At a Glance
💰 Hercules lifts its 2025 revenue forecast to £121m, signalling confidence in a £725bn UK infrastructure pipeline despite pressure on margins.
🚆 Gatwick’s £2.2bn Northern Runway scheme tops Barbour ABI’s updated 2026 Top 100 UK projects list, underlining aviation’s role in the pipeline.
🌱 Inch Cape’s 1,080MW offshore windfarm and a major London Docklands data centre are tied for second at £1.5bn each, reinforcing energy and digital as core growth markets.
🏗️ Barbour ABI’s list also flags sizeable 2026 starts for Hammersmith Bridge repairs and the Paddington Triangle mixed-use scheme, plus grid-scale storage at Kincardine.
⚙️ Digital “nervous systems” for vehicles point to new integration opportunities for UK engineering and infrastructure-adjacent firms.
Today’s update: activity indicators are thin on the ground, but fresh data on the 2026 project pipeline and a bullish update from a key labour supplier both point towards medium-term volume rather than immediate acceleration. Against the backdrop of recent warnings about a “cracking” £530bn pipeline and rising delivery risk, today’s stories highlight where future work – and capacity constraints – are likely to concentrate. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead today.
Ongoing Stories
Following earlier coverage of strain in the UK’s £530bn construction and infrastructure pipeline, Hercules’ upgraded 2025 revenue forecast and strategic investments in power and energy labour suggest parts of the supply chain are positioning early for the forecast £725bn infrastructure market. This underlines that workforce availability and specialist capability are emerging as competitive differentiators, not just generic capacity constraints. (Source: Construction Wave)
Building on previous analysis of delivery risks and major programmes, Barbour ABI’s refreshed Top 100 projects list for 2026 now puts specific schemes – from Gatwick’s Northern Runway to major offshore wind and storage assets – against that national pipeline, clarifying where near-term procurement and mobilisation pressures are likely to fall. (Source: Barbour ABI)
Top 5 Headlines
💰 Hercules raises 2025 revenue outlook on infrastructure demand
Labour supply specialist Hercules now expects full-year 2025 revenue of £121m, ahead of previous expectations of £118.4m, with pre-tax profits forecast at £800,000 after strategic investment to scale operations. The company is targeting a share of an anticipated £725bn UK infrastructure market, supported by recent acquisitions in the power and energy sectors including Advantage NRG and Lyons Power Services. Returning today as part of the wider pipeline story, this update shows labour providers consolidating and diversifying ahead of major power and energy programmes, signalling more sophisticated sourcing options but also rising competition for specialist skills. (Source: Construction Wave)
🚆 Gatwick Northern Runway tops Barbour ABI’s 2026 project league table
Barbour ABI’s updated Top 100 UK construction projects for 2026 ranks Gatwick Airport’s £2.2bn Northern Runway project, due to start in August 2026, as the largest by value. The scheme sits alongside two £1.5bn projects – the G Park 1 London Docklands data centre and the 1,080MW Inch Cape offshore windfarm – at the top of the list. For contractors, consultants and supply chains, this confirms that aviation expansion, digital infrastructure and offshore wind will anchor the upper end of the 2026 order book, concentrating opportunity – and risk – in a small number of very large schemes. (Source: Barbour ABI)
🚆 Hammersmith Bridge £250m repair programme set for 2026 start
The Barbour ABI 2026 rankings highlight a £250m repair project for Hammersmith Bridge, scheduled to commence in June 2026. The scheme joins other major infrastructure works in the list, including the Kincardine Energy Storage project and the Paddington Triangle development. This signals a pipeline of complex, urban, high-profile refurbishments where technical risk, stakeholder management and political scrutiny will be at least as important as construction execution. (Source: Barbour ABI)
🌱 Kincardine Energy Storage and Paddington Triangle underline mid-tier opportunity
Kincardine Energy Storage, a £200m project slated for February 2026, and the £200m Paddington Triangle mixed-use scheme starting January 2026 both feature in Barbour ABI’s Top 100 list. Together, they illustrate the growth of grid-scale storage alongside urban mixed-use regeneration in the mid-range of the 2026 pipeline. For regional contractors and investors, these mid-ticket schemes could provide more accessible opportunities than the headline mega-projects while still offering scale and repeatability. (Source: Barbour ABI)
⚙️ Vehicle “digital nervous systems” hint at new engineering interfaces
A new analysis explores how re-engineering the digital systems of modern vehicles creates opportunities and challenges for engineering firms and technology integrators. While not core construction news, the piece underscores the convergence of software, data and physical assets across transport and infrastructure-related sectors. For design, M&E and systems integration teams, this foreshadows increasing demand for cross-discipline capability where vehicles, networks and built assets share real-time digital control and diagnostics. (Source: Highways Today)
Also in the News
🚆 The G Park 1 London Docklands Data Centre, a £1.5bn scheme ranked joint second in Barbour ABI’s 2026 list, reinforces London’s status as a major hub for power-hungry digital infrastructure. (Source: Barbour ABI)
🌱 The 1,080MW Inch Cape offshore windfarm’s £1.5bn capital cost cements it as one of the largest single renewables investments in the 2026 UK pipeline. (Source: Barbour ABI)
🚆 Barbour ABI’s rankings show aviation, renewables and data centres dominating the top end of 2026 project values, with relatively fewer mega-schemes in traditional commercial property. (Source: Barbour ABI)
🏗️ The 2026 Top 100 also underline a back-loaded profile, with several major schemes – including Gatwick Northern Runway and Hammersmith Bridge – not due to start until mid-year or later. (Source: Barbour ABI)
⚙️ Engineering firms are being encouraged to consider how vehicle-centric digital innovations might translate into asset monitoring and control systems for infrastructure. (Source: Highways Today)
The Daily Build is written for people shaping the UK’s construction and infrastructure agenda. If this briefing is useful for your bids, pipeline planning or board updates, feel free to forward it to your team.