Payment Pledge Charter Mark

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council signed up to the Prompt Payment Code in April 2010.

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 also commit 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.

Code signatories undertake to:

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

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

Encourage good practice

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