CMA publishes prompt payment data showing it paid 96% of invoices within five days and 100% within 30 days in Q1 of financial year 2026 to 2027
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its prompt payment transparency data for the first quarter of financial year 2026 to 2027, covering April to June 2026, on 28 August 2026. The data shows the CMA paid 96% of invoices within five days of receipt and 100% within 30 days during the quarter. The total amount of liability to pay recorded for the quarter is listed as £0.00, reflecting the CMA's status as a public body reporting its own internal payment performance rather than outstanding commercial liabilities. The publication is part of the CMA's ongoing transparency obligations, under which it reports quarterly on how promptly it settles supplier invoices. The data is subject to revision as further invoices are received and processed. While the headline figures reflect positively on the CMA's internal payment practice, the publication is primarily of interest as a governance and transparency disclosure rather than as a market-moving event. The CMA simultaneously published related transparency data covering workforce management information for July 2026 and senior officials' business expenses for Q4 of financial year 2025 to 2026.
Why this matters
Prompt payment reporting by public bodies is a governance requirement designed to support the cash flow of small and medium-sized enterprises that supply services to government and regulators. For the CMA specifically, maintaining strong payment performance matters both as a matter of public accountability and as an example to the businesses it regulates, given that the CMA has enforcement powers in relation to unfair commercial practices. The 100% within-30-days figure is the relevant benchmark against which government departments are assessed. The story has limited market significance but demonstrates the CMA's ongoing commitment to its own transparency obligations.
On the Ground
The publication itself generates little direct legal work. However, for firms advising clients on public procurement, supplier contracts with government bodies, and compliance with prompt payment obligations, understanding how regulators themselves perform against these standards is useful background. A trainee working on a public procurement or government contracting matter would review regulatory filing disclosures of this type as part of due diligence on the counterparty's payment practices.
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