RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020 : Interior Design Services

The RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services is suitable where the Interior Designer undertakes a commission for interior design services for simple, non-complex, commercial projects of any value and where the Interior Designer is undertaking the installation of Interior Designer FF&E. Where any building work is required then a separate building contract, such as the RIBA Concise Building Contract, should be used.

The RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services may not be suitable or sufficiently comprehensive for complex projects. For projects where the RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services is not suitable, the Client and the Interior Designer should take appropriate legal advice on alternative legal terms.

The RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services is devised as an agreement between an Interior Designer and a business client or a public authority and is a ‘construction contract’ to which the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (HGCRA, also known as the Construction Act) applies.

Business Clients include charities, religious organisations and not-for-profit bodies. Where the Client is a public authority, it may be necessary to include provisions relating to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and to corrupt gifts and payments under the Bribery Act 2010.

The RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services is not suitable for non-commercial work undertaken for a ‘consumer’ Client, such as work done to the Client’s home, if the Client has elected to contract in their own name, i.e. not as a limited company or other legal entity, or where the property will be let. A contract with a consumer Client is subject to the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The RIBA recommends the use of the RIBA/BIID Domestic Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services for work undertaken for a consumer client.

Key features

• is suitable for simple, non-complex commercial projects of any value
• is devised as an agreement between an Interior Designer and a business client or a public authority (including charities, religious organisations and not-for-profit bodies) and is a ‘construction contract’ to which the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (HGCRA, also known as the Construction Act) applies.
• focuses on the Interior Designer providing interior design services, including the provision of FF&E and undertaking and the installation of Interior Designer FF&E

Easy to understand

The RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services is written in plain English, which provides three key benefits:

1. the language used in the contract is succinct and easy to understand, compared to other standard forms of contracts
2. the terms of the contract are fair and equitable for both the Client and the Interior Designer
3. the clause structure used in the contract avoids the use of large numbers of sub-sub clauses and large amounts of cross-referencing between provisions

Copies required for each Party

It is legally advisable that both parties to the contract each have an original signed version. Therefore, you should purchase two copies of the contract, so that both the Client and the Interior Designer has an original signed copy. Alternatively, prepare your contract online – see RIBA Contracts Digital – which allows you to issue final copies of the contract to each party at no extra cost.

Integration with other RIBA documents

The RIBA/BIID Concise Professional Services Contract 2020: Interior Design Services has been specifically written to integrate with the RIBA Building Contracts and the RIBA Plan of Work.