£119 Billion Worth of Construction Projects in the Pipeline

LIVERPOOL, England, December 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Plans detailing billions of pounds' worth of proposed construction projects have today been published by the Government, in partnership with construction intelligence specialist Barbour ABI.

The Government construction pipeline includes detail of planned projects to the tune of £119bn - the largest value of proposed construction projects ever published. The information, collated by Barbour ABI, shows upcoming public projects with the intention of providing firms of all sizes the forward notice and information they need to invest in the relevant skills, labour and capabilities to win contracts.

The £119bn proposed spend includes more than £12bn in the education sector, almost £4bn on affordable homes projects and over £4bn to enable the Highways Agency to resurface much of the national network by 2021.

Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: "The huge value of planned public sector construction projects is encouraging. It highlights the important role the industry has to play in the Government's overall, long-term growth plan for the UK economy.

"We know the construction industry has been performing well of late. Barbour ABI's Construction and Economic Market Review report found that the value of contracts awarded in the UK's construction sector grew by almost 50% in October 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, while the Markit/CIPS PMI report showed further growth in November, with output rising at its fastest rate for more than six years.

"On the back of figures such as those, the announcement of the Government pipeline will help to maintain an air of optimism in the industry, supporting the sector's renewed confidence with plans of new projects and significant spend in the infrastructure sector which has the potential to provide a huge boost to output figures in future years. It's important to remember, however, that these plans need to equate to spades in the ground to have a real, tangible benefit."

About Barbour ABI:

Barbour ABI is a leading provider of construction intelligence services. With a team of in-house research specialists and a dedicated lead economist, it provides commercially relevant insight and unique analysis of trends and developments within the building and construction industry.

Barbour ABI is the chosen provider of industry data and indicators for Government bodies including the Office for National Statistics and the UK Government's Construction and Infrastructure Pipeline, which outlines future construction and infrastructure projects where public funding is agreed. Barbour ABI also provides data for independent organisations, such as the Construction Products Association.

Barbour ABI is part of global events-led marketing services and communications company, UBM, and is headquartered in Cheshire Oaks, Cheshire.

For more information, please visit http://www.barbour-abi.com

About UBM:    
UBM helps businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content. Its 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news.

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