Client name | Issue number: x | Date of issue/revision: [date]
I’m really pleased that we’re at the stage where we’re signing contracts, as it means that we’re a great fit both professionally and personally (I like working with nice people). I am very keen to maintain this relationship, and I hope this document can help us with that.
In this contract you won’t find any complicated legal terms or long passages of unreadable text - this is not about tricking you into signing something that you might later regret. This document is confidential, and exists to protect the interests of all involved parties, to outline our responsibilities to one another, and to avoid any confusion or disappointment during and/or after our time working together.
If anything is unclear please do not hesitate to ask me any questions. It is also important to know that amendments and additions can be requested prior to signing the document.
So in short;
You ([customer name]), located at [customer address] are contracting [Company name] located at [company address] to undertake [high level work description e.g. a consultancy contract].
The initial piece of work will be on a contract rate of [day rate] per standard day, which will be carried out starting on the [date], and concluding on the [date].
Further details around this engagement are detailed below.
You: You have the authority to enter into this contract on behalf of yourself, your company or your organisation. You also agree to stick to the payment schedule set out at the end of this contract.
Me: I have the experience and ability to do everything I’ve agreed with you and I’ll do it all in a professional and timely manner. I’ll endeavour to meet every deadline that’s set and on top of that I'll maintain the confidentiality of everything you give me.
You are contracting me to work as a technical consultant on a temporary basis, [on a project for XXX]. The work, as discussed in our prior communication, will involve [things we've discussed].
The relationship between our organisations is between independent companies, and nothing contained in this agreement should be construed as establishing any partnership, joint venture, or relationship of employer and employee between us.
If at any stage you’re not happy with the direction my work is taking, you’ll pay me in full for the time I have worked until that point based on my day rate of £xxx (taking into account the deposit paid), and cancel this contract [immediately|with 7 days notice]. Likewise, if I do not believe that the work I am being asked to do matches what we had previously agreed, or if I am unhappy with the direction our engagement is taking, I also have the right to terminate our contract with the same amount of notice.
Your standard office location is at [location], and I will be located there on [dates]. For the remainder of the contract I will work remotely. Any overnight and/or overseas travel will need to be agreed in advance, and is not mandatory.
[A standard working day will be comprised of 7.5 hours, with usual office hours being between 9:30 to 18:00 with an hour for lunch, and a standard working week is Monday to Friday. I will be able to request time off during our engagement, but will not be entitled to pay for these days.]
As discussed previously, the work will consist of the following:
[table]
[dates if not included in the table]
If you desire further work to be carried out after the agreement of this contract, a separate revision will be issued to cover the specifics. For your information,
[a standard booking for any unit of work for the duration of this contract will be a minimum of a day on-site, or half a day if remote. Any remote work, queries and communications (i.e. support, emails, telephone calls) outside of the prearranged active project dates stated in this contract will be billed at a minimum of one hour, at a rate of [£xx/hour], and will need to be arranged for a date that is suitable for both parties.]
[A standard booking for any unit of work for the duration of this contract will be a minimum of half a day. Bookings for on-site meetings will include the travel time, will require a minimum of a half day charge and a suitable time for both parties will need to be arranged. Meetings of over 3.5 hours (including travel time), will be charged at full day rate.]
[Any remote work, queries and communications (i.e. support, emails, telephone calls) outside of the prearranged active project dates stated in this contract will be billed at a minimum of one hour, at a rate of [£xxx], and will need to be arranged for a date that is suitable for both parties.]
[If, after we have agreed fixed dates for the work within this contract, you later require any of those dates to be rescheduled, I hope that you appreciate that this may equate to me losing income as I can not always fill small gaps at short notice. As such, if this occurs, you agree to pay half of the agreed day rate for any days, and we shall reschedule the work for a date(s) agreeable for both parties. In addition you agree to be liable for any associated costs, such as non-refundable hotel or travel expenses that have already been paid for.]
You are hiring me on a contractual basis, [for [x] days, at [my rate] per standard day | as outlined in the schedule of work above]. In order to secure a booking for my time, a non-refundable deposit of [x%] of the total ([amount]) is required up-front, which will be invoiced and due immediately on the agreement of this contract.
[I will invoice the remainder of the outstanding balance and any additional expenses incurred (see Expenses below) on completion of the [x] days, payment of which will be due within [x] days.]
[I will send an invoice at the end of each calendar month, or on completion of my work for the month (whichever is sooner) to cover the days that I have worked, including any additional expenses incurred (see Expenses below). Payment of the invoice will be due within [on receipt/14 days/30 days].]
I'm sure you'll understand that as I am working as a small business, it is vital that the people I work for pay the invoices I send them by the due date on the invoice. Please pay in [currency] by BACS. Payment instructions will be printed on the invoice.
If the invoice goes overdue, a reminder will be sent, and I reserve the right to charge statutory interest from that point. Statutory interest will accrued for each day overdue, in accordance with UK Government late payment legislation. If the payment has not been received within 30 days of the original due date, I reserve the right to cancel any future commitments we had planned together, without penalty. My rate is subject to change, but will not change during the engagement detailed in this contract.
I will provide my own computer for standard work, with any specific software requirements that you have being discussed prior to this contract being signed. Additional requirements for software or other devices will be discussed on an ad-hoc basis.
All expenses which are related to the work being undertaken and are incurred outside of a standard agreed working pattern will be paid for by me, and will be claimed back in my invoices. This may include (but is not limited to) the following:
- Travel costs to a client meeting.
- Travel costs to other locations related to a project.
- Food and drink whilst travelling or working in a non-standard location.
- Additional software which was not specified as mandatory prior to our engagement.
Note that my expenses will not include claims for travel between my home/office and your office on the dates as agreed above. I agree that all claims will be of a professional nature.
If any provision of this contract shall be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this contract and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. I can’t guarantee that my work will be completely error-free and so I can’t be liable to you or any third-party for damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental, consequential or special damages, even if you’ve advised me of them.
When your final payment has cleared, copyright will be automatically assigned as follows:
You’ll own any documentation or digital output that I create specifically for you during our contract, within the scope of what we have agreed. You will own all source files and finished files and you should keep them somewhere safe as I am not required to keep a copy. You own all elements of text, images and data you may provide me with in the course of my work, unless someone else owns them.
I would love to show off our work and share what we’ve learned with other people, so I may reference on my website and link to any project I may have worked on during this engagement, or write about them on other websites, in magazine articles and in books, or to speak about them at events. I will be sensitive and considerate about what I share, and it will be in line with any confidentiality arrangements that we have agreed.
Unfortunately you can’t transfer this contract to anyone else without my permission. A revised version of this contract, or an additional schedule of work, will be issued for potential future engagements. If for some reason one part of this contract becomes invalid or unenforceable, the remaining parts of it remain in place.
Although the language is simple, the intentions are serious and this contract is a legal document under exclusive jurisdiction of UK courts.
I look forward to us working together.
[signature]
Signed by and on behalf of [company name] Date: [date]
Signed by and on behalf of [customer name] Date: [date]
Everyone should sign above and keep a copy for their records.