We need a universal culture of prompt payment, says CBI

The Confederation of British Industries (CBI) are right when they say that despite the majority of businesses agreeing and sticking to fair payment terms with their suppliers, we need to ensure that all companies have a culture of prompt payment. So says the CBI in its submission to the Government’s consultation on the matter.

I was staggered when I read that the national late payment debt stands at over £30 billion with the average business owed £31,000. The CBI say that, with the economic recovery gaining traction and order books picking up, now is the time when working capital can become particularly stretched.

To tackle the problem of late payment, the CBI is recommending:

• That all companies publish their supplier payment policies on a voluntary ‘comply or explain’ basis.

• The introduction of a ‘target’ maximum payment term, with flexibility, recognising that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work, because more complex contracts may require different terms.

• As part of the Prompt Payment Code, introduce an ‘upper tier’ for companies who wish to sign up to even higher standards, for example by committing to more detailed reporting on payment performance, or shorter timeframes.

• That larger companies give clear guidance on their websites clearly stating how their payment process works and set up online finance platforms to simplify the payment process.

• That the Government sets out clear guidance around the legal term ‘grossly unfair’ in contract law, so that businesses have greater confidence when negotiating payment terms.

The CBI warns against the unintended consequences of imposing new rules which would put the UK on an uneven playing-field internationally, otherwise contracts will simply be offered to overseas suppliers instead of UK firms. Suggestions such as mandatory maximum payment terms, introducing an enforcement agency or blacklisting of suppliers all fall into this category and should be rejected.

I particularly like the suggestion of a “comply or explain” policy.

The CBI’s press release is here.

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Martin Pollins

Managing Director at One Smart Place

Martin Pollins is a Chartered Accountant and MBA with wide experience in corporate finance and business management. He has served on the boards of several companies, including those listed on the London Stock Exchange, AIM and OFEX. He is Chairman and Founder of OneSmartPlace and was a Council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales from 1988 to 1996. He was managing partner of PRB Martin Pollins, based in Sussex, the first Accountancy firm to advertise on British television.He went on to create and launch the CharterGroup Partnership (the UK’s first Accountancy network) and then LawGroup UK (at the time, one of the largest networks of lawyers in the UK). In recent years, he helped to raise several £millions to fund British films such as The Da Vinci Code, Bridge of San Luis Rey, Head in the Clouds and Merchant of Venice with actors such as Charlize Theron, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, F. Murray Abraham. Kathy Bates, Gabriel Byrne, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, Audrey Tautou, Penélope Cruz, Steven Berkoff, Lynn Collins, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes and many more.

He has written over 700 business publications (see Glossaries at http://onesmartplace.com/resources/glossaries/) and is editor of Better Business Focus (see http://onesmartplace.com/resources/better-business-focus-magazine). His Blog, on a wide range of subjects can be found at: http://onesmartplace.com/blog/

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