Consultancy Terms and Conditions
Consultancy Terms and Conditions
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully. All contracts that the Consultant may
enter into from time to time for the provision of [consultancy services] shall be governed by
these Terms and Conditions, and the Consultant will ask the Client for the Client's express
written acceptance of these Terms and Conditions before providing any [consultancy
services] to the Client.
1. Definitions
1.1 In these Terms and Conditions[, except to the extent expressly provided otherwise]:
"Charges" means:
(a) [the charges and other payable amounts specified in Section 7 of the Statement
of Work and elsewhere in these Terms and Conditions];
(c) [such other charges and payable amounts as may be agreed in writing by the
parties from time to time];
"Client" means the person or entity identified as such in Section 1 of the Statement of
Work;
"Client Materials" means [all works and materials supplied by or on behalf of the
Client to the Consultant for incorporation into the Deliverables or for some other use in
connection with the Services];
"Contract" means a particular contract made under these Terms and Conditions
between the Consultant and the Client;
"Term" means [the term of the Contract, commencing in accordance with Clause 3.1
and ending in accordance with Clause 3.2];
"Terms and Conditions" means all the documentation containing the provisions of
the Contract, namely the main body of these Terms and Conditions and the Statement
of Work, including any amendments to that documentation from time to time; and
"Third Party Materials" means the works and/or materials comprised in the
Deliverables (excluding the Client Materials), the Intellectual Property Rights in which
are owned by a third party[, and which are specified in Section 4 of the Statement of
Work or which the parties agree in writing shall be incorporated into the Deliverables].
2. Credit
2.1 This document was created using a template from Docular (https://docular.net).
You must retain the above credit. Use of this document without the credit is an infringement
of copyright. However, you can purchase from us an equivalent document that does not
include the credit.
3. Term
3.1 The Contract shall come into force upon the Effective Date.
3.3 Unless the parties expressly agree otherwise in writing, each Statement of Work shall
create a distinct contract under these Terms and Conditions.
4. Services
4.1 The Consultant shall provide the Services to the Client in accordance with these Terms
and Conditions.
4.2 The Consultant shall provide the Services [with reasonable skill and care] OR [in
accordance with the standards of skill and care reasonably expected from a leading
service provider in the Consultant's industry] OR [[specify standard(s)]].
5. Deliverables
5.2 The Client must promptly, following receipt of a written request from the Consultant to
do so, provide written feedback to the Consultant concerning the Consultant's
proposals, plans, designs and/or preparatory materials relating to the Deliverables and
made available to the Client with that written request.
5.3 The Consultant shall [ensure] OR [use its best endeavours to ensure] OR [use
reasonable endeavours to ensure] that the Deliverables are delivered to the Client in
accordance with the timetable set out in Section 5 of the Statement of Work[ or agreed
by the parties in writing].
(a) [the Deliverables will conform with the requirements of Section 4 of the
Statement of Work[ as at the date of delivery of the Deliverables]];
(c) [[the Deliverables] OR [the Deliverables when used by the Client in accordance
with these Terms and Conditions] will not infringe the Intellectual Property
Rights[ or other legal rights] of any person[, and will not breach [the provisions
of any law, statute or regulation],] in [any jurisdiction and under any applicable
law]].
6. Licence
6.1 The Consultant hereby grants to the Client [a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual and
irrevocable] licence to [copy, store, distribute, publish, adapt, edit and otherwise use]
the Deliverables[ (excluding [the Third Party Materials and the Client Materials])][ for
the following purposes: [identify purposes]].
7. Charges
7.1 The Client shall pay the Charges to the Consultant in accordance with these Terms and
Conditions.
7.2 All amounts stated in or in relation to these Terms and Conditions are, unless the
context requires otherwise, stated [inclusive of any applicable value added taxes] OR
[exclusive of any applicable value added taxes, which will be added to those amounts
and payable by the Client to the Consultant].
8. Payments
8.1 The Consultant shall issue invoices for the Charges to the Client [from time to time
during the Term] OR [on or after the invoicing dates set out in Section 7 of the
Statement of Work] OR [at any time after the relevant Services have been delivered to
the Client] OR [in advance of the delivery of the relevant Services to the Client].
8.2 The Client must pay the Charges to the Consultant within the period of [30 days]
following [the issue of an invoice in accordance with this Clause 8] OR [the receipt of
an invoice issued in accordance with this Clause 8].
8.3 The Client must pay the Charges by [debit card, credit card, direct debit or bank
transfer] (using such payment details as are notified by the Consultant to the Client
from time to time).
8.4 If the Client does not pay any amount properly due to the Consultant under these
Terms and Conditions, the Consultant may:
(a) charge the Client interest on the overdue amount at the rate of [8% per annum
above the Bank of England base rate from time to time] (which interest will
accrue daily until the date of actual payment and be compounded at the end of
each calendar month); or
(b) claim interest and statutory compensation from the Client pursuant to the Late
Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
9. Warranties
(a) [the Consultant has the legal right and authority to enter into the Contract and
to perform its obligations under these Terms and Conditions];
(b) [the Consultant will comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements
applying to the exercise of the Consultant's rights and the fulfilment of the
Consultant's obligations under these Terms and Conditions]; and
(c) [the Consultant has or has access to all necessary know-how, expertise and
experience to perform its obligations under these Terms and Conditions].
9.2 The Client warrants to the Consultant that it has the legal right and authority to enter
into the Contract and to perform its obligations under these Terms and Conditions.
9.3 All of the parties' warranties and representations in respect of the subject matter of
the Contract are expressly set out in these Terms and Conditions and the applicable
Statement of Work. Subject to Clause 10.1, no other warranties or representations will
be implied into the Contract and no other warranties or representations relating to the
subject matter of the Contract will be implied into any other contract.
(a) limit or exclude any liability for death or personal injury resulting from
negligence;
(c) limit any liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or
(d) exclude any liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.
10.2 The limitations and exclusions of liability set out in this Clause 10 and elsewhere in
these Terms and Conditions:
10.3 [Neither party shall be liable to the other party] OR [The Consultant shall not be liable
to the Client] OR [The Client shall not be liable to the Consultant] in respect of any loss
of profits or anticipated savings.
10.4 [Neither party shall be liable to the other party] OR [The Consultant shall not be liable
to the Client] OR [The Client shall not be liable to the Consultant] in respect of any loss
of revenue or income.
10.5 [Neither party shall be liable to the other party] OR [The Consultant shall not be liable
to the Client] OR [The Client shall not be liable to the Consultant] in respect of any loss
of use or production.
10.6 [Neither party shall be liable to the other party] OR [The Consultant shall not be liable
to the Client] OR [The Client shall not be liable to the Consultant] in respect of any loss
of business, contracts or opportunities.
10.7 [Neither party shall be liable to the other party] OR [The Consultant shall not be liable
to the Client] OR [The Client shall not be liable to the Consultant] in respect of any loss
or corruption of any data, database or software.
10.8 [Neither party shall be liable to the other party] OR [The Consultant shall not be liable
to the Client] OR [The Client shall not be liable to the Consultant] in respect of any
special, indirect or consequential loss or damage.
11. Termination
11.1 The Consultant may terminate the Contract by giving to the Client [not less than 30
days'] written notice of termination[, expiring [at the end of any [calendar month]] OR
[after the end of the Minimum Term]]. The Client may terminate the Contract by giving
to the Consultant [not less than 30 days'] written notice of termination[, expiring [at
the end of any [calendar month]] OR [after the end of the Minimum Term]].
OR
11.1 Either party may terminate the Contract by giving to the other party [not less than 30
days'] written notice of termination[, expiring [at the end of any [calendar month]] OR
[after the end of the Minimum Term]].
11.2 Either party may terminate the Contract immediately by giving written notice of
termination to the other party if:
(a) the other party commits any [breach] OR [material breach] of the Contract[, and
the breach is not remediable];
(b) [the other party commits a [breach] OR [material breach] of the Contract, and
the breach is remediable but the other party fails to remedy the breach within
the period of [30 days] following the giving of a written notice to the other party
requiring the breach to be remedied]; or
(c) [the other party persistently breaches the Contract (irrespective of whether such
breaches collectively constitute a material breach)].
11.3 Subject to applicable law, either party may terminate the Contract immediately by
giving written notice of termination to the other party if:
(i) is dissolved;
(c) an order is made for the winding up of the other party, or the other party passes
a resolution for its winding up[ (other than for the purpose of a solvent company
reorganisation where the resulting entity will assume all the obligations of the
other party under the Contract)]; or
(i) that other party becomes incapable of managing his or her own affairs as
a result of illness or incapacity; or
and if that other party dies then the Contract shall automatically terminate].
11.4 The Consultant may terminate the Contract immediately by giving written notice to
the Client if:
(a) any amount due to be paid by the Client to the Consultant under the Contract is
unpaid by the due date and remains unpaid upon the date that that written
notice of termination is given; and
(b) the Consultant has given to the Client at least [30 days'] written notice, following
the failure to pay, of its intention to terminate the Contract in accordance with
this Clause 11.4.
12.1 Upon the termination of the Contract, all of the provisions of these Terms and
Conditions shall cease to have effect, save that the following provisions of these Terms
and Conditions shall survive and continue to have effect (in accordance with their
express terms or otherwise indefinitely): [Clauses 1, 6, 8.2, 8.4, 10, 12, 13.2 and 15].
12.2 Except to the extent expressly provided otherwise in these Terms and Conditions, the
termination of the Contract shall not affect the accrued rights of either party.
13.1 The Consultant is not an employee of the Client, but an independent contractor.
13.2 The termination of the Contract will not constitute unfair dismissal; nor will the
Consultant be entitled to any compensation payments, redundancy payments or
similar payments upon the termination of the Contract.
14. Subcontracting
14.1 The Consultant must not subcontract any of its obligations under the Contract without
the prior written consent of the Client[, providing that the Client must not
unreasonably withhold or delay the giving of such consent].
OR
14.1 Subject to any express restrictions elsewhere in these Terms and Conditions, the
Consultant may subcontract any of its obligations under the Contract[, providing that
the Consultant must give to the Client, promptly following the appointment of a
subcontractor, a written notice specifying the subcontracted obligations and
identifying the subcontractor in question].
14.2 The Consultant shall remain responsible to the Client for the performance of any
subcontracted obligations.
15. General
15.1 No breach of any provision of the Contract shall be waived except with the express
written consent of the party not in breach.
15.2 If any provision of the Contract is determined by any court or other competent
authority to be unlawful and/or unenforceable, the other provisions of the Contract will
continue in effect. If any unlawful and/or unenforceable provision would be lawful or
enforceable if part of it were deleted, that part will be deemed to be deleted, and the
rest of the provision will continue in effect (unless that would contradict the clear
intention of the parties, in which case the entirety of the relevant provision will be
deemed to be deleted).
15.3 The Contract may not be varied except by a written document signed by or on behalf
of each of the parties.
15.4 Neither party may without the prior written consent of the other party assign, transfer,
charge, license or otherwise deal in or dispose of any contractual rights or obligations
under these Terms and Conditions.
15.5 The Contract is made for the benefit of the parties and is not intended to benefit any
third party or be enforceable by any third party. The rights of the parties to terminate,
rescind, or agree any amendment, waiver, variation or settlement under or relating to
the Contract are not subject to the consent of any third party.
15.6 Subject to Clause 10.1, these Terms and Conditions shall constitute the entire
agreement between the parties in relation to the subject matter of these Terms and
Conditions, and shall supersede all previous agreements, arrangements and
understandings between the parties in respect of that subject matter.
15.7 The Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with [English law].
15.8 The courts of [England] shall have exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate any dispute
arising under or in connection with the Contract.
STATEMENT OF WORK
1. Client details
2. Minimum Term
3. Specification of Services
[Specify Services]
4. Specification of Deliverables
[Specify Deliverables]
5. Timetable
[Insert timetable]
6. Client Materials
7. Financial provisions
8. Contractual notices
By signing below the parties have indicated their acceptance of this Statement of Work
together with the terms and conditions attached to this Statement of Work[, providing that if
there are no terms and conditions attached to this Statement of Work, the parties agree that
this Statement of Work shall be governed by [the terms and conditions most recently agreed
by the parties in writing]].
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Free consultancy terms and conditions: drafting notes
This is a short-form consultancy T&Cs document, which can be used free of charge if you
retain the Docular credit.
The template includes provisions relating to the services to be provided, the supply of
deliverables, the licensing of rights in the deliverables to the client, the charges payable by
the client, the status of the consultant, subcontracting, and much else besides.
The particulars of each contract should be set out in a distinct statement of work, and a
skeleton for this document is provided with the template.
This T&Cs document contains the same substantive provisions as the free consultancy
agreement document; only the form is different.
If you wish to use this document without the Docular credit, you can purchase a licence to
do so; credit aside, the document is identical to the consultancy terms and conditions (basic)
that we publish.
• What subject matter will be exclusively governed by contracts made under this
document?
Clause 1: Definitions
Clause 1.1
Definition of Charges
• Will all the services be subject to time-based charging, or only some of the services?
Definition of Consultant
• What type of thing are the deliverables (e.g. written reports, software programs,
graphical works)?
Definition of Term
• Define "Term", the period during which the contract will subsist.
• Must all third party materials incorporated into the deliverables be specifically
identified in the specification of the deliverables or included subject to the parties'
agreement?
Clause 2: Credit
Optional element. Although you need to retain the credit, you should remove the inline
copyright warning from this document before use.
Clause 3: Term
Clause 3.2
• Is the term of the document indefinite, or will it automatically come to an end after all
services and deliverables have been provided and all amounts due have been paid?
Clause 4: Services
Clause 4.2
Clause 5: Deliverables
Optional element.
Clause 5.2
Optional element.
Clause 5.3
Optional element.
• Is the obligation to supply deliverables in accordance with the agreed timetable: (i)
absolute; or (ii) an obligation to use best endeavours; or (iii) an obligation to use
reasonable endeavours?
Clause 5.4
Optional element.
• What warranties will the Consultant give to the Client in relation to the deliverables?
• Should the warranty of conformity only apply at the date of delivery of the
deliverables?
• What sort of defects does the Consultant warrant the deliverables will be free from?
• Will this warranty extend to legal rights other than intellectual property rights?
• What (if any) jurisdictional limitations and applicable law limitations should apply to
these warranties?
Clause 6: Licence
Optional element.
Clause 6.1
• Do any rights in the deliverables need to be carved out from the licence (e.g. rights in
third party materials)?
• Will the licence be limited by reference to the purposes for which the deliverables
may be used?
• The rights in which elements of the deliverables should be carved out from the
licence?
Clause 7: Charges
Clause 7.2
Optional element.
Clause 8.1
Clause 8.2
Clause 8.3
Optional element.
Clause 8.4
Optional element.
Clause 9: Warranties
Optional element.
Clause 9.1
Optional element.
Clause 9.2
Optional element.
Contractual limitations and exclusions of liability are regulated and controlled by law, and
the courts may rule that particular limitations and exclusions of liability in contracts are
unenforceable.
The courts are particularly likely to intervene where a party is seeking to rely on a limitation
or exclusion of liability in its standard terms and conditions, but will also sometimes
intervene where a term has been individually negotiated. The courts may be more likely to
rule that provisions excluding liability, as opposed to those merely limiting liability, are
unenforceable. If there is a risk that any particular limitation or exclusion of liability will be
found to be unenforceable by the courts, that provision should be drafted as an independent
term, and be numbered separately from the other provisions. It may improve the chances of
a limitation or exclusion of liability being found to be enforceable if the party seeking to rely
upon it specifically drew it to the attention of the other party before the contract was
entered into.
Exclusions and limitations of liability in UK contracts are primarily regulated by the Unfair
Contract Terms Act 1977 ("UCTA"). Contracts regulated by UCTA cannot exclude or restrict a
party's liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence (Section 2(1), UCTA).
Except insofar as the relevant term satisfies the requirements of reasonableness, such
contracts cannot exclude or restrict liability: (i) for negligence (which includes a breach of an
express or implied contractual obligation to take reasonable care or exercise reasonable
skill) (Section 2(2), UCTA); or (ii) for misrepresentation (Section 3, Misrepresentation Act
1967).
In addition, if a contract is regulated by UCTA, and one of the parties is dealing on the
other's written standard terms of business, then except insofar as the relevant contractual
term satisfies the requirements of reasonableness the other party cannot: (i) exclude or
restrict its liability in respect of a breach of contract; or (ii) claim to be entitled to render a
contractual performance substantially different from that which was reasonably expected of
it; or (iii) claim to be entitled, in respect of the whole or any part of its contractual obligation,
to render no contractual performance at all (see Section 3, UCTA).
UCTA includes various other restrictions, particularly in the case of contracts for the sale of
goods and contracts under which possession or ownership of goods passes.
Somewhat different rules apply to limitations of liability in contracts with consumers, and
these provisions should not be used in relation to such contracts.
These guidance notes provide a very incomplete and basic overview of a complex subject.
Accordingly, you should take legal advice if you may wish to rely upon a limitation or
exclusion of liability.
Clause 10.1
Do not delete this provision (except upon legal advice). Without this provision, the specific
limitations and exclusions of liability in the document are more likely to be unenforceable.
Clause 10.3
Optional element.
Clause 10.4
Optional element.
Clause 10.5
Optional element.
Clause 10.6
Optional element.
Clause 10.7
Optional element.
Clause 10.8
Optional element.
Clause 11.1
• Must the notice of termination expire after some particular period, or on some
particular day?
• What is the notice period when the Client is giving the Consultant written notice of
termination?
• How will the limitation on the expiry of the termination notice period operate?
• In what way will the Client's right to terminate for convenience be restricted?
Clause 11.1
• Must the notice of termination expire after some particular period, or on some
particular day?
• How will the limitation on the expiry of the termination notice period operate?
Clause 11.2
• Will all breaches, or only material breaches, give rise to a right of termination?
• What is the remediation period here?
• Should each party have a right to terminate if the other party is persistently in breach
of contract, even where there has been no material breach?
Clause 11.3
Depending upon the status of the parties, the circumstances of the termination and the
applicable law, some of the rights to terminate set out here may be unenforceable.
• Will the winding up of a party as part of a solvent company reorganisation give rise to
a right of termination for the other party?
Clause 11.4
Optional element.
Optional element.
Clause 13.2
Optional element.
Optional element.
Clause 14.1
Clause 14.1
Clause 15.1
Optional element.
Clause 15.2
Optional element.
Clause 15.3
Optional element.
This is intended to prevent, for example, one party wrongfully claiming that a term of the
contract was changed in a telephone call.
Clause 15.4
Optional element.
Clause 15.5
Optional element.
This provision is designed to exclude any rights a third party may have under the Contracts
(Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
Clause 15.6
Optional element.
Clause 15.7
This template has been drafted to work in the English law context. If you plan to change the
governing law, you should have the document reviewed by someone with expertise in the
law of the relevant jurisdiction.
Clause 15.8
Optional element.
As a practical matter, it makes sense for the courts with expertise in the relevant law to
have the right to adjudicate disputes. Where one of the parties is outside England (or at
least the UK), you may want to grant the courts of their home jurisdiction the right to
adjudicate disputes, as this could ease enforcement in some circumstances.
• The courts of which jurisdiction will have the exclusive right to adjudicate disputes
relating to the document (subject to applicable law)?
STATEMENT OF WORK
Section 1: Client details
Optional element.
Optional element.
Section 5: Timetable
Optional element.
Optional element.
Optional element.
• Add the full name of the person who will sign the document on behalf of the Client.