GOV.UK
BAE SYSTEMS PLC
Company number: 01470151
Reporting period:
1 January 2018
to 30 June 2018
This report was filed on 30 July 2018
and approved by Peter Lynas
Payment statistics
Average time taken to pay invoices: 27 days
Invoices paid:
- within 30 days: 76%
- in 31 to 60 days: 15%
- in 61 days or more: 9%
Invoices due but not paid within agreed terms: 16 %
Payment terms
Shortest standard payment period
1 days
Longest standard payment period
60 days
Standard payment terms
Our standard conditions of purchase, provide for payment at the end of the month following the month in which an invoice is received, subject to (i) a valid invoice being properly provided by the supplier and (ii) the relevant Supplies being delivered and accepted by us, in accordance with the contract. Another commonly used supplier payment term is 30 days. The full text of the standard payment term can be located in Clause 15 of the 2018 Standard Conditions of Purchase at: https://www.baesystems.com/en-uk/what-we-do/suppliers/united-kingdom
Were there any changes to the standard payment terms in the reporting period?
No
Maximum contractual payment period agreed
60 days
Any other information about payment terms
The supplier's invoice date (and not the date of receipt of the supplier's invoice) is the only currently reliable measurement for calculation of the reported statistics.
It is not precisely known when payments actually credit into a supplier’s bank account (we do not have systems that accurately record this event). Therefore for the production of the disclosed statistics, we have made a reasoned estimation of when payments have cleared into a supplier's bank account.
Where an invoice has been settled through the match of a credit note, this invoice is not included in the payment statistics. If there is a partial match of a credit note against an invoice, the payment of the remainder of the invoice is included in the payment statistics.
We pay our suppliers of goods and services in two main ways. Firstly by direct payment (usually a BACS payment) to a supplier bank account and secondly via a Corporate Purchasing Account (CPA) process (whereby payment is made to the supplier by the CPA provider, usually within 5 days, and we then settle such payment with the CPA provider, usually within 15 days of the monthly statement of transactions paid on our behalf by the CPA provider). The supplier pays a fee (usually set off against payment received) to the CPA provider for the benefit of participating in this payment process. The benefits to suppliers who elect to use the CPA process in their business are; faster payment reduced risk of unrecoverable debt and reduced administration burden.
Both direct transfer payments and CPA payments are included in the reported statistics. In relation to the CPA payments only, we do not have access to CPA providers’ payment records, and hence we have assumed that such payments are received by the supplier 5 days after the supplier has billed the CPA provider. We also note that BEIS’s Duty to Report on Payment Practices and Performance Guidance (October 2017), requires that payment timescales for “faster payment in return for a fee” arrangement actually be based upon when the CPA provider receives our payment. We have been unable to provide this data for this reporting period because it is not readily available from our systems.
Dispute resolution process
As per our standard conditions of purchase, if a payment dispute arises, then the parties are required to follow a disputed invoicing process and use reasonable endeavours to resolve the dispute amicably. Any disputes that cannot be resolved are subject to arbitration. Our full dispute resolution process can be found in Clauses 15 and 36 of the 2018 Standard Conditions of Purchase at: https://www.baesystems.com/en-uk/what-we-do/suppliers/united-kingdom
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 Prompt Payment Code must commit to paying 95% of their invoices within 60 days.Yes – BAE Systems is a signatory to the UK Prompt 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.
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.
Yes
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