The Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors consortium won out after an 18-month long competitive tendering process with a £790m bid, well within the forecast budget.
The decision comes as a bitter blow to the rival, largely British contracting contingent of Balfour Beatty, Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and MT Hojgaard.
Transport Scotland said both bids were valid and of a high standard following a rigorous assessment of technical, quality and cost aspects.
The winning design and build bid was significantly lower that the initial estimated cost of somewhere between £0.9bn and £1.2bn.
When inflation and VAT are taken into consideration, the total cost of the bridge and associated roads project will be £1.47bn – £1.62bn, significantly lower than the project’s original estimated cost range of £1.7bn – £2.3bn.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “The Forth Replacement Crossing project will be essential in protecting and promoting Scotland’s sustainable economic growth, safeguarding a vital link in the country’s transport infrastructure, protecting thousands of jobs and securing over £1bn in economic revenue.
“I was therefore delighted to inform parliament this morning that the tender period for the FRC Principal contract has now concluded.
“The successful FCBC consortium includes world-class bridge building and civil engineering firms with strong records of successfully delivering similar projects throughout the world.
“It is a testament to the robust competition we put in place that it has delivered a bid representing a significant saving for Scotland’s capital budget.
“It is particularly pleasing to see that this bid will annually provide 45 vocational training positions, 21 professional body training places and 46 positions for the long term unemployed.”
