Kier and Galliford Try appointed to £850m utility framework

Seven contractors, including Kier, Galliford Try and Tilbury Douglas, have been appointed to a five-year framework covering utilities in Yorkshire.

Framework client Yorkshire Water said the work represents part of its “largest ever” environmental investment, as it looks to invest £8.3bn across the network in the next five years.

Kier, Galliford Try and Tilbury Douglas were all appointed to the first lot, which is worth £850m.

Construction News understands that the firms on the second lot will be announced later this year.

The three contractors are joined on the first lot by Barhale, Galway-based water infrastructure firm Glanua, Mott MacDonald Bentley, and Irish contractor Ward & Burke.

The contractors will deliver civil engineering, and mechanical and electrical works to the utilities network, as well as “instrumentation, control and automation and building capability”.

They will work over the course of Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8), which will run from 2025 to 2030. But the framework could also be extended by a further five years to cover AMP9.

Galliford Try said the framework is expected to deliver around £100m of revenue in total.

Galliford Try chief executive Bill Hocking said: “We look forward to working with Yorkshire Water on this new framework to deliver high-quality facilities that meet their customers’ needs.”

Kier managing director for water Andy Lingham said: “This appointment builds on the strong, collaborative relationship we’ve developed with Yorkshire Water over the past five years since the start of AMP7.

“This continued partnership reflects the trust we’ve built and our shared commitment to delivering resilient and sustainable water infrastructure.”

Yorkshire Water head of programme delivery Rachael Fox said the work represents “an ambitious investment programme from 2025”.

“There’s a big challenge ahead – not only to meet new regulatory requirements, but to meet customer expectations too – and effective collaboration will be key to our success,” she added.

Both Kier and Galliford Try were also named on a £3.7bn AMP8 framework for Wessex Water in September, alongside the likes of Morgan Sindall. The two firms also took spots on Southern Water’s £3.7bn framework, announced last summer.

Galliford Try highlighted major wins in infrastructure – including in the water sector – after it boosted its turnover from £1.4bn to £1.8bn in the year to 30 June 2024. At the time, it was on 54 live frameworks in the water sector.