CARILLION – WHERE DO SUB-CONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS STAND? - MLP Law

CARILLION – WHERE DO SUB-CONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS STAND?

  • Insolvency & Corporate Recovery
  • 20th Apr 2018

On 15 January 2018, winding up orders were made against Carillion Plc and associated companies. The court appointed the Official Receiver as the liquidator, with PwC being appointed as special managers to assist the Official Receiver carry out his duties. The Official Receiver and special managers have determined with customers which contracts they wish to […]

By Stephen Attree

MLP Law

On 15 January 2018, winding up orders were made against Carillion Plc and associated companies. The court appointed the Official Receiver as the liquidator, with PwC being appointed as special managers to assist the Official Receiver carry out his duties.

The Official Receiver and special managers have determined with customers which contracts they wish to continue purchasing.  The demise of Carillion attracted much press attention as a result of its relationship with Government.  Government contracts with Carillion included services for hospitals, schools, prisons and transport. Carillion delivered around 450 contracts with government, representing 38% of Carillion’s 2016 reported revenue.

Goods and services supplied with the Official Receiver’s agreement following the liquidation of Carillion will be paid in full.  However, sub-contractor and suppliers to Carillion who are owed monies will rank as unsecured creditors in the liquidation of Carillion and must lodge a claim in the liquidation.  Unsecured creditors will share equally any available assets or any proceeds from the sale of any of those assets, in proportion to the debts due to each creditor and will almost certainly not recover in full amounts due to them.  This will place considerable strain on the businesses of those sub-contractor and suppliers.

Further, such sub-contractors and suppliers will still be liable to make payment to their sub-sub-contractors and sub-suppliers with the result that they will be out of pocket if such sub-sub-contractors and sub-suppliers insist on payment.  Further, sub-contractors and suppliers will have the costs of wages and other costs to bear in the normal way.

The dust is still settling on the liquidation of Carillion and it remains to be seen whether there will be a barrage of claims for payment at the sub-sub-contractor and sub-supplier level and whether there will be an unfortunate ripple effect of insolvency down the contractual chain.

Any sub-contractors and/or suppliers concerned about their position should seek urgent advice as to their exposure to ensure that they are not trading whilst insolvent and to seek to protect their position.

If you would like to discuss your position or anything raised above, please contact Paul Donnelly on 0161 926 1507.

 

About the expert

Stephen Attree

Managing Partner

Stephen is the Owner of MLP Law and leads our Commercial, IP and Dispute Resolution teams which provide advice on all aspects of the law relating to mergers, acquisitions, financing, re-structuring, complex commercial contracts, standard trading terms, share options, shareholder and partnership agreements, commercial dispute resolution, joint venture and partnering arrangements, IT and Technology law, Intellectual Property, EU and competition law, Brexit and GDPR.

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