Under the three-year contract, the pairing will support the 20 councils on highway projects across the Midlands.

Aecom teams from six offices across the region working in partnership with Waterman Group’s secondment services division, involving secondment of 70 professional and technical staff, will deliver a range of services.

This will include major highway improvements, maintenance and road safety projects, town centre regeneration schemes and transport studies.

Aecom held the previous four-year PSP contract, which helped the MHA member councils win £2.7m in savings.

Work starts immediately, with Aecom and Waterman working as part of an integrated team with MHA members to enhance their in-house design capabilities.

Phil Crossland, Chairman of the MHA, said: “The previous partnership was seen as a great success, and this award will allow our member authorities to continue to benefit from having access to the resources and expertise of one of the largest consultancies in the world.

“Work is starting on developing the ambitious plans for improving the partnership that were outlined in Aecom’s tender, and I look forward to the relationship going from strength to strength.”

Under the previous PSP contract, Aecom delivered detailed design and site supervision for the A1139 Fletton Parkway project to improve capacity along the busy commuter route in Peterborough, as well as planning and design services for a new railway station in Ilkeston.