Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, has recently been awarded two support services contracts, totalling around £200 million.

These contracts add significant volume to the Support Services order book and are notable in highlighting the changes in local authority requirements, with a marked shift towards larger, multi-activity contracts and bundling together of contracts from more than one local authority.

The Warwickshire and Coventry highways term maintenance contract involves full maintenance of the region's highways and bridges together with street lighting. The five-year contract, beginning in May 2011, is worth £100 million, with a possible four-year extension conditional to meeting performance targets.

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The 25-year Cambridgeshire County Council street lighting PPP project we announced on 6 May 2011 has a significant element of support services. The maintenance contract, worth around £100 million, is innovative in the way it places emphasis on energy reduction by using the latest technologies.

Kevin Craven, CEO of Balfour Beatty Support Services, commented: "We are developing our business to serve the Local Authority market more effectively. Balfour Beatty is well-placed in respect of the changing nature of local authority contracts which favour companies that can offer a broad range of capabilities, thereby providing savings as well as improved services for local government."

(CD/KMcA)