Prompt payment to contractors and suppliers is vital to the
stability of the construction industry – an industry that
contributes significantly to the strength of the Australian
economy.
Suppliers of plant and equipment, whether by sale or hire, are
important in the delivery of construction projects.
While levels of construction activity remain high, the
Australian Financial Review on 4 November 2019 reported on a survey
by McGrathNicol Advisory, which revealed that engineering and
construction companies are taking an average of 3 months to pay
suppliers.
What's more, while Australian companies overall are paying
creditors 2.9 days faster in 2018-19 than they did a year earlier
(for an average of 63.5 days), engineering and construction
companies are taking 12.4 days longer to pay (up to 87.6 days).