuwaifat to Fujairah.
Affinity Water has appointed five civil engineering contractors to its capital delivery framework covering both AMP8 and AMP9, with a total value of approximately £900 million over ten years and around £450 million allocated for AMP8 (April 2025 – March 2030).
For the Capital Enhancement lot, the appointed firms are Barhale, J Browne, and Galliford Try.
For the Capital Maintenance lot, the selected contractors are Barhale, J Browne, Stonbury, and United Living.
United Utilities has awarded places on a new framework to deliver maintenance, repair and specialist improvement works on its reservoir assets across the North West of England, covering AMP8 and future AMP9 period. The framework is estimated at around £205 million in value.
Nine contractors now hold places on the framework, split across two lots:
Kier Group has secured two new early contractor involvement (ECI) contracts totalling £28.8m from Southern Water under its AMP8 Strategic Delivery Partner Framework.
The first contract (£23.5m) covers upgrades at seven wastewater treatment works: Billingshurst, Dymchurch, Goddards Green, Ham Hill, Northfleet, Sidlesham and Stockbridge, to enhance capacity and resilience.
The second (£5.3m) involves nitrate removal works at four water supply sites: Madehurst, Patching, Mossy Bottom and Patcham, aimed at lowering nitrate levels and ensuring drinking-water compliance. The contracts focus on the ECI phase (design progression, constructability and programme certainty) ahead of the main construction works.
Kier Group has been awarded a £700m term services contract by Norfolk County Council to maintain and upgrade the county’s highways and infrastructure network.
The contract, spanning the approximately 9,836 km road network, will commence on the 1st of April 2026 and may run for up to 14 years. Kier’s responsibilities will include road surfacing, bridge and structure works, drainage and grass-cutting, along with maintenance of the wider highways network.
Marlborough Highways has secured a £115 million, seven-year roads maintenance contract with The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (RBWM), taking effect from April 2026.
The deal covers maintenance of the borough’s 632 km road network and marks Marlborough’s takeover from the incumbent VolkerHighways, who had held the contract since 2017.
A46 Newark Bypass has been granted formal approval by the Department for Transport and National Highways with a Development Consent Order (DCO) issued on 1 October 2025.
The scheme will upgrade around four miles of single-carriageway between Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts into a dual carriageway, add a fly-over at Cattle Market roundabout, build a new bridge over the A1, and enlarge Winthorpe roundabout with associated links.
The route serves about 17,000 drivers per day and is described as a key trans-Midlands trade corridor linking to Humber ports; the upgrade is designed to relieve congestion and improve safety for all road users. While funding has been confirmed, exact execution timings and full cost estimates are still to be finalised, with further details expected in the next Road Investment Strategy.
DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, has awarded a €265 million contract under its Airfield & Landside Civil Works Framework (Lot 2) to a joint venture between Sacyr Ireland Ltd and Wills Bros Ltd. The project involves the construction of a 1.1 km subterranean twin-cell tunnel, linking Pier 3 to the West Apron, to improve airfield access and operational efficiency.
Wills Bros and Sacyr have previously collaborated as part of the SWS Joint Venture to deliver the A6 Dungiven to Drumahoe highway - one of Northern Ireland’s largest infrastructure projects, completed for the Department for Infrastructure.
Hyde Group has awarded a £3 billion main-contractor framework divided into seven lots, covering construction and regeneration projects across London, the South and East of England.
The framework runs for five years with the possibility of a two-year extension and has selected approximately 40 firms including large Tier-1 contractors and regional SMEs. Find a full list of the successful firms here.
Science and Technology Facilities Council, under UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), has launched procurement for a long-term construction partner to deliver an up to £800m estate-overhaul programme.
The eight-year initiative (starting in July 2026) will cover the STFC’s national science estate and includes new-build research facilities, large-scale infrastructure upgrades and decarbonisation works.
Major planned pipelines include roughly £340m at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, £206m at Sci-tech Daresbury and £36m at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh.
The process includes a pre-qualification questionnaire, two dialogue stages during the tender process, and a final assessment centre for shortlisted bidders. Firms have until the 14th of November to submit expressions of interest, and the contract is expected to be awarded in December.
Ten firms have secured places on a new £1.5bn framework to deliver the programme of on-going repairs and improvements to the Houses of Parliament and its wider MP estate in London.
The framework, commissioned by the Parliamentary Construction Partnership, replaces the previous MEPFS arrangement and spans four lots:
The seven-year framework focuses on essential estate upkeep rather than the full restoration programme.
Kier Group has secured approximately £250 million of contracts to expand capacity at two UK prisons (HMP Northumberland and HMP Lancaster Farms) under the Small Secure Houseblocks Programme (SSHP) with the Ministry of Justice.
The work will deliver an additional 480 prison places, with four new houseblocks at each site, alongside site-wide infrastructure and ancillary-facility upgrades, targeted for completion by early 2027.
Gleeds has been appointed by Ports of Jersey to provide PMO services for Stage 01 of the Elizabeth Harbour redevelopment in St Helier, Jersey. The role encompasses cost, risk, commercial and programme management for the project, which will enhance freight handling, passenger facilities, public realm spaces, and safety at the harbour.
The redevelopment forms part of the broader St Helier Harbour Master Plan and aims to transform maritime infrastructure at Elizabeth Harbour, New North Quay, Albert Pier, Victoria Pier and the Old Harbours into a modern waterfront destination.
