Balfour Beatty/Morrison Construction JV, Graham, Hochtief, Kier and Wills Bros have been invited to submit final tenders for places on the framework covering the remaining 58 miles of the Perth to Inverness upgrade.
All five are bidding across the two value lots, with Transport Scotland aiming to appoint its framework partners before the end of the year.
Lot 1 covers three contracts individually worth less than £400m, while Lot 2 covers the two larger schemes.
Contractors can secure places on both lots, but framework appointment does not guarantee a construction contract.
The five bidders will be assessed on a 70:30 quality-to-cost split for framework selection. The subsequent individual competitions will use NEC4 Option A fixed-price or Option C target-cost contracts, incorporating early contractor involvement.
The five jobs are divided as follows.
| Lot 1 – Contracts below £400m | |
|---|---|
| Road section | Estimated value |
| Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing | £226m |
| Glen Garry to Crubenmore | £336m |
| Crubenmore to Kincraig | £344m |
| Lot 2 – Contracts above £400m | |
|---|---|
| Road section | Estimated value |
| Killiecrankie to Glen Garry | £438m |
| Dalraddy to Slochd | £553m |
The first prize will be the £553m Dalraddy to Slochd section north of Aviemore.
The 25km scheme includes replacing existing junctions at Aviemore South, Granish and Blackmount with new grade-separated junctions.
Procurement is due to start this winter, with contract award targeted for autumn 2027 and the road opening by the end of 2032.
The remaining contracts will be released in phases, with the final Crubenmore to Kincraig award scheduled for autumn 2030.
The Glen Garry to Crubenmore package combines two previously separate schemes into a single 20.5km contract.
Transport Scotland plans to finish the entire A9 dualling programme by the end of 2035.
The procurement milestone comes as work continues on 11 miles of the A9, with the Tomatin to Moy scheme alone employing 256 people.
