Balfour switched on to Derby streetlights PFI

Derby City Council has turned the spotlight on Balfour Beatty for a PFI streetlighting deal worth at least £32m.

A source said: “The preferred bidder decision has still to be ratified at a full council meeting and there’s a 10-day cooling-off period – but to all intents and purposes, Balfour is well on the way to clinching the contract.”

The news means that David Webster, the only other bidder left in the final run-in, has now been left in the dark.

Last year, the council unplugged a pitch from a third contender – a joint venture between Vinci Investments and ABB.

The source also said: “The council has PFI credits of £32m for the scheme, but the capital value will be lot more than that.”

Work on site is on course to start in July, with the contract running for 25 years.

It is estimated that during the first five years of the project, around 17,000 lighting columns will be replaced and about 5,000 more installed.

About 2,000 illuminated traffic signs will also be replaced during this period.