Naomi joined the discussion with quality scores from the twelve-shop assessment. "We said we wanted good work," she told Peter. "But our payment terms may be selecting for who can lend us money. Those are not the same thing." Peter ran a hand through his hair. "If we move everyone to faster terms, we're giving up millions in cash flexibility as this program scales."
"Then measure the cost of that decision too," Victoria said from the doorway. She had been walking past when she heard voices rise and stopped because she recognized an argument worth listening to. Peter straightened a folder, perhaps wishing the CEO had continued down the hall. Victoria took a seat and asked to see the existing policy, the independent vendor scores, and the cash-flow example without being told which shop had supplied it.
The numbers held her attention. Caine Mobility had become strong enough to wait sixty days for many payments, but most of its small suppliers had not. An invoice worth four thousand dollars could be minor to Peter's department and the difference between making payroll and missing it to a business with four employees. By delaying payments, the company was effectively borrowing liquidity from businesses least able to provide it.
"What do our bad-debt and late-service costs look like?" Victoria asked. Peter pulled up the existing report. It separated cost overruns, service delays, vendor failures, and disputed invoices into different categories, so the total effect of strained suppliers was difficult to see.
Victoria stared at the display for a moment. "We can tell exactly how much cash we hold by waiting," she said. "We can't tell how much we spend dealing with the businesses that waiting breaks."
She did not order an immediate change that afternoon. Instead, she asked Peter and Daniela to model fifteen-day payments for qualified small vendors, including fraud controls and the administrative expense of processing more frequent invoices. She wanted the model to distinguish between suppliers who delivered validated services and those whose invoices remained genuinely disputed. "Don't make the answer yes because I asked," she told them. "Make it accurate enough that we can decide."
The proposed contract for Ethan was placed on hold for a week while the payment question was reviewed. When Daniela explained the delay, he felt the familiar sinking sensation of an opportunity slipping away just as he reached for it. "Did I ruin it by asking?" he said before he could stop himself.
"No," Daniela replied firmly. "You identified a problem we need to solve. That isn't the same thing."
Ethan wanted to believe her, but there was a difference between a corporation saying it appreciated honesty and a corporation accepting the consequences of that honesty. He went back to work and made sure his other customers did not suffer while he waited. The repair shop still had rent, parts invoices, and a lender who was becoming less patient. Whatever happened with the contract, the vehicles already in his bays deserved to leave safely.