The contractor romped to the top of the 100-firm rankings after securing just over £3bn worth of projects over the year, nearly four times more than in 2016 when the firm ranked 19th in the league, according to contract data collected by Glenigan.

In a closely contested year, there was little to separate second placed Kier and third placed Balfour Beatty. Likewise Laing O’Rourke, Morgan Sindall and Galliford Try were tightly grouped with around £2.22bn worth of work.

Vinci returned to the top 10 rankings after a difficult 2016, a year when it took stock and bid more cautiously following several major legacy contracts.

The Top 10 saw their share of new orders secured by the 100 most successful contractors edge up from around 41% in 2016 to 43% this year, while total work won over 2017 soared 20% to £47bn compared with 2016.

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As a consolation Kier secured most work in December netting 38 contracts worth around £263m, helped by a £50m residential scheme in Leicester for the city council and a £20m warehouse/factory job for Rotork in Bath.

Mace secured the biggest contract in the closing month of 2017 with the £140m Paul Marshall Building project at Lincolns Inn Fields for the London School of Economics.

John Sisk capped a strong year of new orders with a £90m office scheme for Bruntwood in Circle Square in Manchester. 

McLaren Construction secured a £58m mixed development for Scottish Widows in Banbury.