New edition ACE Agreements record stunning sale

12 May 2009

New standard appointment agreements for consultants and engineers, the ACE Agreements 2009 editions, are selling like hot cakes following their launch this week, leading construction industry business association, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, (ACE) said today.

The new range of ACE Agreements, packaged in a new easy-to-use tear-off form format and sold in packs of five, have been developed following extensive discussions and collaboration with legal experts and users of the existing agreements, wh ich have been the industry standard for decades. The original agreements have been updated and simplified with a focus on user-friendliness, offering greater versatility for both clients and consultants, who will be able to tailor-make the services to match the requirements of a project.

ACE’s legal director, Stephen Barklem, said that the remodelled ACE Agreements would accommodate any size of consultancy commission. “These agreements have been produced with flexibility in mind,” he said. “Working in collaboration with experienced legal experts and engineers, ACE has made the agreements multi-functional to accommodate the presence of a project manager and/or a lead consultant in the team.

“The fact that they are sold in packs of five should allow users a comprehensive set of guidelines which allows them to approach a project well-equipped and ready to tackle any eventuality,” said Barklem, who added that the new agreements were being posted out of the door al m ost as quickly as they were arriving at the ACE offices. "We had allowed for a popular uptake but it's no exaggeration to say we've been rushed off our feet over the last week - we've been inundated," he said. "If sales are an indication of popularity it looks like the new ACE Agreements have certainly been well received by the industry".

Updated features of the new agreements include:-
• A default limit of liability of ten times the fee has been introduced; • The client’s brief has been introduced into the Agreements; • A programme for undertaking the services has been introduced; • The schedule of fees has been expanded and clarified to accommodate • Time charges • Lump sums • Percentage fees • Fees for additional work • Fees for arranging work to be undertaken by others • Payment of expenses • Payment for collateral warranties

ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said that the agreements provided further proof that ACE was constantly seeking to improve i ts services. “From a strategic point of view, we know these agreements will give vital guidance to the industry,” he said. “For many years ACE has provided industry-standard agreements which have become the cornerstone of legal consultation in the sector.

"For the new 2009 editions we wanted to produce a set of progressive and constructive agreements which would be applicable to a wide range of situations. With a recent Scottish case supporting the inclusion of ACE’s net contribution clause in consultancy contracts, we are also leading the way in limiting the liability of engineers. ACE exists to make life easier for consultancy and engineering firms while being fair to clients and we are confident the new agreements will continue that approach,” Ogunshakin said.

The new 2009 ACE Agreements can be purchased at www.aceagreements.co.uk or by calling ACE on 020 7222 6557.

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