COSTAIN LIMITED
Company number: 00610201
Reporting period:
1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026
Report filed on:
31 July 2026
Approved by:
Helen Willis
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: 25 days
Total value paid:
- within 30 days: £144,174,526 (56%)
- in 31 to 60 days: £96,475,706 (38%)
- in 61 days or more: £15,854,748 (6%)
Invoices paid:
- within 30 days: 78%
- in 31 to 60 days: 19%
- in 61 days or more: 3%
Late and disputed:
- total value of payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: £62,335,840
- payments due in the reporting period which have not been paid within the agreed period: 18%
- not made in the reporting period due to a dispute: 0%
Payment terms
Shortest standard payment periods
7 days
Longest standard payment period
Answer not provided
Standard payment terms
Payment terms are agreed with suppliers and subcontractors as part of the contract arrangement and invoices must show the order number. Terms very between 7 days where we have some rental invoices and payment is made once the invoice is processed to 60 days from the date of invoices. The most frequent payment term for supplier within the reporting period is 30 days from the date of the invoice with payment to these suppliers generally made after receiving the statement from the supplier.
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
60 days
We agreed 60 days with 1 supplier in the reporting period and were paid on average payment to them being 36 days
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:
Agreements are made with subcontractors on projects regarding if a contract includes a retention clause or not, this is down to the discretion of the site commercial team
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?
No
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
The payment team will release the rest of the money once the project commercial team confirms the remaining amount can be paid
Is the money released in stages?
No
Amount retained from suppliers in the reporting period
Amount retained stated as a percentage of the money retained from this business by its clients
0%
Amount retained stated as a percentage of the total construction payments made by this business
2%
Dispute resolution process
Costain Limited actively seeks to resolves disputes by discussing with the relevant suppliers and typically involving members of the relevant projects supply chain, procurement and commercial teams and the relevant accounts or accounts payable team. For major suppliers and subcontractors, central procurement will likely be involved and, where necessary, members of management. Where it is not possible to reach agreement, usually on entitlement in relations to subcontractors, several potential dispute resolution methods may be used, most commonly, mediation or adjudication. If it remains impossible to reach agreement, the items may be referred for litigation.
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.
Yes, this business has signed up to: Fair Payment Code
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