Black Country triples highways framework to £150m with 16 firms

Sixteen contractors have won places on a £150m Black Country highways framework — triple the value of the £50m deal it replaces.

Wolverhampton City Council made the appointments on behalf of Black Country Transport, covering everything from small local road improvements to major highways schemes. The previous minor works framework carried 11 firms. The new one carries 16.

Who won the biggest jobs?

Four contractors — Amey, McPhillips, Fitzgerald Contractors and CR Reynolds — will chase individual jobs worth more than £5m and up to £10m. The top tier is expected to generate £75m of work, meaning half the framework's headline value sits in its largest lot.

McPhillips, Fitzgerald and CR Reynolds also landed places on the £750,000 to £5m lot, alongside:

• AE Yates
• Bridge Construction
• Montel Civil Engineering
• Octavius Infrastructure

Three firms now hold places across both of the framework's larger lots. That's a useful hedge, though not a guaranteed pipeline.

Who's new, and who's out?

Nine contractors join the line-up for the first time: Amey, Octavius, AE Yates and CR Reynolds, plus Evans Construction & Civil Engineering, Hilton Main Construction, Holcim UK, Montel and Stave-Con.

Others didn't make the cut. Colas and Thomas Bow, which held places on the previous framework's two larger works lots, are absent. GN Groundworks and MAC Surfacing also drop off the roster.

What will the firms actually build?

The work is broader than the word "highways" suggests. Contracts will span:

• Carriageway and footway construction
• Drainage
• Traffic signals and pedestrian crossings
• Lighting
• Park and ride facilities
• Subway infilling, demolition and landscaping

Who can use it, and for how long?

The framework isn't reserved for Wolverhampton alone. Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall councils can call off work through the agreement, as can Wolverhampton Homes and the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The deal runs until July 2029, with an optional extension to July 2030. Four years, potentially five, of tarmac and drainage across four West Midlands authorities — that's the prize the 16 firms just secured a shot at.