Five battle for Highways Agency maintenance job

The Highways Agency (HA) is understood to be putting five firms under the microscope for a money-spinning maintenance deal in Yorkshire.

Sources say that the quintet has made it through the quality assessments to the next stage of the delayed Area 12 framework contract, worth £150m.

Those still in the hunt are believed to be Birse, Aggregate Industries, Interserve, May Gurney/Lafarge and Balfour Beatty.

Out of the reckoning are Tarmac, Nuttall and Ringway.

Later this month, but three months behind its original schedule, the HA is expected to choose four from the remaining five to tackle the work.

Known as the Northern Works Framework, the scheme covers major maintenance projects, plus carriageway repairs and resurfacing, as well as junction and slip road improvements.

The structures package includes bridge repair and improvement, concrete repair, edge beam strengthening and upgrading viaducts.

The Area 12 deal will initially last for five years, but there is an option to extend by a further two years.

Contractors will carry out works ranging from £250,000 to £5m.