Already use ADR with your customers? Offer your suppliers the same
For airlines, retailers, travel, energy, telecoms and other large businesses that already settle customer complaints through an ADR scheme or ombudsman, and for Fair Payment Code signatories.
How can a large business resolve disputes with its suppliers without going to court?
Add a Dispute Neutral clause to your purchase terms. Supplier disputes up to £75,000 are then decided by an independent lawyer on the documents, with a binding decision within 10 business days of the matter being ready, for a fixed fee from £650 + VAT.
Disputes we decide
The supplier disputes that otherwise end up with solicitors.
Disputed invoices
A supplier invoice your team believes is wrong: work not done, not to specification or outside the order.
Service credits and deductions
Deductions for missed service levels that the supplier does not accept.
Variations and extra work
A supplier claiming for extra work your managers say was never instructed.
Rejected goods
Deliveries rejected as faulty, late or short.
Termination and exit charges
Disagreements over notice periods, minimum terms or exit fees.
Price changes
Price increases or indexation you have not agreed.
Why use Dispute Neutral
- You already accept independent decisions on customer complaints. Your suppliers usually have no equivalent: their only route is solicitors and the courts.
- The Fair Payment Code asks signatories to embed conflict-avoidance mechanisms in contract management and to resolve disputed parts of invoices within the agreed timeframe. A Dispute Neutral clause is a simple, visible way to do both.
- Fixed fee from £650 + VAT, which can be split 50:50: far less than instructing solicitors on a smaller supplier claim.
- Decided on the documents by an independent lawyer within 10 business days of the matter being ready, with no hearing.
- Private, so the supply relationship can continue.
Both businesses must agree to use Dispute Neutral, either through a clause in your terms or once the dispute has arisen. How to ask them.
Consumer ADR schemes do not cover your suppliers
Consumer ADR schemes and ombudsmen, such as those for airlines, retail, energy, telecoms and motoring, deal with complaints from consumers. They do not decide disputes between a business and its suppliers.
Dispute Neutral decides only business-to-business disputes. It is not a consumer ADR scheme and does not replace one.
- Example
- A facilities supplier claims £40,000 for extra work your site team says was never instructed. The Dispute Neutral fee is £1,500 + VAT, fixed, and can be split 50:50.
- Amount in dispute
- £40,000
- Dispute Neutral fee
- £1,500 + VATfixed; can be split 50:50
- Decision
- 10 business daysfrom when both sides’ documents are in
Settle future disputes before they start
Add our clause to your standard purchase terms and supplier agreements. Supplier disputes up to £75,000 then come to us automatically, and larger ones up to £150,000 if both sides agree once the dispute has arisen.
Questions
We already belong to a consumer ADR scheme. Is this the same thing?
No. Consumer ADR schemes and ombudsmen deal with complaints from your customers. Dispute Neutral decides disputes between businesses, such as you and your suppliers, and only those.
Does it replace our contract management or escalation process?
No. Your usual escalation steps still come first. The clause gives an independent, binding end point if a dispute cannot be settled between you.
Will our suppliers accept it?
Smaller suppliers rarely have the budget for court. A fixed-fee, binding decision gives them a fair way to be heard, and gives you a quick, final answer.
How much does it cost?
One fixed fee set by the amount in dispute: £650 + VAT up to £4,000, £900 up to £10,000, £1,200 up to £25,000 and £1,500 up to £150,000. For example, a £40,000 dispute costs £1,500 + VAT. The fee can be split 50:50.
Does the other business have to agree?
Yes. Both businesses must agree, either through a Dispute Neutral clause in your terms or once the dispute has arisen. We provide a ready-made invitation you can send, and free clauses you can add to your terms so future disputes come to us automatically.
Is the decision binding?
Yes. Both businesses sign an agreement to accept the decision before the case starts. It is final and binding except for fraud or manifest error. If it is not followed, it can be enforced; depending on the matter, by applying straight for summary judgment or serving a statutory demand.
How long does it take?
The decision is issued within 10 business days of the matter being ready, meaning both businesses have signed and uploaded their documents. There is no hearing.
Useful guides
- Add Dispute Neutral to your contractsFree clauses for your business terms, so any dispute comes straight to an independent decision.Clauses
- How to resolve a business dispute worth up to £150,000Every route compared: negotiation, mediation, binding decision, arbitration and court.Guide
- Dispute Neutral vs arbitrationBoth give a binding outcome. How they differ on cost, speed, formality and challenge.Comparison
- Late payment disputes: a faster way for SMEsWhat the new late payment laws mean, and a faster way to resolve unpaid invoices.Article
Get a binding decision in 10 business days
Fixed fees from £650 + VAT. Both businesses agree, send their documents, and an independent lawyer decides.
Prevent the next one: add our free clause to your terms of business.