Morgan Sindall has withdrawn from its place on the £800m Eastern Highways Alliance framework and been replaced by Costain.
The EHA framework, now into its fourth iteration, was set up in February this year by Central Bedfordshire Council with nine contractors recruited across three value-based lots.
The potentially most lucrative part of the framework was Lot 3 covering work valued at £30m or more, with Morgan Sindall one of four contractors recruited along with Milestone, Octavius and Winvic.
Ten other local authorities - Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, and Thurrock – are also using the framework, but Morgan Sindall has now withdrawn and been replaced by Costain
Costain has a long history in the roads sector and as a supplier to National Highways, but the EHA appointment is the first time that the company has won a place on a multi-local authority agreement.
Andy Denman, road sector director at Costain, said: 'Being selected by the Eastern Highways Alliance expands our portfolio of projects and partners in the roads sector. It is testament to our strong track record in shaping, creating and delivering best-in-class infrastructure solutions for our customers.
'We will be focused on establishing a strong working relationship with the Alliance that will allow us to deliver critical upgrades for a more resilient road network and drive regional mobility and prosperity for millions of people.'
The EHA will run for four years with the option to extend by a further two years and covers 23,000 miles of road over 7,000 square miles in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
An EHA spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that Costain has been added after a previous supplier withdrew themselves from the Framework. We have nothing further to add.'
Morgan Sindall has been approached for comment.
