Terms & Conditions

INTRODUCTION

This notice details the Terms and Conditions of business between the client (referred to as “you” or “your”) and Helen Holgate, trading as Oreo PA (referred to as “me” or “I”).

I value the business relationships I have with all my clients and will always endeavour to protect their reputation and confidentiality. I treat all work as strictly confidential.

These Terms and Conditions form part of the agreement between us and apply to all services I provide, unless otherwise agreed in writing. The agreed rate will depend on your requirements, with regular reviews to ensure the level of support provided remains effective. 

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

  • An initial 1-hour face-to-face consultation is available free of charge for all clients who are located within a 20-mile radius of S40 3FH. For clients outside of this area, the consultation can take place by telephone or your preferred virtual meeting method. I charge for all subsequent meetings, phone calls and emails at the agreed hourly rate. The initial consultation is for information and scoping purposes only and does not commit either party to proceed. The agreement comes into effect when you instruct me to commence work, whether or not you have returned a signed copy of these Terms and Conditions.
  • By instructing me to commence work, you confirm that you accept these Terms and Conditions.
  • Existing clients who need support with a new task or project can have up to 30 minutes of free consultation time by telephone or your preferred virtual meeting method to discuss the scope of work and timescales.
  • The hourly rate covers agreed professional services, including time spent on the project or task and communications with you in person, by phone, email, or any other agreed method.
  • Following consultation, I will issue a proposal detailing the agreed scope of work, dates and rate.
  • My normal working hours are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays. However, I can arrange out-of-hours support by prior agreement.
  • To arrange and book travel, accommodation, or purchases on your behalf, I will need details of a suitable payment method.
  • I will not keep client documentation any longer than necessary.
  • I may reject work if I consider it unlawful or immoral.
  • I hold Professional Indemnity and Public & Products Liability Insurance.
  • I am only able to support UK-based clients.
  • I review my rates on 1 January each year and will notify you of any changes in writing.
  • I have full antivirus software installed and reserve the right to delete unsolicited emails or attachments that cause concern. You are responsible for ensuring that your own antivirus protection is also up to date.
  • I do not accept liability or responsibility for the end use of any documents or materials produced or edited by me.
  • These Terms and Conditions apply to the exclusion of any other terms that you seek to impose or incorporate, or which are implied by trade, custom, practice or course of dealing.

I reserve the right to vary these Terms and Conditions at any time and upon notice to you.

Authority to Act
  • Where I am asked to make bookings, purchases, arrangements or communications on your behalf, you authorise me to act within the agreed scope and parameters of the services.
  • Any expenditure or commitment outside those agreed parameters will require your prior approval.
Third-Party Services

Where I make bookings or arrangements with third-party suppliers on your behalf, I will act on the information and requirements you provide. I am not responsible for the availability, pricing, cancellation policies, performance or actions of third-party suppliers.

SUPPLY OF SERVICES

  • The minimum commitment is 1 hour.
  • Please brief all work during a face-to-face consultation, by telephone, or using your preferred virtual meeting method.
  • The project or task will determine the days and hours of work. We will discuss these arrangements during the consultation.
  • I will use all reasonable endeavours to meet any performance dates you specify. These dates are estimates only, and time shall not be of the essence for the services provided.
  • I reserve the right to make any changes to the services where necessary to comply with a law or safety requirement, or where the change does not materially affect the nature or quality of the services. I will notify you of any such event.
  • I will proofread and spell check all work and endeavour to ensure the accuracy of the completed work. You are responsible for verifying its accuracy. I shall not be liable for any inaccuracies or any losses directly or indirectly arising from them. Except in cases of proven negligence or wilful misconduct, my total liability under or in connection with any agreement shall not exceed the total fees you paid for the services in question. Please report any inaccuracies or changes identified during your final proofread within four working days of receipt. I will correct these free of charge. After four working days, I will consider the work accepted. I will correct any inaccuracies or changes reported after four working days, but I will charge for the additional time. I will correct any error made by me free of charge.
  • I will return all original documentation after completing the work, unless otherwise agreed.
  • I will keep all work on file for 12 months. After that, I will delete it unless otherwise agreed.

CLIENT OBLIGATIONS

  • You should print or otherwise save a copy of these Terms and Conditions for your records.
  • Please send all templates, supporting documents and other information by a secure method.
  • Passwords should be sent via a secure method, such as Passpack or another encrypted password management system.
  • I accept Microsoft Access, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word file formats. If you need to transfer large files, please let me know before work commences so we can arrange an appropriate method for receiving them. 
  • All work submitted by you should be legible. 

CHARGES AND PAYMENT TERMS

  • I normally invoice hourly services at the end of each month and will provide a timesheet report where applicable. I may invoice discrete pieces of work upon completion.
  • I will invoice any additional expenses reasonably incurred in connection with the services at cost. These may include materials, stationery, postage, packaging, telephone calls, travel, rail, parking, printing and other administrative costs. I charge travel time to and from client premises or meetings at the agreed hourly rate, in addition to mileage, at 45p per mile from S40 3FH.  I will inform you of any additional expense before I incur it, and I will itemise all expenses.
  • Either party may terminate this agreement with 14 days’ written notice. You agree to pay for all work completed up to and including the termination date, together with any incurred expenses.    
  • Payment terms are 14 days from the date of invoice.
  • For any unpaid invoices, I reserve the right to suspend services until such time that due invoices are paid in full.
  • Overdue invoices may incur interest at a rate of 8% above the Bank of England base rate, in accordance with The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. I will include any additional costs incurred to recover outstanding payments in the amount owed. These costs will also be subject to interest charges.
  • Oreo PA is not VAT registered. 
  • Payments should be made by bank transfer.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

  • I will treat all information and data I access or receive in connection with the services as strictly confidential. I will not disclose it to any third party without your authorisation, unless required by law.
  • All personal data will be processed in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
  • Where Oreo PA processes personal data on your behalf, I will only process that data in accordance with your documented instructions and for the purposes of providing the agreed services.
  • I will take appropriate measures to protect confidential and personal information from unauthorised access, loss or disclosure.
  • I will report any suspected data breach or security incident relating to your information without undue delay.
  • My Privacy Policy is available on the Oreo PA website and explains how personal data is collected, used, stored and protected.
  • I hold a basic DBS certificate.
  • I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration reference ZA484590.

FORCE MAJEURE

Neither party shall be liable for any delay or failure to perform its obligations under this agreement if such delay or failure results from events beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, strikes, lockouts, accidents, war, fire, flood or failure of any communications, telecommunications or computer system, and the affected party shall be entitled to a reasonable extension of its obligations.

GOVERNING LAW

These Terms and Conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with English law, and both parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.