Atkins tipped to win roads deal

Atkins looks set to topple the incumbent Ringway from its perch and take Gloucestershire County Council's highways maintenance renewal deal, potentially worth 300m.

The new contract, which kicks in next April, will cover around 5,000km of local authority roads.

The contract is worth 30m a year and will initially run for five years. But depending on the outcome of performance reviews, the deal could stretch to 10 years.

An insider said: "This is a great contract to win. It's not just the scheme itself, but the spin off the winning contractor can reap from it - such as road diversions and extensions."

Apart from a Ringway/Halcrow pitch, also in the hunt were Alun Griffiths/Owen Williams and Amscott (Alfred McAlpine/Scott Wilson).