The framework will be used to deliver schemes over the next five years and represents the biggest shake-up in roads procurement for years.

Five of the firms selected for the largest work packages are expected to share a £3bn pot of work.

The new pared-down suppliers lists will help to establish much closer working ties with designers and agency officials than previously achieved and span the entire major highways building programme, including managed motorways.

The first schemes to go out under the new arrangement will be three management motorways – M5 (jnct 4-6), M1 (jnct 16-19), M6 (jnct 16-19) – with a target award date of March next year.

The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme will also be a flag waver for the new set up with contractors selected from the larger lots operating under an alliance arrangement.

Laing O’Rourke is the biggest player to miss out on a place in the major works lots for jobs worth more than £25m. Successful Welsh road builder Alun Griffiths has also failed to secure a place.

The Agency has organised the framework to allow contractors to grow as the £24bn investment plan rolls out.

Over time contractors working within the smallest lot will be able to take projects up to £50m. Likewise major players like Kier, Vinci and Galliford Try in lot 3a will be able to graduate to jobs worth up to £300m.

This will help to spread the work more broadly although agency chiefs believe they have the right number of firms on board to deliver the programme over the next five years without capacity issues.

Graham Dalton, Highways Agency Chief Executive said: “This framework is the largest we have ever awarded.

“It will allow the Agency to deliver large scale improvements to England’s strategic roads, enabling economic growth across the country.

“It is not just the scale of this framework that is important, but the way it is designed to bring the Agency, designers and contractors together in one large collaborative team.

“We expect to deliver this major investment programme efficiently, speedily, and with real effort to minimise disruption to road users while we build.”

David Poole, Highways Agency Commercial and Procurement Director said: “The way the Agency is doing business is evolving to meet the historic levels of investment we will be delivering and this framework is a key part of making this more efficient and collaborative. This framework has also been designed to support the industry and encourage small and medium sized businesses to grow throughout the contract.”