SCAPE has announced Balfour Beatty as its principal contractor to deliver up to £4bn of major civil engineering works across the country via its next generation suite of procurement frameworks. 

Balfour Beatty has been appointed to deliver SCAPE’s £3.25bn civil engineering framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the procurement authority’s £750m framework for Scotland – managed and operated by SCAPE Scotland. 

Running for a period of four years from 2023, with an option to be extended for a further two years until 2029, the appointment follows the success of the existing frameworks which have commissioned more than 250 projects to date for public sector clients across the UK.

These include the Regent Street flyover replacement in Leeds and the Wokingham Major Highways programme. 

The frameworks will more than double the capacity of civil infrastructure-focused activity procured through SCAPE. The procurement authority is currently accelerating the delivery of more than 1,800 publicly funded projects in the built environment across the UK.

The third-generation frameworks will empower local authorities and public sector organisations to progress the delivery of sustainably designed major infrastructure projects – including roads, rail, flood and coastal, broadband and electric vehicle infrastructure – with no defined upper limit for project value. 

SMEs will sit at the heart of the new frameworks, with Balfour Beatty expected to collaborate and engage with an extensive supply chain of local businesses. SCAPE has designed the framework to facilitate better access for small companies onto major public sector contracts, while also allowing public organisations to prioritise working with local specialists.

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at SCAPE, said: “The delivery of major infrastructure projects that enrich communities and leave a lasting legacy is a key component of the government’s local regeneration agenda.

“Our civil engineering frameworks have been designed to give our public sector colleagues greater control over the delivery of value-led infrastructure, which includes prioritising SME spend, incorporating social value and keeping the pound local. 

“We will also collaborate closely with Balfour Beatty to support our clients’ net zero ambitions through tailored carbon management. 

“The strength of our partnership with Balfour Beatty has accelerated the delivery of much needed civil engineering infrastructure via our direct award framework and I have no doubt that this will continue to be achieved through the civil engineering framework over the next four years.” 

Balfour Beatty was first appointed to the original SCAPE National Civil Engineering and Infrastructure framework in 2015 and since then has delivered or is delivering more than 285 projects for 96 public sector customers, worth a combined value of over £3bn across the UK.  

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty group chief executive, said: “Our unique end-to-end group capabilities position us perfectly to deliver the wide variety of public sector projects that are expected to come to market in the coming years.

“With a long-standing history of successful delivery through the SCAPE Group frameworks, we now look forward to continuing on this positive trajectory; working with our customers to drive forward innovative, sustainable projects across the length and breadth of the UK.”