The BCS-ICC Model Contract

This area has been created so that the BCS-ICC Model Contract can be distributed ahead of the full BCS-ICC web site being available.

The contract itself (in two parts)

The contract itself is made up of two pieces and it is important to understand how they are linked:

contract_body.pdf (36kb) contains the generic part of the contract and should not be modified. All modifications, including your company name and that of the client will be in the schedule.
and contract_schedule.rtf (55kb), which will need to be modified to incorporate the specific details of your contract. These changes will certainly include the details of your company, the client, the end-client (if the client is an agency), and the services to be supplied. The document itself contains instructions on how it should be modified.

The appendices in the schedule may be used to vary the meaning of clauses in the generic part of the contract. This is the machanism by which the generic part of the contract can be left untouched.

Notes to the contract

Also provided is a file contract_notes.pdf (39kb) which contains detailed instructions for using the BCS-ICC model contract and provides some pointers on how the schedules may be modified for typical cases.

Identifying the contractor

Astute readers may have noticed that nowhere in either the generic part of the contract, or in the schedule, is the individual who will be doing the work identified. This is intended. The file contract_letter.rtf is a suggested letter which allows the individual doing the work to be identified once the contract is in force.

The right to provide a substitute is a strong indicator of self-employment. Naming someone within the contract limits the ability of the contractor's company to provide a substitute. It is important that the contractor is not identified until the contract has been signed by both parties. The contractor's company can then propose the contractor as the person to provide the resource. contract_letter.rtf is a template letter which you should adapt for the specifics of your contract.

General

The contract has been paid for by the BCS-ICC but is being made available to the contracting profession generally in the hope that it may become widely adopted. It is hoped that this openness will not be abused.

The generic part of the contract is not to be amended. That's why it's being distributed as a PDF file. If it is transcribed and then modified in any shape or form, then the result cannot rightly be called the BCS-ICC Model Contract. Our legal people may also wish to take you aside and have a few words.