Balfour Beatty tops Highways Agency's CAT score league

Balfour Beatty is top of the contractor tree on the Highways Agency’s (HA) Capability Assessment Toolkit (CAT) scoring, while Amec is rooted to the bottom.

The scores are the result of the third round of assessments (CAT 3) carried out by the HA since their introduction in 2002.

Balfour scored an impressive 187.2, while Amec registered a score of just 156.7.

The new assessments have involved an even greater number of criteria for marking - 24 in total with a maximum score of 12 for each one - including diversity, innovation, risk management and corporate social responsibility.

CAT 3 also saw the removal of companies self-assessing themselves with a score before being validated by the agency. The maximum score which could be achieved was 288.

However, there have been mixed views on the process from the industry with some contractors claiming to have found the system too "time consuming and expensive" - preparing for a CAT score can cost a firm £500,000 in terms of time and resources.

Others told CJ they found the process "very compelling" and gave a good insight into how their company functioned.

However, most firms have asked the HA to now hold fire on unleashing another CAT scoring round on the industry for at least two years. This had been one of the criticisms of CAT 3 following so soon after the launch of CAT 2. This led to the HA delaying the third round of assessments which were due to happen at the end of 2005.

CJ understands there will be another round of CAT scoring, although this could be the last one as the agency looks more towards past performance.

"We are very pleased with the commitment and positive approach demonstrated by all our suppliers," said HA chief executive Archie Robertson.

Contractor scores

1. Balfour Beatty                    187.2                                           

2. Costain                              186.1                                                                      

3. Vinci                                  184.3                                                                       

4. Atkins                                183.8                                                                        

5. Ringway                             181.1                                                                       

6. Alfred McAlpine                 181.2                                                                      

7. Edmund Nuttall                   180.5                                                                        

8. Accord                              180.1                                                                        

9. Skanska                            179.4                                                                         

10. Amey                              173.5                                                                         

= May Gurney                       173.5                                                                        

11. Sir Robert McAlpine        173.0                                                                          

12. Laing O’Rourke               168.8                                                                        

13. Parsons Brinckerhoff         168.4                                                                         

14. Interserve                         167.6                                                                        

15. Colas                                167.0                                                                

16. Carillion                            165.5                                                                        

17. Morgan Est                       165.4                                                                        

18. Amec                               156.7