A joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try’s Scottish business, Morrison Construction, has been formed to compete for the remaining five contracts under Transport Scotland’s new NEC4 framework for the A9 dualling programme.
The partnership is expected to bid for projects covering around 92km of new dual carriageway, with construction scheduled to take place between 2027 and 2035.
Balfour Beatty has an established track record on the A9 upgrade, having completed the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section and currently delivering the Tomatin to Moy project through a joint venture with Wills Bros.
For Morrison Construction, the collaboration marks a return to major transport infrastructure bidding following Transport Scotland’s overhaul of its procurement strategy.
The new framework replaces traditional project-by-project tendering with an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) model, giving contractors greater input into design development while providing a more balanced approach to project risk allocation.
The five remaining sections of the A9 dualling programme include Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing (£226m), Killiecrankie to Glen Garry (£438m), Glen Garry to Crubenmore (£336m), Crubenmore to Kincraig (£344m) and Dalraddy to Slochd (£553m).
The first contract expected to be awarded under the new framework is the £553m Dalraddy to Slochd section north of Aviemore, which includes the construction of new grade-separated junctions at Aviemore South, Granish and Blackmount.
Transport Scotland is expected to complete the framework procurement process before the end of the year, with successful contractors announced ahead of the first contract award as the Scottish Government continues its commitment to completing the full A9 dualling programme by the end of 2035.
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