A Contract Notice will be published next week in the OJEU formally inviting expressions of interest in the project.

Procurement will be as a single construction project under one Non-Profit Distribution (NPD) contract.

More than 150 delegates representing 60 firms attended the prospective bidders day this morning.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “Ensuring that we deliver this long-awaited project for the north-east of Scotland through investment in the AWPR alongside our partners, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils, is something we are committed to doing and I am very pleased to have been able to address major organisations from Scotland, the rest of the UK and across Europe today.

“Over the next three decades, the project is expected to bring in an additional £6billion to the local economy and create around 14,000 new jobs.

“The major works phase will deliver a huge uplift in employment opportunities across the construction sector and associated disciplines.”

Leader of Aberdeen City Council, Councillor Barney Crockett, said: “The presence here today in Aberdeen of representatives from some of the world’s leading construction companies really drives home the true scale, significance and economic importance of the AWPR/Balmedie-Tipperty project to the North-east and the rest of Scotland.”