Contracts and Costs

Brentwood does cost the services according to scale, but the costs of services is dependent on the scope of the services needed and the specific requirement of the client.

There are no joining fees, no administrative fees and no hidden costs.  The monthly retainers will cover all the functions relating to the services

With the exception of legal work, we do not bill our clients outside of the agreed monthly retainer, unless there are exceptional events where events at a client has meant that the retainer has significantly exceeded the time allocation and it is having an impact on the ability of the consultants concerned to service their remaining clients.  In these circumstances the situation is discussed with the client and the situation remedied amicably between both.

Retainers

We prefer to work with our clients on a retainer basis, which tends to mean a greater commitment to the process of effective Human Resources and Industrial Relations Management by our clients and from the consultants who develop a personal understanding of the client to provide a tailored and relevant solution.

A retainer relationship means that Brentwood assigns two consultants to each client.  The dedicated responsibility of the consultant to the client mean that a greater understanding of the needs and requirements f that client is achieved and the consultants are able to provide advice and assist in decisions and strategy specifically suited to the needs and culture of the client within the framework of our legislation.  The main contact is the primary consultant, with the secondary consultant available in those eventualities where the primary consultant is unavailable due to CCMA representation or other urgent matters.

Unlimited services:  Brentwood neither monitors nor bills the telephonic, fax and e-mail advice and assistance.  There are no additional costs for unlimited telephonic, fax and e-mail assistance.   Included in the retainer costs are the Topicalities programme, which keeps clients up to date on matters relating to Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Health and Safety, Legal, Employment Equity, Skills Development and broad based black economic empowerment.

Within the general time frame all the services are covered within the retainer, without additional charge.

Costs that is external to the retainer relationship:

1. Arbitration and Con-Arb (but not conciliation), although retainer clients receive discounted rate.

1. Training, although retainer clients receive a discounted rate.
2. Projects that may involve the cross-sourcing of other service, like Health and Safety and Counselling, which will be detailed in a proposal before commencement.
3. Travel outside of the Gauteng area.  Retainer client are not held responsible for the travel expenses of consultants within the Gauteng area.

Casual Consulting

We understand that some companies are still small and growing, and that a retainer may not always make financial sense. That does not mean that you shouldn't be able to get the HR and IR support you need. Brentwood will gladly assist you with your growing business.

Our non-retainer clients who prefer to use our services on an ad-hoc basis pay for the services on an hourly basis.  The drawback of a non-retainer relationship is that Brentwood cannot guarantee the attention of one dedicated consultant, although we do strive of continuity in the relationship development between client and consultant.

Brentwood remains cost–effective and competitive in this market with regard to pricing and service delivery.