Terms and Conditions
By appointing Strauss Structural Design Ltd to undertake consulting services for a project you agree to these terms and conditions
Descriptions
1a) Strauss Structural Design Ltd is abbreviated as “SSD”
1b) Terms “Client” and “Customer” may be used interchangeably but refer to the same party who are usually the invoice recipient and can be Client representatives.
1c) “Site” refers to the location at which SSD have been appointed to attend in order to undertake the agreed service.
1d) “Quote” or “Quotation” is a fee for the consulting service for which SSD have been appointed, as such this fee is agreed between the Client and SSD prior to the service offering unless noted otherwise.
1e) “Structural Engineers role” refers to structural design matters relating to the specification and design of primary structural members for where SSD have been appointed to undertake structural design services. This does NOT include the inexhaustive list of following disciplines: Architectural, Fire, Acoustic, Electrical, Gas, Plumbing, Archaeology, Cost consulting, quantity surveying, project management, and site supervision.
1f) “Office” refers to the registered premises of Strauss Structural Design Ltd.
1g) “Party” or “Parties” refers to a design team member from an organisation involved in the project or occupier or those persons/individual with a vested interest in the project.
Payment
2a) Full payment is due within 28 days of the invoice issued by SSD
2b) Full payment is due prior to release of information prepared by SSD
2c) Failure to fully pay the outstanding sum to SSD within the allotted time will result in the Client being charged a compoundable 15% addition per annum upon the principal sum.
2d) If clause 2c is initiated due to late payment, the Client will bear any recovery costs and legal fees
2e) If SSD are instructed to attend site and the project does not commence, the Client will bear the cost for mileage in addition to an hourly rate of £65 per hour for the duration which SSD are involved.
2f) Failure to comply with payment or payment terms will result in SSD rescinding their documents from Building Control or any other parties. SSD reserve the right to cease communication with the Client on this basis and will bear no incurred costs for project delays or other fees.
2g) We accept BACS (bank transfer) as the preferred method of payment which can be made from an online banking app. Credit card payments will incur processing charges of 2.1% + £0.20. If credit card is your preferred payment method, SSD must be informed of this choice when the Client accepts the quote, otherwise a revised invoice will be made to include the aforementioned charges.
Documents
3a) All documents are transmitted by email in PDF format as standard
3b) Any hard copies will be chargeable – for which a fee depending on number of copies requested. It is the Clients responsibility to notify SSD on the number of hard copies required, as such this request must be made to SSD prior to fee agreement.
3c) Documents to be produced by SSD as part of the agreement with the Client will be listed in relevant correspondence (i.e. email or letter). If the Client has an expectation or understanding of produced goods to contain a level of detail beyond the remit and/or jurisdiction of a Structural Engineers role, the Client must state this in writing prior to fee agreement. To this end, SSD reserve the right to refuse aspects of additional work which fall within or outside of what is considered a Structural Engineers role. As such, SSD cannot be held liable for any delays or cost implications resulting from such misunderstandings.
Service Offering
4a) Queries raised by Building Control or similar approved bodies on design work executed by SSD will be dealt with in a timely manner. Unless circumstances are unforeseen and/or extraordinary there will not be a charge for any additional work.
4b) Any changes to the original brief are classed as variations from the original work order, thus will be chargeable to the Client. Fees will be renegotiated and agreed with Client prior to SSD undertaking any further work. As such, SSD cannot be held liable for any resulting delays or cost implications.
4c) Project involvement from SSD relates to those specific items as initially agreed prior to SSD undertaking the agreed service. SSD cannot be held liable for any additional items falling outside of the agreed service, whether these are introduced by Client or other parties.
4d) During survey work, some areas may not be visible in their entirety without intrusive investigations. Resultantly, design assumptions may be made which will be noted on drawings. Once onsite construction work commences, it is the Clients responsibility to familiarise themselves with the design assumptions and notify SSD in the event of any discrepancies between assumptions and actual site conditions.
4e) Should any involved parties (including the Client) request further structural design services such as drawing details and/or calculations which could not be foreseen or were not requested at the time of the initial agreement – SSD will propose an additional charge for this work.
4f) Any verbal communication between SSD to Client or other involved parties does not constitute a full description of items that may require further design input and/or addressing. SSD reserve the right to make assessments of further work upon returning to the Office once information has been received from site and/or contact with relevant design parties has been made.
4g) the fee proposal for appointing SSD for a structural survey/appraisal/inspection covers the site visit, reconnaissance, and provision of report only. Any further design work and/or inspection(s) which may be required to the building will be subject to a separate charge.
4h) SSD are under no obligation to communicate with any other parties as part of their appointment in conducting a structural survey/appraisal/inspection other than the Client they are appointed by. The Client appointing SSD is responsible for notifying all relevant parties such as the Vendor, Buyer, Solicitor, Estate Agent etc of this clause.
4i) A site survey/appraisal/inspection is expected to take up to three hours for most domestic properties and may take longer given size, uncertainties and/or defects which may be present on site. The Client appointing SSD is responsible for communicating this information to the occupier of the inspected property. Under no circumstances must SSD be required to leave the property for the duration of the survey/appraisal/inspection unless there is a legitimate emergency. In such circumstances where a survey/appraisal/inspection terminates early beyond the control of SSD, the survey/appraisal/inspection must reconvene at a suitable date agreed between SSD and Client. Client charges will apply for time and travel for any additional visit(s), which must be paid up front prior to SSD undertaking any further work. SSD will not be held liable for any time or cost incurred delays related to the sale of a property if they have been required to leave for reasons beyond the control of SSD.
4j) A site survey/appraisal/inspection is based on visual assessment only. Therefore, comments cannot always be made on whether the structural specification of inspected items are suitably designed to approved codes of practice and/or fit for purpose. By appointing SSD to undertake a site survey/appraisal/inspection, unless it has been agreed in communication between SSD and the Client, no design verification of structural items, structural calculations (retrospective or otherwise), and/or guarantees can be offered in relation to the performance of the structure. In the event of the Client or other relevant party/parties requesting structural calculations for existing and/or remediated items, such service from SSD will carry an additional charge.
4k) The Client or any relevant party must not perform any remediation or repair work to a building without firstly receiving the structural engineers report from a conducted survey/appraisal/inspection. SSD cannot be held liable for any work carried out to the building prior to issuing the report nor are they under any obligation to comment on performed works.
4l) Where recommendations for further work outlined within a report may not be inspected by a building inspector, it is the Clients responsibility to appoint a construction professional to supervise and/or approve workmanship. If the Client or any relevant party appoint SSD for supervision and/or workmanship approval, there will be a charge for this service. Such service is based on a visual inspection and subject to the original “standard scope and limitations of the survey” unless noted otherwise and will not involve design calculation verification unless explicitly requested to SSD in writing before the agreement of this additional work.
4m) SSD will not divulge or comment on any information with regards to a site survey/appraisal/inspection to any other party other than the Client appointing SSD for the service. Clients must explain this to the occupant, vendor, buyer, agent or relevant party to ensure SSD can proceed with conducting their work without any hassle or distraction.
4n) SSD do not provide split-cost survey/appraisal/inspection reports between two or more parties.
4p) SSD are not able to advise or recommend on whether issued documents should be sent to further parties; this responsibility sits with the Client.
4q) Accuracy of dimensions for ordering of items or otherwise must not be based on SSD produced documentation. All dimensions must be obtained and/or verified by site measurement by the contractor.
4r) Once work commences on site, and it is discovered that details relating to building form and fabric differ from assumptions made within design calculations, the Client or relevant party must contact SSD prior to undertaking any further work on site. As such, SSD cannot be held liable for any resulting delays or cost implications.
4s) Standard scope and limitations to site survey/appraisal/inspection reports are typically included in the submitted report. Such limitations excuse the engineer from commenting on certain items and/or intrusively investigating the structure during the site visit. Additionally, such limitations are generally beyond the scope of a Structural Engineers Role and impractical to conduct for a visual inspection-based appointment.
4t) Quotes are valid for up to 90 days from the issued date of the quote
Insurance
5a) We hold a Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability Insurance of £1m and £2m respectively.