Staff at the company, which has offices in Dundee and Perth, have been informed that their jobs may be at risk, though it stressed the move is only one of the options being considered.

Athole McDonald, managing director at Kilmac, who co-founded the firm with business partner Richard Kilcullen in 2004, told Scottish Construction Now that while more than 90% of the jobs are secure, being forced to let anyone go would be “harrowing”.

He said: “The construction industry in Tayside, and beyond, is experiencing one of the downturns we have come to expect in the 15 years since Kilmac was established by myself and Richard Kilcullen.

“Our industry can be challenging and as a responsible employer with a loyal and close-knit workforce we have a duty to keep them informed through good times and bad.

“While over 90% of the jobs are secure the thought of being forced to let go any of our personnel is a harrowing one and not an easy pill to swallow at any time of the year, and even more galling with Christmas on the horizon.

“I must stress we are looking at all the options but took the difficult decision to alert staff of potential small-scale redundancies.

“The directors are doing everything in our power to secure further contracts to maintain current staffing levels.”

“We have faced similar challenges down the years but continue to post six-figure annual profits, including £243,000 on a £13 million turnover for the current year, which is up from £206,000 on the previous 12 months.

“The construction industry, locally and nationally, has never fully recovered from the global financial crisis of 2008 and we have seen many of our competitors being forced to downsize or go out of business in recent years.

“Kilmac has successfully maintained our turnover by reducing margins and introducing efficiency programmes.

“We have also increased our client base and undertaken projects as far afield as Aberdeen and Dumbarton.

“Unlike larger companies that carry an order book for up to 18 months ahead, Kilmac are regularly only notified of start dates for projects 14 days in advance.

“A couple of projects due to start in December have been subject to delays beyond our control.

“Another larger project in Dundee has been delayed, perhaps permanently, due to funding and planning issues.

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have been outbid lately on major projects which had been due to start over the next couple of months.

“Kilmac directors appreciate the continued efforts of all our employees during these difficult times and value their continued commitment to the company.

“Looking ahead, we are confident that Kilmac will continue to retain its market share and consistent profitability.

“The directors remain confident any enforced short-term job losses can be addressed when the market traditionally picks up in the New Year.”

Kilmac Construction and Kilmac Ltd combined trade into Kilmac Ltd in 2015 and has consistently posted six-figure annual post tax profits, including £243,000 on a £13m turnover for 2018.