Proof of Delivery and Cash Flow: Why Clean Records Speed Up Payment in Construction
Cash flow remains one of the biggest pressure points in the construction supply chain. For many contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, the issue is not lack of work, but how long it takes to get paid for work already done.
Across the UK and Ireland, late payment has been a persistent problem in construction. Government-backed reviews and industry bodies such as Build UK and the UK Construction Leadership Council have repeatedly highlighted that disputes over valuations and supporting records are a major contributor to delayed payments — particularly further down the supply chain.
In practice, many of these delays come back to one issue: proof of delivery.
Manufacturers, suppliers, hauliers, and subcontractors regularly complete deliveries or movements, only to see invoices queried weeks later. Not because the delivery did not happen, but because the evidence is incomplete, inconsistent, or difficult to reconcile with the original order or valuation.
This is especially common on live construction sites, where:
Multiple deliveries happen each day
Access constraints lead to partial or split drops
Materials are offloaded before formal sign-off
Paper dockets are signed in poor conditions or not at all
By the time the invoice is reviewed, the delivery record may be missing, illegible, or disputed. Resolving the issue then requires emails, phone calls, and site queries — all of which extend the payment cycle.
Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) has been widely adopted in other logistics-heavy sectors to address this exact problem. The principle is simple: capture confirmation at the moment the delivery is completed, not days or weeks later. Time, location, photos, quantities, and exceptions are recorded together, creating a single, verifiable record.
In construction, the benefits are arguably even greater.
When delivery data is captured digitally at source, disputes are reduced because the record is clearer. If a delivery was partial, damaged, delayed, or refused, that information is logged immediately. Finance teams are no longer trying to interpret handwritten notes or reconstruct events after the fact. Invoices are matched against clean, structured data.
The learning here is important: proof of delivery is not just a logistics function; it is a financial control.
Hub360 embeds digital proof of delivery directly into construction workflows. Deliveries and material movements are recorded in real time, with evidence that can be accessed by site teams, commercial teams, and finance. This shortens reconciliation cycles, reduces invoice queries, and supports faster payment.
For suppliers and subcontractors, the impact is tangible:
Fewer disputed invoices
Shorter payment cycles
Less time spent chasing proof
Improved cash flow predictability
For main contractors and developers, it reduces administrative overhead and friction across the supply chain.
In an industry where margins are tight and working capital is critical, improving cash flow is not about chasing harder — it is about removing the reasons for delay. Clean, verified proof of delivery is one of the most effective places to start.