DAPS exists as a company because we want to do business in a way that we enjoy. We also wanted variety in our work and, as with anyone who sets up a business, we want to be masters of our own destiny. To achieve this we put great emphasis on establishing and maintaining good relationships with you (as our client) and your clients. We are fully aware that there are times in construction when a strong position needs to be adopted and, if you require this, we are fully able and willing to take such a position on your behalf but we aim to work in a way that fosters a spirit of co-operation and problem solving rather than confrontation.
People
DAPS project management Ltd is a small project management consultancy. We have a range of approved specialist consultants available to augment our core team if needed. We can guarantee the training and quality of the staff you will work with and also guarantee that you will have the continuity of staff that you need. We take the professional development and training of our staff very seriously. This is extremely important to us and is one of the many reasons we have long term clients that use us again and again.
The contract between us.
Our contract is the industry standard ACE (Association for Cosultancy and Engineering) 2 agreement. If you wish to engage our services, after initial discussion, you will receive a short form of the contract tailored to your needs prior to any works commencing which should be signed and returned to us before works start. Here is a sample short form contract: DAPS 2012 sample contract, and here is a link to the ACE site where a sample of the full contract can be obtained.
The short form clearly states all areas of the standard ACE agreement which require wording specific to our agreement and so it, combined with the full ACE agreement (which is available online) constitutes the contract. The ACE agreement is relatively easy to understand and contains a minimum of legal speak which we believe helps both us and you feel comfortable about its contents. It is an unbiased contract which protects both us and you in equal measure.
The contract may be a “rates only” contract or it may specify the works depending on your requirements. We are happy to quote fixed price work, rates only, or task specific work, or after discussion, any combination. We will always work to construct a contract that is suitable for our clients needs.
Although we will always be open to discussing variations to our standard contract we have found that it is best for both parties if the agreement is as close to a standard ACE agreement as possible. All clauses in the standard agreement have been administered by many companies over many years and as such are clear, straightforward, fair and tested.
Payment process
VAT Invoices are issued at 2 weekly intervals (whatever the agreed period is in the contract). Invoices include detailed breakdowns of time spent, when it was spent and by whom, along with details of expenses and receipts. Invoices are then due for payment by the end of the period agreed in the contract, typically two weeks. Invoices are sent to your commercial manager or whoever you nominate.
It is important for us to offer competitive rates, we are able to do this only if the agreed contract payment terms are upheld by both us and you. Our outgoings are predominantly salaries which cannot be delayed so we need to carefully manage our cash flow and hence we have little flexibility to agree extended payment terms for this reason. However you should be assured we will work with you to ensure that the contractual payment terms suit both our companies from the outset.
Rates
Our rates are competitive and are agreed as part of the contract which includes periodic options for review. We always have a company wide annual review of rates in April with a view to a general increase in-line with a conservative estimate of inflation (that is, inflation as we experience it). These rate increases will be passed to you only at the next review point stipulated by your contract and you will be forewarned of the both the level and date of the increase if there is any. Any increase will only reflect that which is absolutely necessary and will take account of the economic climate in which we are all operating.
Our guarantee
We are confident that you will be happy with our services, your contract is our guarantee of quality but, if for any reason, no matter how small, you are unhappy about any aspect of our relationship you can speak to one of the directors of the company at any time. As our client you will always have the direct mobile number of at least one of our directors and they will always make time to speak to you.
