Standard Engagement Terms

The following provisions are an integral part of UpLevel HR Consulting's engagement with its Clients. You should therefore retain a copy of these standard terms with any Scopes of Work (hereinafter “SOW”) provided.

Scope of Work

These terms, along with the agreed-upon engagement provided to you by UpLevel HR Consulting (hereinafter "the Consultant"), describes the services the Consultant has agreed to provide. Consultant professionals will act on your behalf to the best of their ability. Any expressions on their part concerning the outcome of your HR matters are expressions of their best professional judgment and best practices, but are not guarantees. All opinions provided are necessarily limited by their knowledge of the facts and are based on the state of applicable regulations at the time they are expressed.

Consultant-Client Relationship

The Consultant's client is the person or entity that is identified in the SOW and does not include any affiliates of such person or entity unless UpLevel HR Consulting’s Principal Consultant has specifically agreed to such engagement. The consultant-client relationship will be considered terminated upon completion of the services that you have retained the Consultant to perform. After completion of this engagement, changes may occur in applicable laws, regulations, and best practices that could affect your outcomes. Please understand that the Consultant has no continuing obligation to give advice with respect to any future developments or employment regulations that may pertain to this matter. If you later retain the Consultant to perform additional services, our consultant-client relationship will be renewed subject to the terms of engagement, as agreed to at that time.

Communications and Confidentiality

Please note that the Consultant has found email to be an efficient, reasonably private means of communication; however, it is not a perfectly secure medium. Unless you specifically direct us otherwise, the Consultant will use unencrypted email to communicate with you and to send documents that we have prepared or reviewed related to this engagement. Additionally, as a matter of professional responsibility, we are committed to preserving the confidences and sensitive information of our clients. This professional obligation exists to encourage candid and complete communication. Accordingly, we trust that our consultant-client relationship will be based on mutual confidence and unrestricted communication that will facilitate our proper representation of you.

Representation 

Consultant does not and will not provide you with legal advice; all communications, resources, and materials provided by the Consultant are based on general Human Resource best practices and should not be construed as legal advice or a substitute for employment law counsel.

By engaging with the Consultant, Client represents and warrants that:

• Consultant will rely solely on the accuracy and completeness of the information provided by Client and is not responsible for detecting or investigating errors, omissions, fraud or illegal acts that may exist; 
• Client alone is responsible for compliance with all legal and governmental regulations affecting its business;
• Client alone is responsible for making all management decisions and performing all management functions and for designating an individual with suitable skill, knowledge, and experience to oversee any services provided by the Consultant;
• Client is responsible for evaluating the adequacy and results of the services and accepting responsibility for such services.

Disclaimer

You understand that Human Resource consulting is not an exact science. Throughout the services, the Consultant will collaborate with you to generate best strategies, tactics, and ideas that you may use to achieve your objectives.  You understand and agree that there is no guarantee that you will see positive results from our services. Consultant assumes no management responsibility for Client’s decisions or for policies or practices that Client implements.

Fees for Services

This notice sets forth our agreement regarding fees for the services.  Consultant will keep accurate records of all time devoted to Client's matters, including communications, meetings, preparation of written materials, factual investigation, research and analysis, document preparation and revision, travel on your behalf, and other related matters. Client agrees that all retainer or fixed fee payments, including any partial payments, are earned by the Consultant when paid and will not be held in a trust account. If the Consultant bills Client at an hourly rate, time is recorded in quarter-hour increments. Hourly rates are adjusted periodically. The Consultant also charges for the reasonable value of any reused work product completed for other clients, such as policy templates and research.

Current Hourly Rates (effective 5/1/25):

Service Level - Hourly Rate

• Standard: $175
• Priority: $250
• Complex: $225

Standard: Work requested or required to be started after 5 business days.

Priority: Work requested or required to be started on the same day, within 24 hours, a holiday, or a weekend. 

Complex: Any work involving compensation analysis, workplace investigations, government audits, legal claims, collaborating with Client’s legal counsel.

Expenses

The Consultant may incur certain costs on behalf of clients such as postage, photocopying, travel expenses (e.g., hotel, mileage, transportation, meal expenses), and purchasing of specialized materials or software. Your statement will include an accurate itemization of these costs, if applicable.

Billing Arrangements and Terms of Payment

The Consultant's invoices are due upon receipt. Following your receipt of an invoice please let the Consultant know immediately if Client has any questions. Please note that, if the Consultant does not receive any communication from the Client regarding an invoice within 30 days following receipt of such invoice, the Consultant will be entitled to assume that the Client has agreed with the amount and will pay the same. Any invoice which is not paid within 30 days of its date will be considered past due and the Consultant reserves the right to charge interest at the rate of 1½% per month until paid. In addition, we expressly reserve our right to withdraw from and terminate this representation if Client fails to pay any bill. Finally, in the unlikely event that the Consultant is required to institute collection proceedings to collect its fees and costs, you agree that the Consultant will be entitled to reasonable collection fees not to exceed 15% of the unpaid balance, and other costs of collection, if the Consultant prevails in such action.

Termination of Engagement

Client may terminate the Consultant's services at any time by notifying the Consultant's Principal Consultant in writing, including via email. Termination of the Consultant's services will not affect the Client's responsibility to pay the Consultant for consulting services rendered and expenses incurred before termination and in connection with an orderly transition of the matter, if applicable. Several types of conduct or circumstances might require the Consultant to withdraw from engagement with the Client such as nonpayment of fees or costs, misrepresentation or failure to disclose material facts, liable action contrary to the Consultant's advice, and conflicts of interest with another client. If withdrawal ever occurs, the Consultant will promptly provide the Client with written notice, including via email.

Document Retention

At the conclusion of each engagement, the Consultant will return to you any documents that you specifically request to be returned; however, you agree that the Consultant may retain copies of all documents for its records.