Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data on payment practices and terms is requested from the 32 largest suppliers to Government before awarding further public sector contracts; and how many contracts have been withheld pending satisfactory evidence from such suppliers.

In 2017, the government introduced legislation that requires the UK’s largest businesses to report on a half yearly basis on their payment practices, policies and performance. All information must be published on Gov.uk. This can be viewed at the following link: https://check-payment-practices.service.gov.uk/search

Public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in new public sector contracts; and require that this payment term be passed down the supply chain.

At the pre-qualification stage of any procurement, it is the responsibility of contracting authorities to ensure that contracts are awarded to appropriate suppliers according to the required payment terms.