About these terms
These terms apply to all engagements with The Essential Expert Ltd ("TEE", "we", "us"). They set out the basics. The specifics of any individual engagement (scope, deliverables, fees, timing) are confirmed separately in a written engagement letter or statement of work, which takes precedence over these general terms where they differ.
How an engagement begins
Every engagement begins with a no-charge scoping conversation. There is no obligation on either side. After that conversation, if there is a fit, we issue a written engagement letter setting out:
- What we will do, and what we will not
- How long it will take and what milestones we expect
- What the fees are and how billing works
- What is required from you to deliver well
- How the engagement can be ended
Work begins only when the engagement letter is signed (or accepted by email).
Fees and billing
The Rate Card 2026 sets out our standard fees and accessible rates. Specific rates for any engagement are confirmed in your engagement letter.
- Retainers (Executive Coaching, Strategic Foresight) are billed monthly in advance with 30 days rolling notice on either side.
- Diagnostic projects (The Essential Review) are billed 40% on commissioning, 60% on delivery of the final report.
- Programme fees (The Director's Path) are payable in full on booking, with an instalment option available on request.
- Day-rate engagements (Embedded Leadership) are invoiced monthly for days delivered, with a minimum 20-day commitment.
All fees are exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate. Invoices are payable within 14 days. We charge interest on late payments at the statutory rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
The accessible rate
The lower rate on every product applies automatically to: public sector and NHS organisations, registered charities, self-funding individuals, and SMEs under fifty employees. No application or proof is required. Declare on booking and the accessible rate applies. The work is identical at both rates.
Delivery and direct involvement
All engagements are led directly by Stephen Marshall VR (TEE founder). We do not delegate core advisory work to associates or junior staff.
Where we engage external specialists for specific elements of a delivery (for example, a sector expert as part of an Essential Review), we identify them in advance, retain accountability for the outcome, and absorb the cost within the agreed fee unless otherwise stated.
Confidentiality
Anything you share with us in the course of a scoping conversation or engagement is treated as confidential. We do not share, sell, publish, or use it outside the work itself.
We may, with your express written agreement, refer to an engagement in case studies or marketing materials. We will never do so without that agreement.
Where required by an existing security clearance or NDA, we operate within those frameworks.
Intellectual property
- Frameworks, methodologies, tools, and templates that we bring to an engagement remain our property.
- Outputs created specifically for you within the engagement (reports, plans, written advice, custom tools) become yours on payment of the relevant invoice.
- Both parties retain rights to their own pre-existing materials and know-how.
Liability
Our advice is professional but not infallible. You retain responsibility for decisions made within your organisation. Our maximum aggregate liability under any single engagement is limited to the fees paid for that engagement in the 12 months preceding the relevant claim, except where liability cannot be excluded by law (death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation).
We carry professional indemnity insurance appropriate to our work; details available on request.
Ending an engagement
Either party may end a retained engagement on 30 days written notice. Diagnostic projects and programmes proceed to scheduled completion unless either party identifies a fundamental issue requiring early termination, in which case we resolve the position in good faith.
Disputes and governing law
If something goes wrong, talk to us first. We will attempt to resolve any dispute through direct conversation. If that does not work, these terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
Changes to these terms
We may update these general terms from time to time. The version in force at the start of an engagement applies for the duration of that engagement.