Client Terms

1. Scope of services

We provide participant recruitment, screening, and scheduling for market research (qualitative and quantitative). Optional extras: screener design, incentive handling, venue booking, respondent management, and fieldwork support.

2. Client responsibilities

  • Provide a clear brief: objectives, target criteria, quotas, geography, timings, method (online/in‑person), length, incentive, and screening exclusions.
  • Approve screeners promptly and supply any materials, NDAs, or compliance wording.
  • Confirm dates, times, platforms, and observer details.
  • Ensure compliance with your own legal/regulatory duties (e.g. sector rules).

3. Feasibility and timelines

We will flag feasibility risks early. Lead times, target incidence, and complexity affect recruitment pace. Project timelines are estimates, not guarantees.

4. Incentives

  • You set the incentive level (we can advise). We recommend fair rates (e.g. £50–£200 depending on audience/length).
  • We can manage incentives on your behalf (float or post‑event invoice) or you can pay participants directly.
  • Where we pay participants, you reimburse actual incentive outlay plus any agreed admin fee.

5. Pricing and payment

  • Fees may be per recruit, per completed participant, fixed project fee, or day rates—agreed in writing.
  • Out‑of‑pocket costs (incentives, venue, platforms, recruitment ads) are charged at cost plus any agreed handling.
  • Unless stated otherwise: 14‑day payment terms from invoice date; late payment may accrue statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts legislation.
  • We may request an upfront deposit for incentives/venues.

6. Cancellations and changes

  • If you cancel or postpone after recruitment has begun, we will charge for work completed and any non‑refundable costs (including booked incentives/venues).
  • Same‑day or last‑minute cancellations may require goodwill payments to participants at your cost.
  • Changes to quotas, criteria, or schedules after launch may impact timelines and fees.

7. Recruitment quality

  • We recruit against your brief using validated screeners and checks.
  • Replacement policy: reasonable best efforts to replace late dropouts before fieldwork start.
  • Exclusions: prior research frequency, client/competitor employment, and other disqualifiers must be declared in the brief.

8. Attendance and show rates

  • No‑show risk exists in all fieldwork. We advise suitable over‑recruit factors by audience.
  • We are not liable for remote platform or venue outages outside our control. We will assist with rescheduling if required.

9. Data protection

  • Each party acts as an independent controller for its own datasets unless we agree a processor arrangement in writing.
  • We comply with UK GDPR and are registered with the ICO.
  • We will only share participant data necessary to conduct the study. You must protect it, use it only for research, and delete it when no longer needed.
  • If recordings or incentives are handled by you, you are responsible for related notices, consents, and security.
  • International transfers require appropriate safeguards.

10. Confidentiality

  • Both parties must keep each other’s confidential information secure and use it only for the project.
  • You must keep study materials and participant identities confidential and not attempt to identify participants in outputs unless consented.

11. Intellectual property

  • Your materials and stimuli remain yours.
  • Our recruitment tools, screeners, and methods remain ours.
  • Deliverables we create for you (e.g. a final recruit list) become yours on full payment, excluding our underlying methods and know‑how.

12. Compliance and ethics

  • We follow the MRS Code of Conduct.
  • You will not ask us to recruit for activities that are unlawful, misleading, or unsafe.
  • Vulnerable or under‑16 participants require parental consent and appropriate safeguards.

13. Liability

  • We will provide services with reasonable care and skill.
  • Our total liability for a project is capped at the total fees paid or payable for that project, excluding death/personal injury caused by negligence and other liabilities that cannot be limited by law.
  • We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, or reputational harm.

14. Force majeure

  • Neither party is liable for delays or failure caused by events beyond reasonable control (e.g. outages, strikes, extreme weather).

15. Termination

  • Either party may terminate for material breach not remedied within 14 days of notice, or for insolvency.
  • On termination, you will pay for work done to date and non‑recoverable costs.

16. Governing law

  • England and Wales law and courts.

17. Contact for projects and invoices:

  • Email: [projects@[domain]]
  • Phone: [number]
  • Address: [The Studio Market Research Company, full postal address]