SMITH AND ROPER ARCHITECTS AND SURVEYORS TERMS & CONDITIONS

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Fees

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Fees will be calculated as set out in our fee proposal letter – generally a percentage of the construction cost, a lump sum, or an hourly rate. Additional services will be charged at an hourly rate or as otherwise agreed. VAT will be added at the current rate. Unless specified otherwise it should be assumed that all fees, budget costs etc are quoted exclusive of VAT.

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Our current hourly rates are £95/hour for Partner/AABC Accredited Architect, £80/hour for Associate Architect/Building Surveyor, £60/hour for Architectural Assistant /Technician and £50.00 for Student/Junior. Please note that these figures are renewed annually.

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If the scope of work increases within a stage, we will agree any revisions to our fee projections with you before proceeding.

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Should a project be cancelled,  we reserve the right to calculate and charge Architectural fees in accordance with hours logged on the project up to the date we are requested to cease work. This figure will not exceed the full value of the fees quoted for that stage of the project. Our time will be charged at our current hourly rate.

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Where percentage fee rates apply, an estimated construction cost will be applied to invoices issued prior to completion of tender. The Awarded contract sum will then be applied and fees re-calculated accordingly through to completion of the project.

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Should the client choose to reduce the scale of the Project following Tender completion, this is classed as a Client change and is therefore separated from work already completed. In this instance, 70% of the Architectural fees will be applied and invoiced for works already completed up to the end of RIBA stage 4 ( using the lowest tender received) and the final 30% of Architectural fees will be calculated on the new reduced construction cost.

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Invoices will be submitted monthly wherever possible. When on site, Invoices will be submitted in line with Contractor Interim payments.

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We will ask you to sign off the design at regular stages during the works. Any significant design changes made after these sign offs may incur additional fees. Note that such changes might invalidate previous planning or building regulations consents.

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Exclusions

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Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors fees do not include expenses (unless specifically negotiated otherwise), VAT, local authority and other fees associated with the project, nor fees for other consultants.

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Expenses

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Reasonable expenses such as travel and printing will be included in the declared fee.

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Disbursements

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Disbursements such as local authority fees will be paid directly by the client.

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Payment

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Invoices will be submitted monthly or as otherwise stated in our fee proposal letter. All fees are payable within 14 days of the issue of our invoice. We reserve our statutory right to charge interest at 8% above base rate on late payments and compensation for debt recovery costs under late payment legislation.

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Appointment

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Our Appointment will be in accordance with one of the following RIBA forms of Appointment: RIBA Standard Agreement 2012: Architect, RIBA Concise Agreement 2012: Architect, RIBA Domestic Project 2012: Architect (with 2015 amendment). We will agree with you the most appropriate form for your project. These forms of Appointment will set out the nature of the project, our obligations to you, your obligations to us, the services we will provide, the fees we will charge, and the terms and conditions of the Appointment. We will formalise the Appointment with you on the basis of the fee proposal letter, and any agreed adjustments, once the initial feasibility stages are completed.

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Scope of services

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The scope of our services will generally be as described in our fee proposal letter, and as itemised in the agreed Appointment Document. If additional services become necessary as the project progresses, they will be charged at an hourly rate but may be adjusted to a lump sum or additional fee percentage by prior agreement. Before commencing the additional work, we will require written confirmation of your agreement to the fee proposal.

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Professional Indemnity Insurance

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We hold professional indemnity cover sufficient for your project. The level of cover allocated to your project will be as set out in our Appointment Document.

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Other Consultants

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Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors may instruct Structural Engineers and other specialist consultants on your behalf with your approval. However, their appointment

and arrangements for payment will be made directly with you, the client. Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors will not be responsible for the quality of their work.

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Information supplied by the client

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Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors will not be responsible for any losses due to work based on dimensions, drawings or other materials supplied by the client – nor for losses due to work carried out from drawings produced by third parties.

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Information prepared by the Architect

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All drawings, documents and other information produced by Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors remain copyright of Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors.

 

All drawings, notes and documentation including electronic documents produced remain property of Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors until all fees relating to that work are paid.

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Legislation

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Any disputes arising between us are to be governed by the law of England and Wales.

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Disputes

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For private home clients: as consumers you have the right to refer any dispute between us to the courts. We will discuss alternative dispute resolution with you (arbitration, adjudication) prior to confirming the agreed dispute resolution method in the Appointment document.