Download a PDF copy of Appendix E: Policy performance data.

Download a PDF copy of Appendix D: Agencies under the Policy.

Download a PDF copy of Appendix C: Review scope and method.

Download a PDF copy of Appendix B: Abbreviations, acronyms and glossary.

Download a PDF copy of Appendix A: Submissions and comments.

We looked at 6 agencies in detail to see how they process and pay invoices. This section contains case studies which look at the business practices that support agencies to pay their invoices on time.

Covered in this section:

We looked at 6 agencies in detail to see how they record and report their payment timeliness data. We found that agencies apply and interpret the Policy differently. This makes it difficult to compare agencies’ performance.

Covered in this section:

In 2021, the state amended the Policy. It requires agencies to pay invoices with a contract value up to $3 million in 10 business days.

In 2024–25, agencies reported collectively that they paid 81.5 per cent of invoices on time. On average, it took 10.8 calendar days to pay invoices.

But payment timeliness data collected by DJSIR and published by the VSBC is not checked. We found gaps in the collected data. Agencies also told us, on review, that some of the collected and published data is incorrect.

Covered in this section:

We made 9 recommendations to address our findings. The relevant agencies have accepted 7 recommendations and 2 recommendations in principle.

What we examined

Our review followed 2 lines of inquiry: 

1. Does the government pay its private sector suppliers according to contracted or otherwise agreed payment terms?

2. Is the data agencies provide to the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR), and published by the Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC) about their invoices, timeframes and compliance rates reliable and do entities fairly present performance publicly?