An upbeat trading statement this morning also confirmed turnover for last year was £232m generating underlying profits of approximately £6m.

Margins recovered post the first lockdown last year to return to 3% target levels during the second half.

TClarke said: “Our bid teams continue to be busy.

“We have scaled up the size of our team to ensure that we are maintaining our careful selection criteria when assessing projects, to ensure they continue to meet our margin expectations.

“Since our last Trading Update announced on November 26 2020, TClarke has been extremely successful in winning new projects from clients across a wide range of sectors. The Group’s forward order book has increased to a record level of £456m.

“Looking to the future, TClarke is focused on driving our growth strategy. The Group has a very encouraging level of new projects in the order book and this bodes well for our future performance.”

Mark Lawrence, TClarke CEO said: “I am proud of the performance that TClarke has delivered in 2020. It highlights the many strengths of the business and this bodes well for the future.

“Our markets remain strong and we are delighted that the order book has reached a record scale and that the quality of projects that we have won is excellent and in accordance with our margin expectations.

“The reputation that we enjoy with our clients remains extremely positive and this is now delivering, as they turn to us to partner with them on future projects.

“I look forward to reporting on the progress that we make through the year. We continue to look to the future and we are positioning the Group to benefit from the many growth opportunities available in our markets.”