Terms and Conditions of Business

13th Decemeber 2023

GENERAL

  1. All quotations are valid for 60 days from the date of issue.

  2. IF reserves the right to amend the quotation on receipt of the screener or withdraw the quotation at any time until it is formally accepted by the Client.

  3. Quotations are provided on the basis of the knowledge available to IF at the time of issue; we understand that scope can often change as the project develops, and hence reserve the right to revise fees accordingly. IF will always attempt to minimise any rise. IF will give reasonable notice of any intention to review costs.

  4. In the event of the postponement or cancellation of a commissioned research project, IF will charge a fair pro-rata fee covering all work undertaken and 3rd party commitments (including internal resourcing) made up to the time of receipt of formal notification from the client.

PURCHASE ORDER

  1. Where a Purchase Order (PO) is required to be issued by the Client company for their financial purposes, this must be provided to IF one week before study commencement. Without being finalized, it may result in IF’s work on the project being delayed. IF will endeavour to minimise any impact should this occur.

  2. If a PO is not required to be issued by the Client, IF’s Quotation shall legally be deemed to have been accepted by the Client by notifying IF in writing (which may be by email).

  3. IF shall not be required to commence work on the project until it has received acceptance of the Quotation as set out above. 

PAYMENT TERMS

  1. Upon the client commissioning of each project, IF will invoice for all quoted “pass through” fees, such as incentives and expenses. (Or, if greater, 50% of the total project quote.) The balance due will be invoiced upon completion of client fieldwork.

  2. If IF agrees to accept payment in a currency other than GBP, this payment must be made into an account of IF’s choosing. IF reserves the right to pass on any exchange and processing fees.

  3. Payment is due within 30 days of the date of our invoice. VAT will be charged at standard rates where applicable.

  4. As a company our ethos is to build strong relationships with our clients and with our suppliers, hence we always pay our suppliers on time and likewise we expect to be paid on time by our clients.

  5. Failure to pay within the period specified shall entitle us to charge interest on overdue invoices from the date when payment becomes due until the date of payment, at a rate of 8% per annum above the base rate of the Bank of England.

  6. IF reserves the right to retain ownership of the research findings should the final payment not be made in full (unless otherwise agreed) within 30 days.

 DATA OWNERSHIP AND STORAGE

  1. IF takes the privacy of our respondents very seriously and we abide by GDPR regulations, the guidelines of the BHBIA and the MRS.

  2. IF will protect the identity of respondents according to the rules of the BHBIA and the MRS by securely storing all recruitment data and documentation during and after the study (including recruitment questionnaires, reimbursement, and attendance lists).

  3. For the avoidance of doubt, IF shall not be required to provide documentation or recordings to the Client if to do so would be in breach of BHBIA or MRS’s Codes of Conduct and/or applicable data protection laws / regulations.

  4. The Client must give assurance that it shall store and use any such documentation or recordings provided by IF strictly in compliance with all applicable data protection laws and regulations and that it shall fully indemnify IF against any and all claims relating to its breach of the same.

DISPUTES

  1. IF takes the Client’s position where it can. This is an important principle of doing business ethically within the Healthcare & Market Research sectors.

  2. In the event of a commercial dispute, IF will negotiate in good faith, and only where needed, propose referring the dispute to an appropriate independent adjudicator.