August 2019 has seen a 5.6% decrease on total construction contract award values compared to July 2019. Compared to August 2018, the total value of £4.9 billion is also down by 18.7%.
The decline in project awards in August follows a strong June and July. As a result, in the three-month period ending August 2019, total construction awards were valued at £15.2 billion which is an increase of 2% on the previous quarter and 1.8% higher than for the comparable quarter ending August 2018.
Our monthly Economic & Construction Market Review highlights levels of construction contract values awarded across Great Britain.
The report includes a breakdown of activity by sector. The residential sector dominated contract awards for August, with a 42.5% share. Therefore, this dominance meant that all other sectors had a much smaller share. Infrastructure was the second largest sector with 14.0% of awards, followed by education with a share of 11.4% which was only marginally ahead of the industrial sector with 11.3%.
It also includes a breakdown of activity by region. London was the leading region with a share of 17.0% of awards, followed by Yorkshire & Humber with a share of 13.5% and then the East Midlands with 11.0% of all construction contract awards.
The largest contract award in August was the £120 million development by the University of Leicester. This project will be a new academic building and 550 space multi-storey car park.
Overall, it is slightly concerning to see a 18.7% decline compared to August 2018. The total value of contract awards was held up by the residential sector. While the Spending Review announced by the Government this month suggests future increases in investment for sectors including infrastructure and medical & health, it will take a while for projects to commence.
In the Press…
Planning & Building Control Today – Construction contract awards down 18.7% compared to August 2018
Specification Online – Construction contract awards value decreases in last 12 months
