First win for Birse/B&B

Birse and Bilfinger + Berger have won their first contract together after four fruitless years of joint tendering.

The œ20 million-plus civils package for Didcot B was awarded by turnkey contractor Siemens late last week, sending the jv's project team into emergency session over the holiday weekend in preparation for a Tuesday start.

B+B took a œ12 million stake in Birse at its flotation in 1989, but a brief spell of dividends was far outweighed by years of losses that required it to invest a further œ1.8 million last December to keep Birse going. Today Birse shares are worth just 23p each - almost a pound below the 1989 offer price.

Chairman Peter Birse told CJ: 'We have been rethinking our policy on tendering. Our partners have been getting disillusioned about the level of pricing on major road jobs. We are more at home with large industrial clients.'

The Didcot package was won in the face of strong competition from a list of seven that included Kier-Hochtief, Alfred McAlpine, Sir Robert McAlpine, Mowlem, Amec and Balfour Beatty.

The contract comprises all civils and structure work for the CCGT power scheme.