I want us to work together in a professional and mutually respectful manner. The following clarifies how I work, what you can expect from me, what I need from you and how we can reach a resolution in the unlikely event of a disagreement or difference of opinion. I’ll ask you to confirm that you’ve read and understood these terms & conditions before we begin working together.

Making contact for the first time
Whether we first meet socially or professionally, it’s important that we establish a business relationship from the outset. This means that we’ll need to be clear and upfront about rates and expectations. Then, if we choose to work together, we’ll have to sort out some basics. For example, before I begin, please can you let me know about:

• Your invoicing process. Who do I send my invoices to? Do I need to send a copy to a billing email address?
• Your internal systems. Do you use project codes, job numbers and/or PO numbers? If so, how do I get hold of these? Will I need to provide timesheets? Please supply me with a blank template at the time of briefing.
• Any internal processes that could delay payment if not adhered to.

In turn I’ll provide you with a new supplier form. This will contain:

• My full contact details. Name and registered address, phone number, email address.
• My bank details. Including BIC and IBAN numbers.
• My registered company name, company number, date of incorporation, VAT registration number and standard VAT rate charged.

On request I can also provide proof of my professional indemnity and public and products liability/employers’ liability insurance.

Working together

Booking my time
I work on a “first come, first served” basis so would encourage you to discuss potential projects with me as early as possible. To request my time, please use my booking calendar where you can see my availability and book me directly. If you’re not ready to confirm dates, but would like to hold some time, please make this clear on the online form. I’ll do my best to give you first option to confirm if another client approaches me for the same days. Please note that once a booking has been confirmed, I will have to charge for late cancellations (see later).

Quotes
To be able to provide you with a quote, I’ll need an email with the scope of work clearly laid out. This should be supported by a phone call (you can book a complimentary half-hour introduction call). I’ll then email you a quote, in GBP, based on what’s written in the brief. Of course, life isn’t always that straightforward. I know things change. If they do, I’ll ask you to revise your scope of work and I’ll update my quote. Quotes are valid for 30 days and must be approved in writing.

Briefing call
At the beginning of day one of your booking, please arrange for a briefing call via Zoom/Teams. This will be in addition to a written brief. If you don’t already have a copy brief template, I’m happy to supply you with one. If, for any reason, you need to brief me in advance of your booking, or you need me to prepare anything for the call, I will charge you on a pro rata basis.

Rates
I usually charge by the day (rate to be discussed) but will consider half day and hourly rates if the job doesn’t justify a full day. Weekend/Bank Holiday work is charged at double time.

My payment terms are 30 days. A daily statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate will be charged on late payments.

New clients
If we’re working together for the first time, I need 50% of the invoice to be paid before I begin work. The remaining 50% will be invoiced once the job is complete. My standard payment terms apply to this second invoice.

Expenses
My preference is to work from my office in Oxfordshire wherever possible. However, I completely understand if new clients initially want a meeting to brief face-to-face and/or introduce me to the team. So, if you’re within an hour’s travel of my office address, I’ll take full responsibility for all travel costs for this first meeting. However, I will charge for my time.

If more than one trip is needed I will expense any travel costs, including parking, and charge fuel at £0.45 a mile. This would always be discussed with you in advance. International travel would be entirely at your expense from leaving to returning to my home address. Any costs relating to my office - such as phone calls, computer software, printing etc. – are my responsibility.

Briefs
All briefs MUST be in writing before any work can begin. If, for whatever reason, there’s an update or a change of brief, this will also need to be in writing and may affect the original quote.

Recording video calls
I reserve the right to record video calls so I can reference them during the project. This will always be done with your permission and any recordings will be deleted once my invoice is paid.

Amends
My quote allows for one round of reasonable amends. This should allow for any factual changes, minor additions/deletions and (God forbid) any typos to be picked up. Further amendments will be charged at an hourly rate, unless more substantial changes are needed. Please note, I’ll treat a complete change of brief as a new brief. Any work done to date will be billed, at the agreed rate, and a new quote will need to be agreed.

Confirmations
All quotes, and these terms and conditions, must be approved in writing before I can start work. A simple email approving both is fine.

Unconfirmed bookings are at risk of being cancelled if a confirmed booking is made by another client on the same day. I will endeavour to let you know before I accept this second booking but I can’t make any guarantees.

Cancellations
If a confirmed booking is cancelled less than 48 working hours before the work is due to start, I will charge 50% of the booked time. Cancellations of less than 24 working hours will be charged at 100%.

If I’m the one that cancels (highly, highly unlikely) I’ll give you the option to a) not pay me b) ask me to find a suitable replacement c) find a replacement yourself d) reschedule our booking.

Contracts
If your business has a contract for freelancers which contradicts any of the above, please share this with me before any work is undertaken. I’m happy to discuss and find a compromise that works for both of us.

NDAs
I would never discuss a client’s business externally but am very happy to sign NDAs as needed.

Promotion and marketing
To keep my website and LinkedIn profile up to date, I like to post new projects and announce new clients. I’ll only do this after discussion with you and will respect your decision if you’d prefer me not to.

Copyright
I retain copyright for all copy I produce until my invoice is paid in full. At that stage copyright is automatically transferred to you.

Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
I take a lot of pride in my work and it’s important to me that my clients get what they’ve asked for. Given that over 90% of my clients come back time and time again, I must be doing something right.

But… writing is a craft, not a science. Subjective opinions and personal preferences inevitably play a part. And sometimes there are unintentional breakdowns in communication or simple misunderstandings.

If, for whatever reason, you’re not happy with my work, please say so. I’ll then discuss with you what needs to be done to get things back on track.

From my perspective, I’m willing to make amends, at no additional cost, if I’m at fault (through spelling or grammatical errors, a failure to meet the brief or a deviation from an agreed tone of voice). If, however, they’ve come about through no fault of my own – for example, a change of brief or a personal dislike of certain words or phrases – I’ll invoice for amends on a per-hour basis.

If we simply can’t find common ground, either of us can agree to part company, so long as this is done in writing. Work done up until this point will need to be paid for but any outstanding days that have been booked will be cancelled without further costs being charged.

Responsibility and liability
I’ll do everything I can to make sure the copy I write is factually and grammatically correct. That said, I often work with information that has been supplied to me and I use it in good faith. My clients are solely responsible for checking the accuracy of the copy and ensuring any claims made are legally binding. Please make sure that my copy is reviewed thoroughly before being put live and, if necessary, run it via a legal team to make sure there are no copyright infringements or libel issues.

I cannot be liable to you, or any third party, for damages, including loss of profits, lost savings, complaints, claims, litigation or other incidental, consequential or special damages which arise regarding this agreement or in respect of the work I undertake on your behalf.

If any provision of this agreement shall be unlawful, void, or for any reason, unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this agreement and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

This contract is an agreement between the parties and is non-transferrable without prior written permission.

This contract is a legal document under exclusive jurisdiction of English courts