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Transport Scotland has shortlisted three bidders for the fifth construction phase of the A9 dualling programme, covering the stretch from Pitlochry to Killiecrankie.
Balfour Beatty, Kier Transportation and Wills Bros Civil Engineering will take part in a competitive dialogue process for the £205m job. The contract will involve upgrading 6.4km of the A9 to dual carriageway.
Earlier this year, Transport Scotland launched the procurement process for the Pitlochry to Killiecrankie section.
A contract notice set out details of the £205m scheme, priced at Q2 2025 levels.
The scheme includes the construction or upgrade of nine bridges, such as a new River Tummel crossing beside the existing Tummel Bridge, a second Clunie Bridge over Loch Faskally, and a new rail bridge on the Highland Mainline.
The section also features new active travel links and non-motorised crossing points, including along the Rob Roy Way.
The scheme will be delivered using Transport Scotland’s modified NEC4 Engineering and Construction contract. This version includes a capped carbon reduction fund to support lower-emission construction measures.
The project will move into a final tender phase after the dialogue period concludes, with contract award expected in autumn 2026.
Transport Scotland anticipates the dualling will be complete by 2030, at which point nearly half the A9 between Perth and Inverness will be dualled.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said the government remained committed to completing the dualling works, and that the next procurement stage would help refine designs to deliver value for money.
The Pitlochry to Killiecrankie section will be the third contract let under the revised NEC4 terms. The client is Transport Scotland.
The A9 Dualling Programme is a Scottish Government initiative aimed at converting 129km of single carriageway on the A9 road between Perth and Inverness into a dual carriageway by 2035.
Wills Bros Civil Engineering was named the preferred bidder in July 2025 for the £152.7 million Tay Crossing to Ballinluig section, with work expected to conclude by the end of 2028.
Currently, Balfour Beatty is actively working on the dualling section between Tomatin and Moy.
Social value requirements in the procurement include commitments to skills and training, wellbeing, local subcontracting and education outreach through the Academy9 programme.