Published reports

ARK SCHOOLS

Company number: 05112090

This information is as reported by the business, and responses are in their own words.

Reporting period:

1 September 2025 to 28 February 2026

Report filed on:

30 March 2026

Approved by:

Lucy Lauris Heller

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: 33 days

Total value paid:

within 30 days: £23,880,877 (59%)
in 31 to 60 days: £12,503,962 (31%)
in 61 days or more: £4,289,849 (11%)

Invoices paid:

within 30 days: 69%
in 31 to 60 days: 22%
in 61 days or more: 9%

Late and disputed:

total value of payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: £16,793,811
payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: 31%
not made in the reporting period due to a dispute: 1%

Payment terms

Shortest standard payment periods

30 days

Longest standard payment period

Answer not provided

Standard payment terms

1.1 The Supplier shall invoice the Customer for: (a) (if this contract is for the supply of goods only) the Goods no sooner than completion of delivery of the Goods or, if later, the Customer’s acceptance of the Goods or otherwise (b) (if this contract is for the supply of goods and services) no sooner than Completion of the Deliverables.
1.2 The Price for the Goods/ Services shall become due upon receipt of the invoice by the Customer (the “Due Date”).
1.3 The final date for payment of the Price shall be 30 days from the due date (the “Final Date for Payment”).
1.4 To the extent that the Customer wishes to make any deduction from the Price to be paid to the Customer they shall notify the Customer in writing no later than 7 days before the Final Date for Payment by the issue of a Pay Less Notice to the Customer. Where the Customer has issued a Pay Less Notice to the Supplier, the price to be paid for the Deliverables shall be the price stated in the Pay Less Notice.
1.5 Time of payment is not of the essence. Where sums due under the Contract are not paid in full by the Final Date for Payment, to compensate the Supplier for all loss from the Customer’s breach, the Customer shall pay on the sum overdue interest (before and after judgment) on a daily basis from 30 days after the Final Date for Payment until payment in full at the rate of 5 per cent per annum above the official bank rate from time to time of The Bank of England. The Supplier acknowledges that this is a substantial remedy for the purposes of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
1.6 VAT shall be charged by the Supplier and paid by the Customer at the then applicable rate.
1.7 Payment for the Goods or Deliverables shall not be conclusive evidence that Completion has occurred or that the Goods or Deliverables are compliant or satisfactory.

Were there any changes to the standard payment terms in the reporting period?

Were suppliers notified or consulted about these changes before they were made?

N/A

Maximum contractual payment period agreed

30 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:

Retention clauses are generally applied to construction works but are not applied to minor works such as painting and decorating.

Does this business only use retention clauses in construction contracts above a specific contract sum?

Does this business use a standard percentage rate in retention clauses?

Yes: 3%

Does this business apply retention clause practices that are no more onerous than those applied to it on the same project?

Releasing money under a retention clause

Process for releasing money this business has deducted or retained under a retention clause

Where retention clauses are used, retention is applied in accordance with the contract terms. Suppliers invoice net of any contractual retention and invoices are paid as received. Retention is contractually released at the end of the Defects Liability Period which is 12months after completion/handover.

Is the money released in stages?

Yes:

Payments are usually made in three stages, aligned to agreed project milestones. Final payment is made on completion or handover of the works, and any contractual retention released at the end of the 12-month Defects Liability 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

Amount retained stated as a percentage of the total construction payments made by this business

Dispute resolution process

The organisation has a dedicated Accounts Payable Team which is contactable by phone and email.
Each school have their own Finance team. For disputes related to schools, vendors should contact the school finance team in the first instance and escalate to the Accounts Payable Team if necessary.
Vendors with invoice queries related to central invoices need to contact the Accounts Payable Team. The accounts payable team will reach out to the budget holder if they are unable to resolve or if it is not clear from the system why the invoice has not been approved for payment.

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.

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.

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?

Cookies on Payment practices reporting