Orders for top 50 contractors down a third year on year

The slowdown in construction orders has continued as the industry falls deeper into recession. CJ50 figures show that orders slowed considerably in September and remained flat in October and November.

• View the CJ50 league table for November 2008

The total of new work let in November was £1.6bn, a third less than the same time last year. Barring civils, every sector was down on October.

 Laing O’Rourke took advantage of the infrastructure work available and clinched top spot on the back of three contract wins worth £256m. The total maintains the firm’s position at the summit of the 12-month rolling total, where it will surely finish the year as it is already £700m ahead of its nearest rival Balfour Beatty.

Laing O’Rourke won infrastructure work worth £168m, close to half of the total work let in the sector last month. It also won a £60m deal to undertake demolition works and replace an international pier at Birmingham Airport and a £28m contract to construct a new earth sciences building for Oxford University.

Holding firm in second place Kier ran away with 40 contracts worth over £200m. The majority of its work was in the public sector (£174m), and the haul enabled it to leapfrog BAM Construct to third place in the 12-monthy rolling total.

The highest number of contract awards again fell to Balfour Beatty, who won 63 contracts worth £132m keeping the firm in third for the second month running. Half of its work was in infrastructure, while the rest was split between public sector, commercial and a small slice of private housing.

Morgan Sindall moved up ten places to fourth with 33 contracts worth £88m. The most notable is a £20m deal to construct a training facility for VT Aerospace in Anglesey.

Meanwhile, ISG gained 11 places, moving up to fifth with £85m worth of work including a £52m education scheme for Suffolk County Council.

ISG’s success knocked BAM Construct into sixth place. It won four contracts worth £80m. Three were in the public sector, including a £42 deal for Bolton Community College and a £30m scheme for Newcastle College.

Other projects of note included a £65m deal won by Buckingham Group for the construction of a new stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion and a £47m healthcare scheme in Wales won by Norwest Holst.