Payment terms are normally set out in the contract documents, but they may be stage payments, annual / quarterly / monthly payments or payment on completion.
Payment is usually within 30 days of receipt of a correct invoice, unless otherwise agreed.
To ensure that your payment is dealt with efficiently and to avoid delays, please ensure that you:
- submit the invoice in the format agreed in the contract
- quote the purchase order number and / or contract title
- address it to the correct officer and location
- ensure that it adds up correctly
- include as much information as possible about what the payment is for
- only include requests for payment of supplied goods or services
The Council makes payment by Cheque or BACS or Purchasing Cards. The use of BACS ensures that the payment goes directly into the contractors / suppliers bank account. BACS is the Council's preferred method. Purchasing Cards are presently only available for certain purchases.
Payments to suppliers
The monthly reports below list payments made to external bodies and suppliers that are over £1,000 (excluding VAT). For data protection reasons, these exclude any payments made to individuals.
Publication of these reports form part of the Councils commitment to be open and transparent with its residents. Data will be published on a monthly basis within 5 working days of each month end.
If you would like to know more about the type of business conducted with these suppliers, please email commercial.hub@bedford.gov.uk
We will aim to provide a response as soon as possible. We aim to be as transparent as we can but in some cases we will need to respect information that could be seen as commercially sensitive.
Payment of invoices
The Council has a target to pay invoices within 30 calendar days of receipt (excluding disputed invoices), and within 10 working days for small businesses.
- Payment runs are twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
- Payment is by BACS
- BACS payments take 3 working days to reach your account