Bupa Insurance Services Ltd has improved payment practices to its small business supply chain following a report from the Commissioner’s Office published in December 2019. The Commissioner held a review meeting with Bupa Insurance Services Ltd in August 2020 and was advised that the company has increased its late payment compensation rate and now also offers shorter payment terms on request from suppliers.

The company has also set up a prompt payment forum chaired by the CFO of Bupa Global & UK to review its payment practices on a monthly basis, alongside assessing actions that can be taken to remove barriers to paying on time.

Bupa Insurance Services Ltd is continually reviewing its procurement processes by investigating causes of non-compliance and has recruited extra staff on the accounts payable team to help deal with overdue invoices whilst providing ongoing training for staff on procurement processes.

Small Business Commissioner, Philip King said: “It is encouraging to see the commitment from Bupa Insurance Services Ltd to treat small suppliers fairly by paying them on time. The company has taken positive steps forward to engage with its suppliers and ensure its internal payment processes are effective so late payments can be prevented.

“I would encourage Bupa Insurance Services Ltd to actively promote that small suppliers have the option to request shorter payment terms in advance of their invoice, especially in light of the current pandemic.

“It is imperative that large businesses continue to support their small business supply chain so they can survive and grow during these unprecedented times. Through my role I will continue to tackle the culture of late payments by taking action against the worst examples of supply chain bullying.”

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner has helped small businesses get back over £7.4 million in unpaid invoices (Dec 2017 – August 2020).

If you are a small business experiencing late payment issues with a large business, please contact the Office of the Small Business Commissioner.

ENDS

Contact: Manveer Mann on 0121 695 7761

Editors Notes

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner was launched in December 2017 to ensure fair payment practices for Britain’s 5.7 million small businesses, support them in resolving their payment disputes with larger companies and bring about a culture change in payment practices between businesses and across sectors.

In addition to investigating complaints about late payment issues, the Office provide a variety of free and impartial services such as:

• Resolving disputes and dealing with unpaid invoices
• Checking contracts and getting invoices right
• Signposting small businesses to existing support and dispute resolution services
• Interest Calculator on its website – allowing small firms to calculate interest owed on unpaid invoices.

*Legislation imposed in April 2017 required all large businesses to publish their payment practices.

www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk