Balfour Beatty - company profile

Balfour Beatty is the UK’s largest construction group. This page provides an overview of Balfour Beatty, recent news about the company, and information about its share price and financial performance.

• View Balfour Beatty’s website
• View Balfour Beatty’s share price

Latest Balfour Beatty news

• Balfour scoops £46m museum makeover
• Balfour, Laing O'Rourke, Bechtel on Crossrail project delivery shortlist
• Bilfinger Berger team beats Balfour to £200m M80 PPP
• Mansell wins Ministry of Defence deal in Norfolk
• £5bn Academies deal boost for contractors

Balfour Beatty background

Balfour Beatty was founded by George Balfour and Andrew Beatty in 1909. It currently has more than 30,000 employees in 20 principal countries, and recruits over 100 new graduate entrants every year.

Balfour Beatty's main markets are:

• Rail - it is the largest fixed rail infrastructure contractor in the world
• Roads
• Utilities
• Education
• Healthcare
• PFI investments

In 2006, Balfour Beatty made a pre-tax profit of £125m from a turnover of £5.9bn. Currently, Balfour Beatty has a £9bn forward orderbook with more than £1bn of further work at the preferred bidder stage. Balfour Beatty was No.1 in the Contract Journal Top 100 league table of UK construction's biggest companies in 2007.

Balfour Beatty's chief executive is Ian Tyler, a chartered accountant, who was appointed in 2005, succeeding Mike Welton.

Balfour Beatty has expanded rapidly in the last five years. Notable acquisitions have included Mansell and Birse. In 2007, it bought Bristol-based Cowlin Construction. Balfour Beatty has also grown its presence internationally, and in February 2007, bought US contractor Centex for £180m.

Balfour Beatty was part of the ill-fated Metronet consortium that was appointed by London Underground in 2003 to deliver two thirds of the Tube PPP (public private partnership) upgrade. Metronet went into administration in 2007 after failing to secure sufficient funding, and was later booted off the project.

Major Balfour Beatty construction projects

• The M25 London orbital motorway - it built the largest section (completed)
• London 2012 Olympics Aquatic Centre (future project)
• The East London Line Extension - in joint venture with Carillion (work started December 2007)

Recent Balfour Beatty news

• Balfour Beatty wins first PPP concession outside the UK
• Balfour Beatty buys Covion to boost FM presence
• Balfour Beatty is sole aquatic centre bidder says ODA

External links

• Balfour Beatty annual report and accounts 2006 (summary format)
• Balfour Beatty annual report and accounts 2006 (full version)