Sample of
our standard
Fee Proposal for
prospective Clients
:
Preamble
 Once we receive the Client and/or their agents full details including the property address for our consultancy, we will provide our understanding of our Clients needs and reasons from the initial telephone conversation or e-mail submitted requesting our services.
Availability
Building Diagnosis Centre will provide the time period when we are available to commence the consultancy.
Proposed
We may offer an initial service that may be a site viewing and discussion to equip the Client with answers to their inquiries and/or queries. These may relate directly to building issue, a workmanship and material issue, contract documentation / drawing interpretation issue, cost estimations or assisting in dispute solving exercise with the contract parties, their experts, with the legal team or local authorities.
The proposed service we offer may be more broad where we commence and follow through to completion of a building project being either a new construction or rectification of building faults whether it be caused by recent faulty workmanship or from deterioration of the building requiring serious structural repairs etc.
It may be proposed that we provide project management, construction management or contract administration or just some proportions of these role namely, visual inspections of work in progress, evaluating progress payment claims or certifying completion of a satisfactory project and/or giving the reasons why it is not satisfactory completed.
Fees schedule
- $200 + 10% GST $220 per hour applies after 1 July 2006.
- Travelling time (return trip to our Manly office) is charged at our hourly rate and applies for our service (property site visits, any meetings and court etc) unless when stated as follows:
- 0.5 hour return trip is free (when our service is 4- hours or more)
- 1.0 hour return trip is free (when our service is 7- hours)
The consulting cost -- Given we have gained the reputation of being very thorough, experienced and non-compromising investigations for high quality results, after 1000’s of successful consultancies, Building Diagnosis Centre like other consultants still know very well the difficulties of actual time and cost required for Services in the rectification and dispute industry. Budgetary estimates could be obtained at post inspection/s “once our involvement is more clear”.
Due to many uncertainties in time requirements for the purpose to gather accurate or best information including researching, perusing documents and conferences whether in person or by telephone, it is often the case the Building Diagnosis Centre cannot provide an estimate. When estimates are given they will not be binding or be relied on in any form The final time incurred to provide the consultancy will become the basis for the cost of the consultancy.
Project consultant
Project Director Consultant is Robert Speirs-Ferrari who provides the initial consultation and usually throughout the project including managing his engineering and other consultants and laboratory consulting team. Robert’s qualifications include; Consulting Chartered Building Professional FAIB, Master of Design (UTS) MBDA and Licensed Builder MMBA. Refer to CV.
He is appropriately qualified and with 30 years experience to provide expert opinions, inspections, investigations, prepare drawings, contract evaluation and issue expert reports for dispute determination. Robert’s assessments include advising for demolition, rectifications and construction of buildings for owners, purchasers, vendors and businesses.
As an analytically minded person his experienced in collecting evidence of building corrosion and making recommendations is demonstrated in a recent Ferrari Case History cited in the Links Page of our website.
Robert arranges core hole sampling, paint coatings and mortar sampling, and the collection of asbestos and lead ceiling dust samples to supply a NATA-accredited laboratory for testing and reporting.
Consultants’ field work and reporting complies with
applicable referenced documents and industry practice
- Australian Standards
- Building Code of Australia (BCA).
- Local council policies
- Manufacturers specifications
- Industry practices to at least a minimum level of reasonable ability.
Consultancy details
Traveling to and from the property or a nominated place including a conference or court commences from our Manly office.
The proposed examples has given above and as per the following:
- Initial discussions to establish the details of the consultancy.
- Verbal and oral reports and advices.
- Investigations that may include arranging for physical destructive exploratory works or document research.
- Visual inspections and report/s on building faults, neglect and deterioration of the property for consideration to rectification, costing or litigation.
- Audits for hazardous material check for asbestos and lead dust.
- Appraisals of architectural and engineering drawings (for access and egress in relation to people with a disability) together with contracts, tenders when required checking in relation to building works.
- Preparation of specification or scope of works, an appropriate contract agreement, estimate construction rectification costs, call for suitable tenders and contract administration.
- Produced drawings for DA/CC applications and liaising with local authorities (Councils, SydneyWater etc).
- Meetings, conferences, telephone calls and discussions, faxing, e-mailing, researching, perusing documents and printing and arranging contractors for tenders.
- Providing opinion as expert witness in mediations, tribunals, and district, local and supreme courts.
- Give an holistic approach of views, an analysis (opinion of all causes and solution) to problems and concerns, recommendations for written methodology of rectifications and repairs and for suitable licensed and experienced contractors.
Supervision
“Supervision” in the building and construction industry means being present the majority of the time to show, educate, direct, observe, protect and provide and be available at any time during the course of the works. Therefore, supervision of any kind is not part of the Building Diagnosis Centre, Robert Speirs-Ferrari or any other consultant or service that we offer or provide to our Client or agent or to any tradesperson or the like.
“Supervision” and activities assisting builders with manual construction is not what we provide as consultants as we would need to be permanently at the works whilst in progress. The licensed building contractor under contract with the Client or agent is or should be permanently (and his tradespeople and subcontractors) at the works to provide full extensive supervision when and where required to achieve quality work.
Alternative to supervision
Our alternative to supervision for the builder to achieve quality work occurs at the time when we are observing whilst inspecting the works. When we discover at these inspections substandard works, it is a direct result of poor supervision or materials. We make this known to the builder and the Owner or agent and request the builder to remove substandard work.
We ensure for our Client or agent that the licensed building contractor during our inspections produces quality acceptable standards of construction works as per the building contract, special conditions, specification and where drawings are provided, in the capacity as the inspector or contract administrator providing periodic inspections. During these on site periods, our responsibility as consultants is to advise the Client or agent especially where the licensed building contractor is repeatedly not providing satisfactory work, causing delays or damage to the building. Occasionally we have advised our client to terminate the building contract agreement when builders can't perform or have lost interest and are deserting the project.
Correspondence
Correspondence refers to all letters, reports, specifications, building contract agreements, cost estimating schedules, e-mails, faxes, memos and any other similar type document. These are professionally presented and on our letterhead in black printing.
Correspondence will be transmitted via e-mail and PDF file attachments, by fax and generally a hard copy not delivered by post. A CD disk can be supplied at additional cost ($50) per occasion. Arranging for printing of building plans at plan printing outlets.
Photography
Photographs will be in colour except where they are being faxed when they will be black and white. Photographs will be taken for identification and record purposes, for photographic evidence generally exhibiting the works, where any defects are detected at inspections and/or where any other similar situations exist.
Access to property
Restrictions of access will apply where area is unsuitable or unsafe for entry, and to exterior walls above 3.0m height (and over roofs or ledgers) unless Client or agent provides for safe scaffolding, otherwise we would rely on our viewing by binoculars which would not produce the same level of inspection quality. Access within roof space cavity and beneath floor is provided the area is suitable and safe for entry.
General on-site equipment
This consists of a face mask, protective overalls, digital Casio can 3.2 mega pixels zoom lens auto focus camera, a standard moisture meter (Protimeter Surveymaster), torch, measuring tape, screw driver, a 3.0m step-ladder and high powered binoculars. On advice of the consultant requiring special forensic instruments (and safety harness equipment for roof surface access), subject to agreement these will be provided and the hire cost will be an expense to the Client and/or agent.
Cost is consultancy time incurred
According to our experience, the consultancy and time estimated will fluctuate mostly from unexpected and time-consuming activities to facilitate completing the consultancy satisfactory. Therefore any additional time required for the consultancy including travelling will continue.
When estimated time is given it is always subject to a ‘Rise & Fall’ (changeable) and the cost is our actual time incurred at our schedule hourly fee rate. When we provide an estimate, it is an estimate of time required for a given exercise when it can be predictable, and the estimate will continue to change which on the majority of cases continues through to completion of the consultancy.
Our consultancy will cease immediately upon receipt of the Client or agent informing us that the consultancy is no longer required. We will respond with a tax invoice of all fees and disbursements incurred to this point for prompt payment as per our terms and conditions.
Disbursements
Disbursements if any when applicable, are at costs and additional to our schedule hourly fee rate. This includes for taxi fares, parking station fares, plane fares and hiring of equipment.
Costs when Secondary Consultants for laboratory services are required, are separate to the consultancy fees and disbursements and their invoices to be the responsibility and paid directly for by the Client or agent.
When introducing Licensed Builders (external independent contractors) on behalf of the Client for any physical investigations, removing any part of the building fabric for assessment purposes of defects / conditions, and the re-positioning or replacement of the removed part/s of the building fabric or any cost associated with, the Client or agent agrees with their details, charges, and costs, and their invoices to be the responsibility and paid directly for by the Client or agent and not by the Building Diagnosis Centre.
Terms & Conditions
The Client or agent agrees to accept our time (and fee) estimations, including that unexpected and time-consuming activities occur when providing building and construction consultancy due to the many unknown factors especially as property and extent of the consultancy is unknown, and for full prompt progress payments upon tax invoice in the payment time specified.
In addition, agrees to accept and pay the costs for secondary consultants and any licensed builders mentioned above.
- Private property Clients are 7-days payment upon tax invoice.
- Commercial Clients are 14-days payment upon tax invoice.
- Strata self-managed Clients are 14-days payment upon tax invoice.
- Managing strata agent Clients are 14-days payment upon tax invoice.
- Solicitor agent Clients are 21-days payment upon tax invoice.
- All other Clients are 14-days payment upon tax invoice.
- Late Payment incurs a daily interest rate at 25.5% per annum after date of due tax invoice.
- Additional cost is a flat service fee of $50 each 30-days on unpaid accounts.
Our current indicative time schedule for the Services can change due to the nature of our specialised industry and construction generally where many intangible events occur.
Client’s Acceptance
The Client or their agent can either provide a written, faxed or email acceptance as being the preferred acceptance method prior to us commencing the consultancy. If acceptance is by phone, and once we commence the consultancy which may not necessarily be at the Client’s property, the Client has entered into an agreement for our consultancy.
By viewing the information at this website, you agree to the following terms and conditions.
Limited Authorisation to Reproduce
Where not indicated otherwise, you may not reproduce any portion of the information available at this site for research or personal use without express prior permission and then only providing that no changes are made to any of the information at this site or any part of any copyright notice is removed. You may not download, republish or print a copy of information from this site for commercial or any other purposes without written authorisation.
Copyright & Trademarks
Copyright in the information available in this site is owned by Robert Ferrari. Trademarks used on this site to describe companies and their products are trade marks of those companies or the registered proprietor of the relevant trade mark and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, modified, or distributed in any way (except as an integral part of an authorised copy of material appearing at this site) without prior permission.
No Liability
In no event shall we or our employees, distributors or associates be liable to any person or individual for any loss or damage whatsoever which may arise from the use of this site or any of the information available at this site.
Links are not Endorsements
While links to and frames of this site are in some cases permitted, we reserve the right by notice to prevent linking or framing. Links and frames connecting this site with other sites are for reference only and we expressly denies any endorsement or approval of those other sites, their content or the people who run them.
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