SHERWOOD OAK CONSULTING
CONFIDENTIALITY & RIGHTS
- Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited and associates shall keep any work undertaken confidential and not use it for personal gain or promotion without written consent of the Client.
- The business affairs of the Client shall not be discussed or disclosed to any third parties without prior written permission from the Client.
- The Client will be the legal owner and will hold intellectual copyright of all work undertaken by Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited or her associates.
- All images supplied by the client remain their responsibility, with regards to obtaining rights for use. All images supplied by Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited or her associates will be sourced with permission.
PAYMENTS & BILLING
- Initial twenty-minute consultation by Teams or telephone is complimentary.
- Final proofreading and checking of all work supplied is the responsibility of the client.
- The Client understands Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited or her associate’s estimated time and cost for completing the Work is an informal calculation and that any adjustments to the amount of work, schedule and/or the number of hours and fees is subject to review and renegotiation with the Client when necessary.
- Any errors must be reported within two (2) days of receipt of completed work. Errors generated by Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited or her associates will be rectified free of charge, but amendments or alterations requested by the client thereafter will be charged at the standard hourly rate.
- If, however, on receipt of the item to be worked on or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief, Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.
- Similarly, if, during the term of Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited’s work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.
- Should ongoing project work be suspended or delayed through any default of the client, Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited shall be entitled to immediate payment for work already carried out and expenses incurred.
- An agreement, in writing or by email, of a set number of hours a week or month may not be carried over to subsequent periods by the client, without prior written agreement from both parties.
- If the project is based on an hourly rate, then a minimum invoice amount is for one hour and the hourly rate is then billed in increments of 30 minutes, with time rounded up to the nearest half of an hour.
- Clients will be invoiced either after an individual assignment is completed or on an ongoing monthly basis.
- First time clients will initially be invoiced in advance of work commencing. All subsequent work will be invoiced will be at the end of every calendar month.
- Invoices are to be settled within seven (7) days upon the delivery unless otherwise agreed. The final invoice shall include billable time, reimbursable expenses, and any other fees related to the Work.
- Unpaid bills will incur interest, as per government guidelines. It is at Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited’s discretion whether work continues after a bill remains unpaid beyond my 7 day payment period.
- Billable time includes meetings and calls outside of contracted hours, and includes the writing and/or reading of correspondence sent by mail or email.
- A time report will be provided with the invoice unless the client requests otherwise.
- All postage, printing and other stationery expenses bought on behalf of the Client’s business will be added to the invoice for reimbursement.
- Payment to be made by bank transfer.
- Once an invoice becomes overdue, no further work will be undertaken.
- Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 / GDPR, the Client and the Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited or her associates may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.
- Either the Client, Sherwood Oak Consulting – Virtual Assistant Limited or her associates have the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms.
I PROMISE
- to conduct your business affairs in a professional manner and avoid behaviour that could bring your business and reputation into disrepute.
- to conduct my business affairs based on sound, ethical principles and will communicate fairly and honestly with your clients, associates, employees and suppliers.
- to make an honest representation of my skills, experience and qualifications at all times.
- to respect the confidentiality of your personal and business practices and recognise your ownership of any intellectual copyright pertaining to your business activities.
- to strive to maintain my high professional standards by staying abreast of advances within my industry and to strive for excellence through professional improvement.
- to keep all acquired personal data safe and secure and ensure it is only used for its intended purpose, in accordance with GDPR and all regulations set by the ICO.
AN EXTRA BIT ON GDPR
While I take every step known to me and in accordance with guidance on the ICO website to keep data safe and secure I will never be fully immune to hacks, no one is.
NOTICE PERIOD
The notice period is ideally one month and in writing, but I appreciate this isn’t always possible.
BOOKKEEPING
A bookkeeper does not replace the need for an accountant. It remains the Client’s responsibility to ensure their taxes are in order and that they pay all fees due to HMRC
MY WORKING HOURS
Family and relaxation time is from 17:00 Monday to Friday and all weekend; any communication outside of these hours will normally be dealt with on the next working day unless agreed in advance.
COMMUNICATION
I prefer to receive all communication and instructions via email only.
TURNAROUND
My retained clients get priority. If you know you’ll be needing a set amount of hours every month, a specific task completed every month, or there’s a possibility any of your tasks will need my attention within two working days then a retainer package is your best option. You can retain my time, at my usual hourly rate, anything from an hour a month.