Balfour Beatty takes it to the top

April saw a massive improvement in of new orders compared with March with the total value rising by over half a billion pounds. The total was also over £400m above the same month last year.

The private commercial sector continues to lead the way, but infrastructure showed a marked rise of nearly £250m, again, well ahead of April 1999. Other public non-housing was also well up both on last month and the previous year's figures. Social housing and private industrial continue to trail the others and both were a little down on March's totals.

Balfour Beatty was a clear winner in April, pulling ahead of the chasing pack by £88m. Balfour Beatty's largest contract was an £80m PFI scheme for North of Scotland Water Authority to provide waste water treatment services for Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Peterhead and Fraserburgh.

The firm also won a £16.5m contract to carry out demolition, alteration and rebuilding of retail facilities in the first phase of Birmingham's city centre retail regeneration for developer Martineau Limited Partnership, part of the Birmingham Alliance partnership with Land Securities, Hammerson and Henderson Investors.

Morrison Construction also benefited from infrastructure work, pulling in just under £60m in that sector and a further £23m worth of private infrastructure work. Gleeson maintained its top 10 position moving up to third place, thanks to its five-year framework agreement with Yorkshire Water. Laing was snapping at Gleeson's heels, but contrary to the previous firms picked up virtually all its new work in the private commercial sector.

Morgan Sindall remained rock steady in fifth place and also had the distinction of winning the largest number of new contracts - a staggering 59. The firm's largest win was a £10.7m contract to provide social housing on the Trowbridge Estate for the London Borough of Hackney, Metro Housing Trust, Notting Hill Home Ownership and John Grooms Housing Association.

Kier slipped three places to six despite pulling in £56m worth of private commercial orders, while HBG also dropped back three places. HBG's largest orders were a £27.9m contract to refurbish Gulf House in London for Land Securities and a £7.4m contract to convert and fit out a building for the new Museum of the Port of London & Docklands.

Carillion moved back into the top 10 thanks to a £10.8m contract for Modus to provide a new police station, court and supermarket in Peterlee, an £8.2m contract to build a new Asda superstore in Long Eaton and a £7m maintenance contract for the Highways Agency in the South East.

Bowmer and Kirkland also moved up 11 places to nine winning all its new orders in the private commercial sector - it's most significant win being a £32m headquarters building for Akeler Developments in Reading. Wates lost its number one position from March, but hung on at 10 with nearly £40m worth of private commercial work.

Ballast Wiltshier rose 12 places and clinched an £8.3m contract for Anglo Lamron Developments in Basingstoke. Miller was a new entry at 12 - its largest win was a £9.9m retail contract for Costco in Gateshead.

Other notable contracts included Barr, a new entry at 19, with a £6.5m contract for Tesco in Aberdeen. Willmott Dixon secured an £8m contract to construct a sport and tennis centre for David Lloyd Leisure in Southampton.

Birch Construction picked up a £12.3m contract to build new offices for Scottish & Newcastle in Northampton. John Sisk was awarded a £7.2m contract by the Open University in Milton Keynes. Clugston won a £9.2m contract to build a distribution centre in Belvedere for DMI Properties and Jackson bagged a £6.8m B&Q warehouse in Colchester. April saw a massive improvement in of new orders compared with March with the total value rising by over half a billion pounds. The total was also over £400m above the same month last year.

The private commercial sector continues to lead the way, but infrastructure showed a marked rise of nearly £250m, again, well ahead of April 1999. Other public non-housing was also well up both on last month and the previous year's figures. Social housing and private industrial continue to trail the others and both were a little down on March's totals.

Balfour Beatty was a clear winner in April, pulling ahead of the chasing pack by £88m. Balfour Beatty's largest contract was an £80m PFI scheme for North of Scotland Water Authority to provide waste water treatment services for Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Peterhead and Fraserburgh.

The firm also won a £16.5m contract to carry out demolition, alteration and rebuilding of retail facilities in the first phase of Birmingham's city centre retail regeneration for developer Martineau Limited Partnership, part of the Birmingham Alliance partnership with Land Securities, Hammerson and Henderson Investors.

Morrison Construction also benefited from infrastructure work, pulling in just under £60m in that sector and a further £23m worth of private infrastructure work. Gleeson maintained its top 10 position moving up to third place, thanks to its five-year framework agreement with Yorkshire Water. Laing was snapping at Gleeson's heels, but contrary to the previous firms picked up virtually all its new work in the private commercial sector.

Morgan Sindall remained rock steady in fifth place and also had the distinction of winning the largest number of new contracts - a staggering 59. The firm's largest win was a £10.7m contract to provide social housing on the Trowbridge Estate for the London Borough of Hackney, Metro Housing Trust, Notting Hill Home Ownership and John Grooms Housing Association.

Kier slipped three places to six despite pulling in £56m worth of private commercial orders, while HBG also dropped back three places. HBG's largest orders were a £27.9m contract to refurbish Gulf House in London for Land Securities and a £7.4m contract to convert and fit out a building for the new Museum of the Port of London & Docklands.

Carillion moved back into the top 10 thanks to a £10.8m contract for Modus to provide a new police station, court and supermarket in Peterlee, an £8.2m contract to build a new Asda superstore in Long Eaton and a £7m maintenance contract for the Highways Agency in the South East.

Bowmer and Kirkland also moved up 11 places to nine winning all its new orders in the private commercial sector - it's most significant win being a £32m headquarters building for Akeler Developments in Reading. Wates lost its number one position from March, but hung on at 10 with nearly £40m worth of private commercial work.

Ballast Wiltshier rose 12 places and clinched an £8.3m contract for Anglo Lamron Developments in Basingstoke. Miller was a new entry at 12 - its largest win was a £9.9m retail contract for Costco in Gateshead.

Other notable contracts included Barr, a new entry at 19, with a £6.5m contract for Tesco in Aberdeen. Willmott Dixon secured an £8m contract to construct a sport and tennis centre for David Lloyd Leisure in Southampton.

Birch Construction picked up a £12.3m contract to build new offices for Scottish & Newcastle in Northampton. John Sisk was awarded a £7.2m contract by the Open University in Milton Keynes. Clugston won a £9.2m contract to build a distribution centre in Belvedere for DMI Properties and Jackson bagged a £6.8m B&Q warehouse in Colchester.