The firm has confirmed the blockbusting deal amounts to a £1bn order across its regional contracting operations, leapfrogging it up the rankings.

According to information specialist Glenigan, Kier has the biggest order haul for the rolling 12 months with Galliford Try and Wates in the chasing pack.

The rankings of contractors in the top 10 changed dramatically this month after phase one contract awards for HS2 dropped out of the rolling 12-month totals.

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Among the other big contract wins confirmed in August Balfour Beatty secured the £90m job to build a School of Biological Sciences for the University of Edinburgh and was confirmed for the Leeds Orbital Route.

Student and PRS specialist Watkin Jones also emerged as the surprise winner of a £85m student accommodation scheme at Wembley for Singaporean developer Lum Chang, after several other contractors had been pre-selected to bid the project.