facilitating access to UKZN s intellectual capital and resources for the benefit of South Africa, the African continent and society as a whole

Transcription

1 UKZN InQubate facilitating access to UKZN s intellectual capital and resources for the benefit of South Africa, the African continent and society as a whole Consultancy Services Access point to University s World Class expertise and resources

2 Consultancy Services The University of KwaZulu-Natal recognises the importance of consultancy work in order to advance the knowledge economy which is an important piece of the National Development Plan and have a positive impact on, social and economic development in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, SADC and the entire African continent. It also recognises the fact that consultancy is indeed a very important aspect of an academic endeavour that can be used to foster long term relationships between industry, government, the public sector and academia which are so crucial in promoting innovation and information flow. University policies allow UKZN Staff Members to engage in consultancy work in two ways: University Consultancy University Consultancy is a service where expertise is provided, for a fee or in-kind benefit, to assist or advice in relation to problem solving. It is generally of a short duration and can be provided to clients from public, private, charitable or voluntary sectors by individuals or groups of staff of the University. There are of course instances where it can involve staff members of other institutions. It is professional services other than research, based on the client s articulated need, using UKZN space, equipment, services, facilities or staff time. Consultancy differs from Research in that it involves the application of existing knowledge and/or techniques and there is usually no academic output such as publications in academic journal. All UKZN Consultancy should be done through UKZN InQubate. Summary of Differences Private Consultancy Private Consultancy is defined as an arrangement for the provision of professional services, where the consultant operates in a strictly private capacity based on his or her reputation, outside of his/her contractual duties to UKZN and without using UKZN space, equipment, services, or facilities. This type of Consultancy is governed by UKZN s Private Remunerative Work Policy. Academics and Researchers who wish to engage in this type of Consultancy should contact the Division of Human Resources for further advice. N.B. Private work should not be in the field of expertise that the staff member is employed by UKZN to perform. Consultancy via UKZN InQubate Sourced through the Researcher s Association with the University(the initial enquiry could have come through the consultants Department, a phone call made to the consultants University office or an sent to the university s address) Consultant s Liability is limited because they enjoy cover from the UKZN s professional Indemnity Insurance The researcher can use the University s resources, including address, telephone line, letterhead and computer Private Consultancy This is sourced through the consultant s reputation and personal connections and is not related to the researcher s job at the university University consultants who perform private consultancy work do so at their own risk and do not enjoy any cover from the University s Insurance The researcher would have to seek approval from InQubate Technical Services, HR and the H.O.D. to use UKZN s research facilities. It is worth noting that, the consultant may not use the university s address, telephone, letterhead or any other university related item that might create the impression that they are acting as members of staff of UKZN.

3 All administrative tasks associated with the consultancy project are handled by UKZN InQubate Access to agreement templates, strategic databases and an experienced research administration team that negotiate favourable terms for the consultant The consultant handles all administrative tasks related to the project, including their own personal insurance and the sourcing of the services of an attorney to prepare agreements Consultants cannot access these services if they are engaged in private consultancy. University Consultancy Participation Procedure Enquiry Received Discuss with the Dean to Gain approval Send request to InQubate using appropriate forms together with Project the plan Things to consider in this Discussion: Resources to carry out the work Is it in line with School s strategic objectives? Anticipated fee and how it stacks up with the market With InQubate Support, the detailed scope of the work together with fees are negotiated with the client. Contract finalisation, member of staff is kept in the loop Researcher/ Academic agrees to perform the work as given in the schedule Academic or researcher informs InQubate when milestones are met InQubate finance services, raise invoices as per agreed payment schedule All Consultancy work by staff should be approved by the University, contact HR for Private Remunerative Work and InQubate for University Consultancy Staff Member receives his portion of funds as per the agreed apportioning between stakeholders The Process explained If you are contacted by a potential client it is important to identify the scope and nature of the services what deliverables the client wants and any relevant milestones and timings. Try to avoid discussing prices. After this conversation it is important to think through what this commitment will entail in terms of time and resources needed and identify any potential conflicts

4 of interest which may need managing. Because you ll need approval from your Dean or Line Manager, it is important to discuss your project with them, this will be an opportunity to assess your work your work load and the amount of support that you ll need from the department/ school in order to carry out the work. After getting a nod from your Dean contact InQubate as soon as possible and we will advise on contractual matters including costing and pricing for the type of consultancy work that you plan to embark on. We will generate a contract between UKZN and the client based on our model agreement and ask you to review the project specific details. We will send the contract to the client and, if necessary, negotiate any specific amendments required, keeping you informed of all developments throughout this journey. Once the contract is agreed to, we will ask you to sign a short letter agreement, committing you to provide services as stipulated in the agreement. After signing the agreement the academic will then be in a position to start working on the project and InQubate will invoice the client as detailed in the consultancy agreement. Income received from the client will be distributed according UKZN s consultancy guidelines after paying all direct costs incurred in the project. Services Offered by UKZN InQubate There are number of benefits are associated with doing consultancy work through the university via InQubate as opposed to doing the same privately. These benefits are linked to high quality services that the office offers to university consultants. We have outlined some of the services available to university InQubate, they are primarily aimed at ensuring that our academics and staff members can take advantage of consultancy activities without picking a large burden of administration work and risk that accompanies such projects. Assistance with the negotiation of fees, terms and conditions Assistance with costing and pricing of the project Providing quotations including standard contractual agreements Formal arrangements for the use of University facilities Invoicing and income distribution after the work has been completed Debt collection, in instances where the client does not pay on time InQubate will market expertise and source consultancy work for academics on its expertise database Consultancy Services handles all project management activities related to each consultancy project ensuring that all stakeholders meet their deadlines Activities NOT Regarded as Consultancy Work

5 Consultancy projects are defined as distinct from activities that form part of research and other conventional academic activities. University Consultancy guidelines do not cover activity funded with the main aim of undertaking research that as aspect is handled by Research Contracts personnel in the Legal Services Department and Research Division. Examples of normal/conventional academic activities that would be excluded from this guideline include: Lecturing Research Assessment or Evaluation panel memberships Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (normal inter-institutional academic activities) Teaching Quality Assessment Refereeing and reviewing papers, books or grant applications External Examining Credit bearing training projects Conference attendance/presentations External committee memberships Private or public sector board appointments Private Remunerative (which is covered by the UKZN s Policy on Private Remunerative work) InQubate Consultancy Services will advise on how any particular activity relates to UKZN s Consultancy guidelines. These guidelines are available on inqubate.ukzn.ac.za. Consultancy Income Distribution Income from the consultancy should be distributed following this portioning as a guideline: a) 70% of gross income (including consulting fee and project costs) to the Consultant through UKZN s payroll and appropriate personal income tax will be levied on the amount b) 15% of the gross income to the UKZN main fund c) 15% of the gross income to UKZN-InQubate Funds distributed to college or school accounts are only to be used to support the teaching and research mission of the University. Principal Investigator Initiated Project Income from the consultancy should be distributed following this portioning as a guideline: a) 75% of gross income (including consulting fee and project costs) to the Consultant through UKZN s payroll and appropriate personal income tax will be levied on the amount b) 12,5% of the gross income to the UKZN main fund

6 c) 12,5% of the gross income to UKZN-InQubate Funds distributed to college or school accounts are only to be used to support the teaching and research mission of the University. For over R 5 million, the income distribution Income from the consultancy should be distributed following this portioning as a guideline: a) 60% of gross income (including consulting fee and project costs) to the Consultant through UKZN s payroll and appropriate personal income tax will be levied on the amount b) 20% of the gross income to the UKZN main fund c) 20% of the gross income to UKZN-InQubate Contact us Tumi Ngqondo Project Manager: Consultancy Services inqubate@ukzn.ac.za Office Number: