The UK’s civil engineering contractors today welcomed the Chancellor’s continued focus on economic stability, but said that the Government must now ensure infrastructure commitments are translated more quickly into project delivery.
Responding to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) said that a stable fiscal framework can help support confidence across the economy, but warned that firms in the infrastructure supply chain need greater certainty on project timing, procurement, and delivery.
CECA noted that its latest Workload Trends Survey, published last week, showed workloads returning to growth in 2025 Q4, but with weak order books and ongoing cost pressures, highlighting continued fragility in the forward pipeline.
Commenting, CECA Director of Policy & Public Affairs Ben Goodwin said: “Economic stability matters, particularly in a period of international uncertainty, and the Chancellor is right to focus on creating the conditions for growth. But for our industry confidence ultimately depends on delivery.
“CECA’s latest Workload Trends results show that while activity has improved in parts of the sector, order books remain weak. That points to a continuing gap between infrastructure ambition and work reaching site.
“If the UK is to deliver on growth, connectivity, energy security and net zero, we need a stronger focus on implementation – with dependable pipelines, timely decisions, and procurement approaches that support long-term value and investment.
“CECA stands ready to work with Government, clients, and other stakeholders, to help convert commitments into visible progress, and to deliver the world-class infrastructure that will both secure the economy, and serve communities across the country.”
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