FOI - Payment practices considered in procurement
Published 5 January 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vmd-foieir-requests-september-2025/foi-payment-practices-considered-in-procurement
ATI1120 Request
Question 1
As part of your tendering and procurement processes, the total number of bidders excluded - in financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 to date (September 2025, as the most recent quarter for which data is held) - from public procurement processes for contracts valued over £5 million per annum due to non-compliance with the prompt payment policies mentioned above.
If providing the data for all three years would exceed the cost limit, please provide whichever years are available within the limit.
If a bid was excluded for multiple reasons, and poor payment practices is one of the tracked reasons, please include this in the total number.
Question 2
Provide the total number of bidders who have been asked to provide a detailed action plan outlining the steps to get back into compliance with payment performance policies mentioned above, in financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 to date. If providing the data for all three years would exceed the cost limit, please provide whichever years are available within the limit.
Question 3
Provide a list of names of the organisations which have been excluded from central government procurement processes for contracts valued over £5 million per annum due to non-compliance with the prompt payment policies mentioned above. If providing all organisation names would exceed the cost limit, please provide up to the first 10. If a bid was excluded for multiple reasons, and poor payment practices is one of the tracked reasons, please include this in the list.
Our reply
Question 1
The VMD has not excluded any bidders in the financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 to date from public procurement processes for contracts valued over £5 million per annum due to non-compliance with the prompt payment policies mentioned above.
Question 2
The VMD has not asked bidders to provide a detailed action plan outlining the steps to get back into compliance with payment performance policies mentioned above, in financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 to date
Question 3
No organisations have been excluded from central government procurement processes for contracts valued over £5 million per annum due to non-compliance with the prompt payment policies mentioned above