Since 27 December 2025 we have been working with a number of FIS members on a number of fronts and I thought it would be useful to highlight some of the issues and to share how we are dealing with these.
Seasonal payment issues prevail
The Christmas and New Year breaks have historically always been a problem for the supply chain in the construction industry, as clients and contractors switch off their computers and mobile phones and do not re-engage again until early January, but that doesn’t help those of you who are chasing vital cash flow for your business.
Whilst we all thought the days of digital payments would consign such practice to history, I was confronted with a Payment Schedule that a member had been provided with, and incredibly it stated that no payments would be made to the supply chain in June and December. Realistically in this day and age is the only reason this type or clause exists is to assist with the client’s cash flow and accounting periods. it’s something that you need to make sure you are aware of to balance your own cash-flow, but also helpful if you can report such terms to FIS so that we can address systemic behaviors that put extra pressure on the supply chain.
In this article, Len looks deeper into retentions, final negotiations and payment schedules, and other old chestnuts!