Prompt Payment Code

Fareham Borough Council signed up to the Prompt Payment Code  in April 2013.

We recognise that prompt payment is critical to the cash flow of every business, and especially to smaller businesses within the supply chain.

The Prompt Payment Code is about encouraging and promoting best practice between organisations and their suppliers. By signing up to the code, we commit to paying our suppliers within clearly defined terms, and commit also to ensuring there is a proper process for dealing with any issues that may arise.

We hope this means that we can build strong relationships with our customers, safe in the knowledge that they will be paid, and confident that they are working with a council that values the service they provide.

Under the Prompt Payment Code we undertake to:

1. Pay suppliers on time

• within the terms agreed at the outset of the contract
• without attempting to change payment terms retrospectively
• without changing practice on length of payment for smaller companies on unreasonable grounds

2. Give clear guidance to suppliers

• providing suppliers with clear and easily accessible guidance on payment procedures
• ensuring there is a system for dealing with complaints and disputes which is communicated to suppliers
• advising them promptly if there is any reason why an invoice will not be paid to the agreed terms

3. Encourage good practice

• by requesting that lead suppliers encourage adoption of the code throughout their own supply chains

Guidance to suppliers on our payment procedures

• We pay our suppliers by Bacs Direct Credit.  This means that payments arrive in your account as cleared funds.  You can find out more about this quick and easy method of payment and how to sign up for payment by Bacs Direct Credit here
• The Council's standard payment term is 30 days from a) date of receipt of a valid and correctly presented invoice, or b) date of goods receipt or works or service performed (which ever is the later).  Here are the general purchasing terms and conditions of Fareham Borough Council in full

Guidance to suppliers on our complaints procedures

1. Complaint or dispute relating to an offical purchase order

If you are experiencing payment delay for an invoice you have sent us for completed works, goods or services, please contact our Accounts Payable team quoting the Council's offical purchase order number and your invoice number

2. Complaint or dispute relating to working with a lead supplier to the Council

If you are engaged as a sub-contractor to a lead supplier of the Council and find your invoices are not being paid to the terms you agreed with the lead supplier you should:

• check if the lead supplier has signed up to the Prompt Payment Code   and if Yes, click on the "challenge" button

• if the lead supplier has not signed up to the code and is not responding to your request for payment, please contact the Procurement Officer providing a summary of the situation