Work to turn the major road in North East Lincolnshire into a dual carriageway was brought forward to start in summer 2015 instead of late 2016 in the last Autumn spending statement.
Because of an ECI aproach contractors will need to select a designer to submit a prequalifation bid by the deadline of 22 January.
The Highways Agency said it expects the successful bidder to comply with its target of creating one apprenticeship for every £20m spent.
The agency also said it plans to assess bids weighting 60% on its supplier StART Assessment, 35% on past performance data and a 5% weighting for added value.