Supplying to us - Financial information

Prompt payment of suppliers

The Met Office aims to pay at least 80% of all valid UK supplier invoices within 5 working days in line with a Government wide target. We aim to pay all non-UK suppliers within our contracted terms. We also aim to pay all suppliers, both UK and non-UK, within our contracted terms. The Met Office's standard contracted terms for suppliers is payment within 30 days of presentation of a valid invoice.

We are also a signatory of the UK government Prompt Payment Code. Wherever possible, the payment terms are passed on to any sub-contractors engaged in support of a Met Office contract.

How to submit an invoice

To help the Met Office reduce invoice payment times, please follow this simple guide to submitting a valid invoice.

Please ensure your invoices always:

• Include clear reference to a Met Office Purchase Order number
• Clearly describe the goods or services provided
• Comply with UK VAT rules, where appropriate, (see HMRC guidance)
• Are emailed to: [email protected]

If you do not have access to email please post your invoices to: Accounts Payable, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB

Measuring prompt payment

In accordance with the central Government target we measure payment within 5 working days, starting from the day on which our Accounts Payable team receives a valid invoice. The time to pay ends when the money, paid by either BACS or CHAPS, is received in the supplier's bank account. We do not settle supplier invoices by cheque.

As signatories to the Prompt Payment Code we also measure the time to pay from the date of the invoice.

Our payment statistics do not include payments we have made by Government Procurement Card. Suppliers that accept credit cards receive payment from us even sooner than the 5 working day target.

How are we doing?

Our current performance in paying valid supplier invoices promptly is reported here in line with the following reporting requirements:

i) Crown Commercial Services reporting on the Government target to pay at least 80% of suppliers within 5 working days, measured from date of receipt of a valid invoice:

Period:	Percentage of invoices paid within 5 days	Percentage of invoices paid within 30 days	Total amount of liability to pay
Financial year 2022/23	84.3%	97.4%	Nil
Financial year 2023/24	84.5%	97.5%	Nil
Financial year 2023/24, quarter ending:
30th June 2024	86.1%	94.7%	Nil
30th September 2024			Nil
31st December 2024			Nil
31st March 2025			Nil

 

Crown Commercial Services also require the following annual data be published:

Financial year:	Proportion of valid & undisputed invoices paid within 30 days in accordance with regulation 113*	The amount of interest paid to suppliers due to a breach of the requirement in regulation 113*
2022/23	97.4%	Nil
2023/24	95.0%	Nil

* For more information on regulation 113 please see Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

ii) Prompt Payment Code reporting on the proportion of invoices paid within 30 days with a target of paying at least 95% of invoices within 60 days, measured from the date of the invoice:

	Percentage of invoices paid within 30 days	Percentage of invoices paid within 60 days
Calendar year 2022	87.5%	93.9%
Calendar year 2023	95.1%	97.5%
Calendar year 2023, half year ending :
30th June 2024	94.7%	96.2%
31st December 2024

Overdue payments

If you believe that a payment due to you is overdue, please contact our Accounts Payable team by any of the following routes:

• Phone: 0330 135 4201
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Post: Accounts Payable, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB

In the unlikely event that a dispute is not resolved promptly please write to: Head of Finance Operations, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB.

Feedback

If you have any other feedback regarding our handling of supplier invoices please submit it in writing to: Head of Finance Operations, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB.