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July 20, 2026
National Grid has appointed Balfour Beatty, M Group, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Murphy and the Omexom Taylor Woodrow joint venture to a £1.2bn programme of overhead line upgrades under the next phase of its Electricity Transmission Partnership (ETP).
The contracts cover the reconductoring of more than 1,000km of transmission lines across England and Wales to increase network capacity and improve grid resilience.
National Grid has also appointed Balfour Beatty, OCU Services, Excalon, A Thomas Plant Hire, United Infrastructure Power T&D, Circet UK, M&A Doocey Civil Engineering and Network Plus Services to a £640m cable installation framework. Running for two years (including an extension option), the framework covers the installation, testing and commissioning of electricity cable circuits across National Grid's transmission and distribution networks in the Midlands, South West England and Wales.
National Grid also awarded Balfour Beatty a £121m contract to extend the 400kV Bramford substation in Suffolk as part of the Bramford to Twinstead electricity transmission upgrade.
The four-year project includes the design and installation of a substation extension, new circuits, overhead line connections and control systems to increase network capacity and resilience, with completion due in 2030.
SSEN Transmission has awarded BAM an early contractor involvement (ECI) contract for the northern converter station on the proposed £2.5bn Eastern Green Link 3 project. The contract covers design and constructability support for civil engineering works at Peterhead, ahead of planned main construction contract in 2027.
SSEN Transmission has also appointed Jacobs to multiple strategic frameworks with a combined potential value of more than $1bn, covering operational technology cybersecurity, digital services and substation design. The frameworks will support the modernisation and resilience of the electricity transmission network across the north of Scotland, helping enable greater renewable energy integration.
SSEN has awarded Balfour Beatty a £325m contract to deliver the Netherton Hub in Aberdeenshire under its Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Offshore Framework. The two-year project includes major earthworks and civil engineering works for a new electricity transmission hub, supporting the expansion of the UK's low-carbon power network.
SSEN Distribution has appointed Aureos Energy, IES Utilities Group, Ipsum Group and Network Distribution Services (NDS) to a £300m framework for overhead line works across the north of Scotland. Running for five years, the framework will deliver network upgrades to increase capacity and improve the resilience of the electricity network.
SGN has appointed United Infrastructure to its GD3 investment programme, securing places on the Design & Build and Mechanical & Civils frameworks.
The appointments enable United Infrastructure to compete for gas network upgrade projects over the next five years, covering the design, construction and replacement of infrastructure across Scotland and southern England.
Crescent Purchasing Consortium has appointed more than 40 contractors to a £9.5bn Construction & Capital Works framework for education and wider public-sector projects across Great Britain. The framework covers 45 lots for new-build, refurbishment and demolition works. It runs initially for two years from 1 July 2026, with extension options taking it through to 2034. Find a full list of the successful firms here.
Leeds City Council has appointed 11 contractors to its £1.5bn YORbuild Major Works 2 framework, covering public-sector construction projects across Yorkshire, the North East and parts of the East Midlands. The framework runs from July 2026 to July 2030, with a possible two-year extension, and covers projects from £10m upwards.
Find a full list of the successful firms here.
Transport for London has appointed Costain, Amey Rail and Dragados to a £700m design and construction framework for major infrastructure upgrades across the capital.
The framework will support projects including South Kensington Tube station improvements and step-free access schemes, running for an initial two years with an option to extend by a further two years.
Transport for London has appointed WSP, Egis and Arcadis to its Professional Services Framework 3 (PSF3). The multi-year framework covers programme and project management, commercial and procurement support, risk, assurance and planning services, supporting the delivery of infrastructure projects across the London Underground, Overground, DLR, bus network and wider transport estate.
You can see the full list of awarded companies in earlier months here.
Network Rail has awarded Amey two lots under its Eastern Region Assessment Contract (ERAC) framework, with a combined value of £40m over five years.
The contracts cover the North and South lots and will see Amey deliver structural assessments of bridges and other rail assets across the East Coast Main Line, Anglia, East Midlands and North & East routes, supporting maintenance and asset management decisions.
The Irish Department of Transport and Northern Ireland's Department for Infrastructure have secured €228m from the Shared Island Fund to accelerate rail upgrades across the island of Ireland.
The investment includes €100m for track renewals on the Belfast–Derry and Belfast–Dublin lines, €93m for DART+ Coastal North infrastructure and €35m to continue the hourly Enterprise service through to 2030.
Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK has signed a five-year framework agreement with AtkinsRéalis to supply its ElectroLogIXS signalling technology for deployment across the UK rail network.
Under the deal, Knorr-Bremse will provide the signalling equipment, while AtkinsRéalis will deliver the design, integration, deployment and commissioning of turnkey signalling systems. The agreement builds on the firms' existing collaboration, including the Havant re-signalling project under Network Rail's Train Control Systems Framework.
Siemens Mobility has awarded Knorr-Bremse a contract to supply braking and entrance systems for its new Vectouro passenger train platform. The phased order will support the delivery of trains designed for international cross-border services.
Westminster City Council has awarded FM Conway a highways and public realm contract worth up to £1.25bn, with WSP providing professional services support.
The contract runs for an initial 8.5 years, with an option to extend by four years, covering the design, construction, inspection and maintenance of the borough's highways, structures, street lighting, drainage and public realm assets.
National Highways has appointed Jacobs to deliver design work on the M32 Eastville Viaduct and M5 Wynhol Viaduct under its Technical Assurance and Asset Management Framework. The work covers detailed design for the M32 scheme and preliminary design for the M5 asset renewal project.
Norfolk County Council has awarded Costain a contract to design and build the West Winch Housing Access Road near King’s Lynn as part of the £122m scheme. The 1.5-mile road will link the A47 and A10. Detailed design starts this year, with construction expected to begin in 2027. The value of the design-and-build contract was undisclosed.
The New South Wales Government has awarded Seymour Whyte the contract to deliver a new bridge over Mitchells Causeway on the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass. Construction is due to begin in July 2026, replacing the closed crossing with a new piled bridge structure designed to provide a long-term connection between the Blue Mountains and Central West.
Thames Water has awarded Barhale a £12.5m contract under its AMP8 Tunnels and Aqueducts programme to inspect and maintain almost 48km of strategic water tunnels.
The work covers the Thames Water Ring Main, North London Abstraction and New River Zone assets, including inspections, repairs, valve replacements and tunnel maintenance to support the resilience of London's water network.
The Environment Agency has appointed the Binnies–WSP partnership to all three Flood Risk Asset Management (FRAM) lots under its Client Support Framework 2 (CPS2).
The framework covers technical, environmental and commercial assurance services, supporting the management, maintenance and improvement of flood and coastal defence assets across England.
The Environment Agency and Somerset Council have awarded Kier a £101m contract to deliver the next phase of the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier scheme.
The works include construction of the permanent tidal barrier and associated flood defences, helping protect around 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses from tidal flooding in Somerset.
Scottish Water has appointed RSE as an Asset Delivery Partner for its Enterprise investment programme, which will upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure across Scotland between 2027 and 2033, with an option to extend for a further six years.
RSE joins M Group Water, Mott MacDonald Bentley, Farrans Construction and WGM Engineering, with Stantec and AECOM appointed as Primary Designers.
United Utilities has awarded Costain a three-year extension to its managed service provider contract, taking the agreement to its full 10-year term through AMP8. Costain will continue delivering capital maintenance and reactive maintenance services across the utility's water, wastewater and bioresources assets in North West England.
United Utilities has also awarded Barhale a contract to deliver a new 1,000m³ stormwater detention tank at Bramhall, Stockport, as part of its £13bn AMP8 investment programme. The project will reduce storm overflow discharges into Micker Brook and includes civil engineering and MEICA works, with completion scheduled for summer 2027.
Murphy has appointed AECOM as its exclusive design partner for the £340m upgrade of Thames Water's Oxford Sewage Treatment Works. The AMP8 project will increase treatment capacity by around 40%, while upgrading power supplies and stormwater infrastructure to improve wastewater resilience and reduce storm overflows.
Anglian Water has appointed Binnies to its Client-Side Assurance Framework to support delivery of its AMP8 investment programme. The framework will provide assurance services to improve network resilience and governance across capital programmes. Other framework suppliers have not yet been publicly confirmed.
Southern Water has awarded Kier two Stage 1 Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) contracts for the Hastings Resilience and Brighton East nitrate removal schemes under its £3.1bn Strategic Delivery Partner framework. The latest awards take Kier's AMP8 pipeline to 31 ECI projects, with an expected construction value of more than £480m.
London Gatwick Airport has appointed 11 contractors to its Building and Civils Framework that will support its capital investment programme. The framework covers projects including terminal upgrades, pier refurbishments, EV charging infrastructure and self-service check-in improvements.
The frameworks will run for four years with the option to extend by a further two years.
Find a full list of the successful firms here.
GBE-N has appointed Amentum Clean Energy and Cavendish Nuclear to a long-term Owner's Engineer contract worth up to £300m.
Running from 2026 to 2040 (with a potential extension to 2041), the contract covers independent technical assurance and engineering oversight for the UK's Small Modular Reactor programme through design, delivery and commissioning.
Sizewell C has awarded AtkinsRéalis a five-year framework agreement to continue as design partner for the permanent civil works at the 3.2GW nuclear power station in Suffolk.
The consultancy will provide multidisciplinary design and engineering services, building on its involvement in the project's planning, consenting and enabling phases since 2019.
Universal Destinations & Experiences has appointed Bovis, Sir Robert McAlpine, Wates and Morgan Sindall to deliver the main construction packages for its £5bn Universal Studios UK Resort near Bedford, with Careys carrying out enabling groundworks. The theme park is due to complete by 2031, supported by £1.3bn of government investment in transport and local infrastructure.
The Government Commercial Agency has awarded places on its £3.5bn Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) framework, replacing RM6165 for four years. The framework covers 11 lots for construction, infrastructure, defence and nuclear and flood risk consultancy services. Find a full list of the successful firms here.
Tata Steel UK has awarded Morganstone the civil and structural engineering contract for the new pickle line at its Port Talbot steelworks. The package forms part of the £1.25bn Project Invictus transformation programme and marks the start of the main construction phase, supporting the site's transition to low-carbon steelmaking.
City of York Council has appointed Bethell Construction, Jackson Civil Engineering, P&T Contracts, PBS Construction (North East) and Transcore to its £15.36m Minor Civils Framework.
The framework will deliver capital maintenance and small-scale civil engineering projects across York, running from July 2026 for an initial two years, with extension options taking it through to 2030.
Has your company been awarded one of these contracts? Get in touch at enquiries@newsomconsulting.co.uk to discuss how we can support your senior leadership team.
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