Full guide to Consultancy Policy May 2006 Page 1 - University of ...

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Document Layout and Conventions
Layout
This main column describes the core policy. The column to the right provides
additional notes of guidance or clarification where appropriate.
A number of conventions and abbreviations have been adopted to try to make the
document easier to assimilate and avoid complex and repetitive text. The use of these
conventions, in italics (e.g. Consultant), forms part of the core policy.
Consent and approval [HoS/DoPS]
Approval to consult in all cases is subject to the consent and guidance of:
Notes of clarification and
guidance
• The Head of School – for staff employed with a school, including professional
service categories
• The Director of Professional Service – for Professional Services staff employed
within (central) professional services function.
Heads of School and above must seek consent from their Dean or the Vice-Chancellor
and Director of Professional Services from the Secretary and Registrar.
By convention the abbreviation HoS/DoPS will be used to describe the above.
Staff categories eligibility to consult [Consultant]
The full policy describing which staff categories may consult are set out in sections 2.4
and 2.5. The (abbreviated) term Consultant will be used to mean any eligible staff
member who seeks to, or is engaged in consulting activity.
The 30-day rule [30-day rule/15 day rule]
Policy permits some staff categories to consult up to a maximum 30 days in total across
all permitted channel types. A similar rule applies to other staff members for whom the
maximum is 15 days for permitted channels. This rule will be abbreviated to the 30-
day rule or the 15 day rule respectively.
Full Economic Cost [FEC]
Full economic costing is being introduced throughout the University under the guidance
of the University’s Director of Finance. The deployment of Consultancy Policy will be
governed under the rules of full economic costing. This rule will be abbreviated to the
under FEC. No dispensation or variation to full economic costing is allowed for in this
policy document.
1.2 Principles
A single source of guidance
There is already a considerable body of consulting activity around the University and
this will be recognised as we consider how to proceed. This document will be agreed
by the appropriate policy committees and will be the prime source for policy.
Balance
This policy seeks to strike a practical balance between prescriptive policy and guidance,
and the freedom of Heads of School to exercise judgement on what is appropriate for
their particular school circumstances.
What is consulting? … and what is not?
Consulting is defined as part of knowledge transfer, and arises where knowledge and
expertise can be deployed successfully for financial and other forms of benefit. This
may include a range of consulting activities including the delivery of non-award bearing
CPD.
Generally the 30-day rule
applies to certain ERE
categories of staff whereas the
15-day rule applies to certain
professional service categories
of staff.
Not all staff are permitted to
consul t via all channels.
Any variations sought or
approved mus t be deal t with
though the finance function or
under finance policy.
The time is right to summarise
all existing policy and guidelines
and explain changes to support
the way forward.
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