Small Business Commissioner
Small Business Commissioner
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) is an independent public body appointed by the government to tackle late payment and poor payment practice in the private sector of the UK.
The Small Business Commissioner operates a complaints scheme where he can investigate complaints from Small Businesses (a company with less than 50 employees) who are experiencing payment issues with larger business (a company with more than 50 employees) and make non legally binding recommendations for the resolution of payment disputes.
Where the Commissioner considers it appropriate, he may publish a report about the circumstances of the complaint. This may include the identification of the parties involved in the complaint.
There are specific rules in relation to the types of complaint the Commissioner can assist with. These include the complaint must relate to late or non-payment by a larger business to a smaller business, the dispute must not be contractual and the dispute must not be subject to or have been previously determined via the court process. However, where complaints fall outside the legal scope of the Commissioners complaint scheme, he will still do as much as he can to resolve the dispute including signpost to relevant alternative existing support and dispute resolution services.
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner can also assist small businesses by checking contracts and providing advice on getting invoices right. They are independent but appointed by government, impartial and free to use on a non-risk basis.