Fair Payment Code – Gold Awardees

Create/Change are extremely proud to be in the first cohort of companies to have achieved the Fair Payment Code Gold Award  (the highest level awarded).  This was  presented to us by Liz Barclay, Commissioner at the Office of the Small Business Commissioner.  We are one of the first 100 businesses in the UK to achieve this. It’s a recognition of our commitment and dedication to prompt and fair payment practices, which can create a ripple effect of positive outcomes.

In the consultancy world, businesses (like ours) rely heavily on the expertise of individual consultants.  These are the specialists who bring their unique skills and knowledge to our projects.  Consultants often work on a project by project basis and a delay in payments can have a genuine negative impact on them personally and professionally.  Prompt payment is not just good business practice, it is also a crucial component of our social value commitment.

For small and micro businesses and independent consultants, consistent cash flow is essential.  For us as a business, recognising that payment delays are often caused by complex and lengthy processes in larger organisations, we have taken proactive steps in our own operations to address this.  We have focused mainly on people and process.

We have set clear guidelines on prompt payment working cross functionally to ensure that everyone involved in the payment process understands our commitment to the timely payment of suppliers.  We have also streamlined our internal processes implementing clear invoice submission and payment guidelines, prioritising efficiency and transparency.

We understand that our partners’ success is linked to ours.  Prompt payment isn’t just a policy, it is a core part  of our social value strategy. As a consultancy working within the public sector where social value is crucial, the goal is to ensure that we are acting ethically  and responsibly.    By creating a system that ensures fair and prompt payment, we are contributing to the wellbeing of our consultants and suppliers and fostering a more equitable and sustainable business environment.

We hope this inspires other businesses to review their payment processes and join us in supporting prompt and fair payment.

Written by Emilie Smith – Business Operations Manager