NORTHUMBRIAN WATER LIMITED
Company number: 02366703
Reporting period:
1 April 2025 to 30 September 2025
Report filed on:
29 October 2025
Approved by:
Heidi Mottram
Contracts and payments
Do any of this business's construction contracts with its suppliers include retention clauses? Yes
Payment statistics
Average time taken to pay invoices: 36 days
Total value paid:
- within 30 days: £372,356,675 (63%)
- in 31 to 60 days: £209,415,202 (36%)
- in 61 days or more: £5,423,223 (< 1%)
Invoices paid:
- within 30 days: 29%
- in 31 to 60 days: 69%
- in 61 days or more: 2%
Late and disputed:
- total value of payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: £31,213,593
- payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: 4%
- not made in the reporting period due to a dispute: 0%
Payment terms
Shortest standard payment periods
14 days
Longest standard payment period
45 days
Standard payment terms
Standard payment terms are dependent upon the type of contract: small supplier contracts (14 days), construction contracts (40 days) or general goods and services contracts (45 days). Variations to these standard payment terms are by exception only and are only applied when negotiated and agreed by both parties
Were there any changes to the standard payment terms in the reporting period?
No
Were suppliers notified or consulted about these changes before they were made?
N/A
Maximum contractual payment period agreed
45 days
No further comment provided
Any other information about payment terms
No further comment provided
Retention clauses
How does this business use retention clauses?
Retention clauses are used in specific circumstances:
We only use retention clauses in specific circumstances. This is generally where it is a one-off large scale bespoke contract with whom we don't have a track record of business with the awarded contractor. As a general principle, for contracts we award under our established frameworks we don’t include retention (only by exception).
Does this business only use retention clauses in construction contracts above a specific contract sum?
No
Does this business use a standard percentage rate in retention clauses?
Yes: 2%
Does this business apply retention clause practices that are no more onerous than those applied to it on the same project?
No
Releasing money under a retention clause
Process for releasing money this business has deducted or retained under a retention clause
half of any retention is released on project completion with the other half being released at the end of the defect correction period
Is the money released in stages?
Yes:
half of any retention is released on project completion with the other half being released at the end of the defect correction period
Amount retained from suppliers in the reporting period
Amount retained stated as a percentage of the money retained from this business by its clients
2%
Amount retained stated as a percentage of the total construction payments made by this business
1%
Dispute resolution process
NWL has strong relationships with its suppliers and as a result has very few examples where payment of invoices has been in dispute. Our initial payment dispute process is that, either by a meeting or discussion between the NWL person named on the Purchase Order and a representative of the Supplier, agreement should be reached. If no agreement is reached within ten Working Days the dispute is escalated to the Head of Procurement of NWL and a representative of the Supplier of comparable rank and position. Further, if no agreement is reached within ten Working Days, the dispute is escalated again to an appropriate director of NWL and a director or equivalent of the Supplier. If following this process no agreement is reached the payment dispute may be referred to the Centre for Dispute Resolution (“CEDR”) for resolution in accordance with the Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) Procedures.
Other payment information
Has this business signed up to a code of conduct or standards on payment practices? If so, which?
For example, signatories to The Fair Payment Code must commit to paying 95% of their invoices within 60 days.
No, this business has not signed up to a code of conduct or standards on payment practices.
Does this business offer e-invoicing in relation to qualifying contracts?
This is where suppliers can electronically submit and track invoices. It's not just allowing suppliers to email them an invoice.
No
Does this business offer supply chain finance?
This is where a supplier who has submitted an invoice can be paid by a third-party finance provider earlier than the agreed payment date. The business would then pay the finance provider the invoiced sum.
No
Under its payment practices and policies, can this business deduct sums from payments under qualifying contracts as a charge for remaining on a supplier list?
No
During the reporting period, did the business deduct sums from payments as a charge for remaining on a supplier list?
No