Fees and Charges
My fees are time based and I charge an hourly / daily rate commensurate with the skill, complexity and expertise required for the project. These fees cover my time.
Estimates for projects are free and they are inclusive of travelling costs to Inner London (such as trains, the Underground / tubes in London, hotels, and subsistence). I do not charge for any time spent travelling – only the time spent on the research itself.
Travelling Costs
My cost structure is based on the major (Inner) London Archives / Museums but sometimes it is necessary to visit non-Inner London Museums / Archives. When this is the case it will be necessary to evaluate the travel / accommodation / subsistence options and this may result in a surcharge to cover the extra travelling / subsistence costs.
Additional Costs
Sometimes there are additional costs that will be passed on to the client. The main Additional Costs are:
- International Bank Receiving Fees – These usually apply when the client pays via an International Bank Transfer.
- Reprographic costs – These are dependent upon the project and (normally) the size of the documents examined. Most documents can be copied using a standard digital camera via a copy stand. However, sometimes documents (e.g. maps or plans) are too large to fit on the base of the copy stand and / or the copy stand is not tall enough to capture the document. In these cases the Archive / Museum staff can arrange to have these documents copied but they normally charge for this. These costs are passed on to the client.
- A right to charge for photocopying, printing, and postage is reserved. This only happens when the client requires paper (or similar) copies rather than electronic versions.
Terms and Conditions
A Note on Copyright
Most of the documents or images sourced either on paper or electronically etc. are Crown Copyright or the copyright belongs to the Archive holding them. Generally clients cannot use them in publications. In obtaining these documents, images etc. I am acting as your agent or representative and I do not take any title to the documents, images etc..
The Copyright of any Reports, documents, images or other paperwork produced by myself remains with me but the client is given a free license to reproduce them for non-commercial purposes.
Basic Terms
The Fees and Scope of the project will be defined in correspondence (normally emails) with you. The following terms should be noted:
- Normally I require payment in full for any agreed research in advance. This is usually via Bank Transfer or International Bank Transfer (if appropriate).
- The estimate / quotation forms part of the agreement between the client and myself.
- The research will be based upon your instructions and I will use reasonable endeavors to perform the research. It will be conducted with due care and diligence.
- The required information will be sought in the appropriate records but it should be noted that record series are often incomplete and in many cases, the appropriate records may not have survived.
- The project, once agreed, will be commenced as soon as possible. However, it must be noted that visits to the Archives, travelling and accommodation often need to be arranged in advance so any trips to the Archives are subject to availability. Visits to most of the main Archives have to be arranged in advance and the required documents have to be pre-ordered. The minimum lead times for such visits is normally around 14 days.
- All Intellectual Property Rights used in or regarding the research remain mine.
- You give me free license to use any information discovered during the project for purposes such as use on my website, in publications such as books, magazines or periodicals. No information relating to the client would be used – just the research.
Cancellation
Fees, once paid, are generally non-refundable unless the project is cancelled prior to commencement. If the work / research has been started, for example a trip to the Archives has been planned or the research has been commenced, then I reserve a right to charge for that time / work plus a cancellation fee sufficient to cover any outlay that has been made.
Deliverables
The deliverables will normally be sent in electronic form. They will usually consist of a Research Report (in pdf format) which details the research conducted and the Supporting Images taken of the documents examined.
The Report and Supporting Images are usually sent by email. However, in some cases where the size / number of the images etc. are “electronically large” they may be placed onto a USB Memory Stick and posted to the client.
If the client requires paper copies (printed papers, photocopies etc.) or where the postage / courier costs are significant then a right to charge a fee / surcharge to cover these expenses is retained.