In Nottingham, the private builder bagged the £50m Crocus Place office scheme, while in Daventry town centre it started clearing the way for a new cinema, restaurants and public square as part of the £50m Mulberry Place scheme.

According to information specialist Glenigan, regional builder R G Group also secured a major order from student accommodation developer Unite for a 24-storey 1,000-plus bed tower project on the London city fringe.

The £200m scheme catapulted the Kent headquartered builder to second place in the July rankings.

In the annualised league ranking, Kier remained ahead of the field with an estimated £2.7bn of orders secured in the last 12 months.

But nearest rivals Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty are now fast closing the gap on Kier.

Click for full 100 contractors league
Click for full 100 clients league

Among the other big orders placed in July, Robertson secured a £100m contract for the redevelopment of RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

Tarmac subsidiary Alun Griffiths sealed the contract for a £100m rolling stock depot at Taffs Wells as part of plans for the South Wales Metro.

And southern contractor Osborne took a £61.4m contract for work on A46 Coventry Junction upgrades.