Projects

The major activity of this consultancy is undertaking projects on behalf of clients. This has led us to undertake a wide variety of work for clients in a wide variety of industries. Further details of the types of project, which we have undertaken, is provided under Areas of Expertise and an indication of the variety of clients is provided under Industry Experience.

In all cases, we adopt an approach which, we feel, reduces the risk of misunderstanding and leads to an informed relationship. This is described, in more detail, under Approach to Work.

Whilst we can undertake a wide range of projects, a small range of project types accounts for the majority of our work. Accordingly, we have provided details of each of these types of project, including typical terms of reference, and guidance on the effort and timescale involved, for your information. Please note, however, that this is not a formal proposal, or invitation to treat, as we would wish to discuss your requirements in detail before we could submit a proposal. The types of project, are:

- I.T. Strategy

- Corporate Strategy / Business Planning

- I.T. /Computer Systems Selection

- Systems Implementation

Specific Assistance

If there is some form of assistance which you require, which need not be related to any of the advice offered on this site, please send an e-mail to enquiries@quercetum.co.uk

Please provide full details of the problem, and the assistance which you require, as well as details of how to contact you. We will then contact you with details of what we can do to help you, and guidance on the level of any costs which will be incurred, if you wish us to proceed. We would then want to follow this up with a conversation, with you, to clarify your requirements and our response. We make no charge until we have agreed a proposal with our clients. See Approach to Work.

Areas of Expertise

As mentioned elsewhere, our main line of business is undertaking consultancy projects for clients. Our main areas of business are:

- many areas of IT, including:

* Strategy Studies

* Systems Selection

* Project Management

* Systems Implementation

* Contingency and Disaster Planning

* Departmental Review

* Locum Management

* General IT advice

* Mentoring

- business planning and related topics, including:

* preparing Corporate Strategies

* preparation of business plans

* advice to SMEs

- ISO 9000 and related quality issues

Industry Experience

The clients, for whom our consultants have worked, have been in a variety of industries including:

- Sportswear, Mens Suits, Youth Fashion and Textiles;

- High Street Retail, including chain stores and individual retailers;

- Plastics, DIY and Paint Brushes;

- Garages, Tyres, Exhausts and Battery Retail;

- Grocery and Confectionery, Wines and Spirits, and Home Freezer Products, and an abattoir;

- Solicitors, Accountants, Insurance Brokers and Recruitment Agencies;

- Travel Agency and Hotel Reservations;

- Container Leasing;

- Builders Merchants;

- Light Engineering including Joinery, Spring Manufacture, Precision Engineering, Fabrication, Wire Drawing, manufacture of large Plastic Structures etc.;

- Sewing machines;

- Tobacco Products;

- Printing and Packaging;

- Newspaper Publication, both National and Local;

- Book Publication;

- Trades Union;

- Building Material Manufacture;

- Steel Stockholding;

- Transport;

- Earthmoving Equipment, small plant Hire, and engineering maintenance (fork lift trucks and refrigeration plant);

- Banking, Finance Houses, Insurance Companies, Stock-Brokers, and Market-Makers;

- Estate Agents (Residential, Commercial & Industrial), Property Management;

Approach to work

We believe that the work, to be undertaken, should be properly defined, and agreed, before any chargeable effort is spent. This ensures that both parties agree on the roles and responsibilities of all parties, including what work is to be undertaken, by whom, and what the expected outcomes are. Accordingly, we would expect to discuss the project, in some detail, with any prospective client, before preparing suggested terms of reference. For prospective clients located in the UK, with non-trivial requirements, we would expect to visit the client's premises, for up to half a day, to discuss the requirements and assess the situation.

Basis for charging

We charge for the time spent working on a project, plus expenses incurred - commonly referred to as a 'Time and Materials' contract. VAT is charged at the current rate on both fees and expenses. Our fee rates vary depending on the type of work, and the expertise required but are, usually, around £600 per day of 7.5 hours work.

Use of Associates

There are times when our expertise is insufficient to cover all the requirements of the project. In such cases, we will call on the services of associates who can provide the relevant expertise under our control. In such cases we will notify the client of their role, but we will retain contract responsibility for the work. We do not object to clients developing an on-going relationship with the associate, but we ask that no new contractual relationship is entered into until the initial project is concluded, to avoid conflicts of interest.

If you have a project which you would like to discuss with us, please see the Contact Information on our home page, or contact us, by requesting Specific Assistance.