Early Payment Service
Framework Description
NEPO521 Early Payment Service is NEPO's arrangement with Oxygen Finance for public sector early payment programmes. Councils and other public bodies run a scheme in which suppliers can choose to be paid early on approved invoices, while the buyer saves money and processes invoices faster. It is a single-lot framework, not a DPS, running to 30 April 2028 with no extension listed.
Context & Use Case
Finance teams in councils and other public bodies use NEPO521 to set up and run an early payment programme with Oxygen Finance, a specialist business-to-business payments provider, which supports implementation and ongoing management. The service has run since 1 May 2020. Suppliers get paid sooner, which helps during difficult trading periods, and the benefit can pass down each tier of the supply chain.
Scope of Services
Early payment programme for public sector buyers Delivered in partnership with Oxygen Finance Faster payment of approved supplier invoices Savings and efficiency for the buying organisation
Lots
Single lot
Who Can Apply
This is a single-provider arrangement delivered with Oxygen Finance, so other payment providers cannot join it while it runs to 30 April 2028. For most suppliers the relevance is different: if a council you supply uses the programme, you may be able to sign up to receive early payment.
Buyer Benefits
Buyers gain purchase-to-pay efficiencies, lower processing costs and predictable income and savings, while showing suppliers, especially SMEs, that they pay promptly. The programme can be adapted to different spend categories and supplier profiles, supports social value goals, and comes through a NEPO arrangement, so there is no separate procurement for a specialist service.
Next Steps
Payment providers interested in this market should plan for the re-procurement ahead of 30 April 2028 and build public sector case studies. Suppliers to public bodies should ask their customers' finance teams whether they run an early payment programme, how to enrol, and what the terms are, then decide whether faster cash is worth it.
How Athena Can Help
Few suppliers will bid to replace this arrangement, but payment and finance providers that do will need a strong case. Athena's bid management service can build that bid, from win themes to a Bid Health Check, and our bid/no-bid tools can test whether the opportunity is right for you before you commit.
For businesses supplying councils, our framework search and selection finds the frameworks where your services are bought, so early payment becomes one of several benefits of winning public work.
