Fife Council is asking suppliers to “bear with them” as a new system for the purchasing of goods and services beds in.
The council says the new online system has been designed to streamline services and make the way the council purchases goods and services more efficient. Long-term it should speed up payments and increase opportunities for suppliers.
However, as old and new systems merge and staff become familiar with new processes, the council is warning that some payments to suppliers are being delayed.
The Courier told last week how the owner of a Kirkcaldy private nursing agency accused Fife Council of withholding £150,000 in an act that has brought the agency “to its knees”. The owner blamed the new invoicing system that was brought in by Fife Council on April 1.
Now, Kirkcaldy taxi drivers who do school contracts on behalf of Fife Council have also been in touch with The Courier, over delays to thousands of pounds being paid into accounts.
One taxi driver who asked not to be named said: “All the taxis in Kirkcaldy who do school contracts haven’t been paid. We usually get paid around about the 18th of the month.
“Many have had to cancel direct debits at their banks for their bills. To some it’s not a lot of cash but we are small businesses which rely on this cash to exist.
“There was nothing wrong with the old system and this new one has been a shambles from day one of putting in the invoices.
“They should hang their heads in shame whoever was responsible for this mess.”
Another driver estimated that probably around 50% of the Kirkcaldy trade is affected, ranging from a small amount of cash to a couple of thousands being owed.
The taxi driver said: “The system that was used was perfect and there was hardly any issues ever. This new system has been a nightmare from the start with no consultation and the actual process they are trying to use is complicated and irrelevant.
“They have not been informing anybody about what’s happening with the payments and are ignoring phone calls and emails.”
As Fife council confirmed that it was in discussion with taxi firms to resolve the issues, Fife Council’s head of revenue and exchequer services Eileen Rowand said: “A great deal of preparation has gone into the delivery of this new system which is a massive change for the way we work.
“However, as with any new system, there will be teething problems and we are asking our suppliers to bear with us while we catch up with a backlog of payments.
“Extra staff have been drafted in to help process outstanding invoices and this is currently our top priority. Our relationship with our suppliers is extremely important to us and we’ll be taking care of any direct costs incurred as a consequence of our late payment.”
The council is experiencing high levels of calls on this issue and it is taking steps to create more capacity on its phone lines.
Eileen added: “If you are trying to get in touch please be patient as we are doing our best to deal with the issue. Please call Accounts Payable if your issue is urgent.
“Otherwise please contact us on invoices.accountspayable@fife.gov.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”