John Laing, the specialist owner, operator and manager of public sector infrastructure assets in the UK, is to be put up for competitive auction two weeks after the company recommended an £887m bid from Henderson Global Investors.

The decision comes amid a high level of interest in infrastructure and private finance initiative (PFI) projects, which are particularly attractive to pension-fund managers due to their long-term, inflation-linked cashflows.

Several potential new bidders have apparently expressed an interest, and Greenhill, the boutique investment bank advising John Laing, is now looking to invite further bids. In recent weeks, a number of companies have been linked to John Laing, including Ferrovial, Macquarie, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and 3i. 

Henderson had made its bid through two specifically designed infrastructure funds and the deal looked likely to be completed after Henderson secured the backing of Legal and General, John Laing's largest shareholder.

Over the past few weeks, John Laing's share price has increased by more than 25%.