E H SMITH (BUILDERS MERCHANTS) LIMITED
Company number: 00800907
Reporting period:
1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026
Report filed on:
17 July 2026
Approved by:
John Cave
Contracts and payments
Do any of this business's construction contracts with its suppliers include retention clauses? No
Payment statistics
Average time taken to pay invoices: 41 days
Total value paid:
- within 30 days: £20,266,659 (25%)
- in 31 to 60 days: £52,419,882 (64%)
- in 61 days or more: £9,761,230 (12%)
Invoices paid:
- within 30 days: 24%
- in 31 to 60 days: 65%
- in 61 days or more: 11%
Late and disputed:
- total value of payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: £9,761,230
- payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: 11%
- not made in the reporting period due to a dispute: 11%
Payment terms
Shortest standard payment periods
30 days
Longest standard payment period
70 days
Standard payment terms
30 days end of month
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
90 days
No further comment provided
Any other information about payment terms
No further comment provided
Dispute resolution process
Supplier invoices are received electronically (predominantly via EDI where applicable) and are matched against the corresponding purchase order using an automated invoice matching process. Invoices that fall within agreed price and quantity tolerances are approved for processing and payment.
Where an invoice cannot be matched, or a discrepancy is identified (such as incorrect price, quantity, product, missing proof of delivery, invoice calculation errors, or goods not received), the invoice is automatically placed into query within the Accounts Payable (AP) system and a workflow task is created.
The Accounts Payable team reviews the query and liaises with the supplier and, where necessary, the originating branch or department to investigate and resolve the issue. Queries are assigned to the appropriate individual for action and tracked within the system.
A report of all outstanding invoice queries is produced and circulated weekly to relevant managers and business areas to monitor progress and ensure timely resolution. Queries that remain unresolved after 10 working days are escalated to the appropriate line manager or senior member of staff in accordance with the escalation process. Where resolution is dependent on information or action from the supplier, the AP team continues to monitor and follow up until the query is resolved and payment can be processed.
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.
Yes
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