This despite McAlpine insisting to B&E in November that widespread redundancies had been exaggerated by the media.

B&E can reveal that of the approximate 100-strong workforce put on a 90-day consultation period at McAlpine’s London HQ on the day of the acquisition, “very few will be kept on”.

A spokeswoman told B&E online the number kept on would be in the tens. 

She said: “In terms of the head office functions very few will be kept on because we don’t need the duplication.”

The redundancies follow a growing number of high-profile exits, which have included McAlpine’s managing director of business services, Craig McGilvray and group chief executive, Ian Grice.

The 750-strong staff at McAlpine’s Business Services office in Tannochside near Glasgow will be hoping the spate of redundancies stop there. Carillion announced the closure of the office this week. All staff are on a 90-day consultation period to identify whether they’ll be kept on or face the chop.    

The spokeswoman said: “We are obviously trying to keep any redundancies to a minimum by looking to redeploy as many people as possible but it is far too early to be talking about numbers at this stage.”

Carillion has three offices within a 10 to15-mile radius of McAlpine’s Tannochside depot, including Bellshill, Bishopbriggs and Cambuslang, as well as offices in Dundee and Endinburgh.

The spokeswoman added: This is about choice too. Some may be looking to stay in the area or they may want to look for alternative jobs.”

Carillion expects to grow the company by several thousand people over the next two years. Currently it has around 700 vacancies on its books from project managers to quantity surveyors. It claims the number of new jobs created as a result of the growth will overshadow the number of redundancies.