The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Perthshire companies urged to capitalise on dualling of the A9
MSP Murdo Fraser keen to see firms follow in the footsteps of contract winner I & H Brown
Perthshire firms are being encouraged to bid for a slice of one of Scotland’s biggest ever construction projects.
With a cost of £3 billion, Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser believes there is huge scope for local businesses to benefit from the dualling of the A9.
Details just released reveal that Perthbased engineering firm I & H Brown Limited has been awarded a contract for demolition work on the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section of the project.
A further contract to carry our tree clearing along the same route will be awarded in May and Mr Fraser is encouraging local firms to apply for tender.
Advance works, like tree clearance, will be undertaken before the main construction contract is awarded and the Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP believes this offers small to medium-sized enterprises the chance to bid for these type of contracts.
“Dualling the A9 will be one of the biggest civil engineering projects in our history and I want local businesses to see their fair share of the contracts,” he said.
“I am delighted that I & H Brown have won tender for the works between Luncarty and the Pass of Birnam and I hope that this is a sign of things to come.
“I would encourage any local business thinking of bidding to visit the Public Contracts Scotland web page.
“Ensuring that small and mediumsized businesses are able to benefit from the dualling process is important for the local economy and employment in the region.
“The recently completed Queensferry Crossing was reliant on a number of foreign firms to provide labour and expertise and I think everyone would like to see a different approach on the A9 where the economic benefit is felt closer to home.”
The project, which will see the road dualled between Perth and Inverness by 2025, is a major boost to the construction industry and will create hundreds of jobs over the lifespan of the work.
Transport Scotland has hosted events where the opportunities presented by the massive project were outlined to contractors.