A total of £157m worth of subcontracts and supply orders for the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) project have been awarded to companies in Scotland, it has been revealed.

The figure accounts for 92% of the bridge's supply orders.

Transport Minister Keith Brown made the announcement as he visited engineering services firm Millar-Callaghan earlier this week to see how businesses were benefiting from orders.

He said: "Millar-Callaghan is a fantastic example of the positive impact of the project for Scottish business. The nine purchase orders they have secured from the FRC, worth £1.2 million have helped them create 17 new jobs, including 8 trainees and provided a reputational platform for them to secure future work.

"At this stage of the project around 80 per cent of the contractor's procurement is complete and over 360 Scottish companies have been awarded work so far. This includes 92 per cent of supply orders on the Principal Contract, worth approximately £72 million, being awarded to Scottish firms.

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"The FRC is vital to the economy of Scotland and is delivering significant economic benefits with over 1,000 people currently employed directly on site. In addition, around £85 million worth of subcontracts have been awarded to Scottish businesses with wider economic benefits through the project supply chain."

David Millar, Managing Director of Millar-Callaghan, added: "Overall, the various orders from the Queensferry Crossing represents around a third of our current order book and annual turnover.

"The bulk of the work has been manufacturing all of the internal steelwork for the three bridge towers, including staircases and access platforms. Each tower is around 210 metres tall so that involves a significant amount of steel, approximately 310 tonnes.

"Working on such a high profile project has also become a calling card for us in securing new business."

Another company to benefit from supply orders is CV Carmichael. Based in Fife, the firm is supplying the project with support frames and platforms for the bridge's main tower structures.

Managing Director Colin Carmichael commented: "We've had multiple orders over the past three years from the new bridge. That represents roughly a quarter of our turnover over that period and I'm obviously hopeful there will be more opportunities and orders over the next couple of years before the bridge opens.

"Work from the project has been of great assistance to us during the recession in the construction industry. It has undoubtedly been a help when other work has been quieter than normal and it has allowed us to maintain our workforce through a challenging period."

(JP/IT)