Business barometer 鈥 Public projects take contractor to the top but Balfour retains annual lead

The contractor and housebuilder Kier took top spot in the contractors鈥 league last month, scooping almost 拢375m of work with 58, mainly small, contracts.

Most of them were in the public sector, where it landed contracts worth more than 拢161m.

Morgan Sindall came second, with 39 contracts worth 拢231m. Most were in the public sector, though it also beat rivals in the housing sector with 拢107m of contracts.

Its biggest single contract was a 拢64m housing project for New East Manchester.

Sir Robert McAlpine secured 拢222m of work from eight contracts, giving it third place. The biggest project was a 拢109m schools scheme in Newcastle upon Tyne.

HBG, which took fourth place with 拢208m, won the highest-value work in the commercial sector, with 拢159m. It also won the overall biggest project, a 拢150m commercial scheme in Chester.

Laing O鈥橰ourke made number five in the contractors鈥 league table, after not making it into the top 30 last month. It scooped 拢117m of work in six contracts.

When civils work is taken into account, the top four remain the same but Skanska nips in at number five with 拢149m, securing almost all of the contracts in civils (拢129m).

But this shuffling has done little to alter the annual league. Balfour Beatty is still top dog overall, despite coming in at number twelve in the building-only table with 拢74m and 13th when civils is included.

In the annual top five Kier鈥檚 top place moved it up two places. Morrison is the only company that recorded a significant jump in the yearly ranking. It climbed 26 places into the top 30 after winning 15 civils projects worth 拢67m in July. In June, it secured just 拢5.5m of work.