General Rules of Engagement

The Complete Document

Introduction

• The Approach to this and all Articles is consistent with our Standard System and Procedure.
• The Avar Team need to carry out certain required formalities to complete the client setup process. 
• These form part of our Standard System & Procedures (SSAPs). 
• This document details the processes during the Initial Setup and Engagement stages. 

Guest Clients

• Refer to Guest Client Document.

Know Your Client (KYC) 

• Statutory Verification Formalities required by law. 
• Includes Anti Money Laundering (AML) clearance checks for all clients prior to engagement. 
• You will need to provide the necessary information outlined on the form to enable the team to complete these checks. 
• Click here for further details and to complete the form. 

Database Information 

• Collecting the basic contact and database details for: 
  • Your Personal Information 
  • Your, Organisation’s Information 
  • Or, Both. 
• The process can be split into the following categories 
  • Share Point Contact Setup
  • Full Personal DB Details 
  • Company DB Details 
  • TaxCalc & Accounts Packages Setup 

Information from Previous Advisors 

• We write to your previous advisors requesting certain essential accounting and tax information. 
• This is the hand over process and helps us determine the current position in terms of the company and personal affairs. 
• We will also be writing to them requesting professional clearance.  
• This is a requirement by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW), prior to any client sign-up. 
• We will conduct our Client Risk Assessment based on professional clearance and the results from the KYC. 

Standard Systems & Software 

• Avar are and have always been at the cutting edge of software. 
• The entire organisation is highly software driven. 
• We use a variety of different software and applications that enable us to service you at the lowest possible cost.  
• The following applications will require installation, as part of our service agreement: 
  • Telegram for instant messaging (setup on your mobile and PC, Laptop or Tablet). 
  • TeamViewer for online meetings and technical support for Avar services only. 
• All software that is required to be installed on your mobile and PC, Laptop or Tablet must be carried out by you. 
• Avar can give instruction and guidance on setup.  
• Avar do not accept any liability for software or hardware malfunctions that may occur. 
• We also develop bespoke software for clients and this is led by our highly skilled IT Team. 

Authentication Process 

• We will request Online Authorisation Codes from HMRC and request an Authentication Code from Companies House. 
• We will ask you to sign Form 64-8 (authorising your agent), which upon signing will be forwarded to HMRC. 
• Click this link for further details.

Engagement Completion 

• Once the setup process is complete a meeting will be arranged to discuss the substantive work that is required to be done. 
• The cost of the setup is free of charge.  
• If for any reason engagement does not go ahead, there will be a fee for all the work carried out by Avar to that date. 
• It is at this point we will ask you to agree and sign our General Rules of Engagement. 

Billing and Fees 

• All fees are agreed and must be settled prior to the work commencing. 
• This can be by monthly standing order or a one-off payment by Credit Card online.
• Refer to our Fee collection policy

Communication SSAP 

• We have implemented new Standard Systems & Procedures (SSAP) for communication. 
• Making it easier and faster to get in touch with us and for the team to stay in constant contact with our clients. 
• To achieve this new level of efficiency we use Telegram for all clients and preferred partners. 
• Enables us to focus on the substantive work with the ability to deal with pressing matters promptly. 

Website

• We use our website to upload numerous articles across a range of accounting, tax, financial and business related topics. 
• There are various sections that can aid and assist businesses and individuals by using our knowledge bank. 

Forms

• Our forms are designed to enable faster data collection and to Authorise and Approve submissions to HMRC and other bodies.

Telegram

• Setup by our IT team to use Telegram on your mobile, PC, Laptop or Tablet. 
• It is a requirement of our Terms of Business that all clients be setup on Telegram. 
• All files transferred are sent to you via Telegram, this ensures: 
  • All files are in your possession. 
  • You can move onto new advisors at any point without requesting documents from Avar. 
  • Further requests for documents already available in Telegram will be charged at £100 + VAT per request. 
• For more information on Telegram, click on this link. 

Avar Broadcast

• We will use a Telegram Channel entitled “Reflections” to “broadcast” key news and events to all clients. 
•  This keeps all Clients updated on any changes in accounting, tax, finance and any other important news. 

Emails

• Avar will send all responses and transfer of files via Telegram. 
• Email use is limited and only used if circumstances require it. 

Telephone Calls & Voice Mails

• This is a primary method of communication and will be used when Telegram is not appropriate.  
• All telephone calls are recorded.  
• Links to Telephone Conversation Recordings (TCR) will be sent to you at the discretion of Avar or upon request by you. 
• There will be a charge of £100 + VAT for each TCR requested subsequently or outside your standing instructions. 

SMS

• This is slowly being phased out with the introduction of instant messaging via Telegram.  
• We may still use SMS communication in certain events or during the client initial setup stage. 

Working Practices

• This section outlines Avar’s working practices and the rationale behind our Standard System & Procedures (SSAP). 

Client Categories

• Our Clients are generally separated into two distinct categories: 
  • Organisations
  • Individuals
• These categories form the basis of the type of work we undertake.  
• This further determines the dates by which we require information for execution of specified assignments. 

Provision of Information

• You must setup a Dropbox account and share the folder with Avar. 
• A template called “Boomerang” is given to all clients to enter information 
• The first step is that you must provide bank statements in csv format to Avar 
• We will then part complete the Boomerang using the bank csv. 
• A screen share meeting via TeamViewer is setup where we will complete the transactions on the boomerang, online. 
• Other information we may require to be entered onto Boomerang is detailed below: 
  • Sales Invoices 
  • Purchase Invoices 
  • Cash Expenses 
  • Business Mileage 
  • Use of Home 
• We encourage clients to use the above services as this: 
  • Minimises costs 
  • Does not require hard copy documents to be sent to us (invoices, vouchers and bank statements etc.) 
• As we deal with Companies House and HMRC deadlines, information must be provided in a timely manner. 
• The assignment will not commence until all information is received complete in its entirety. 

Nature of Work

• The services we offer can also be split into two categories: 
  • Advisory 
  • Execution
• Advisory work is charged at a higher fee, as this involves detailed accounting, tax analysis, financial planning and advice.
• Execution does not include planning and advice and we will only file end of year accounts and tax returns. 
• If you choose to opt for “Execution Only” services, it is your responsibility to take precautionary measures to protect your tax and/or accounting position going forward. 

Disengagement: Moving on From Avar 

• The Disengagement Process 

Policies

• Cookie Policy 
• GDPR 
• Email Policy 
• Privacy Policy 
• Copyright Policy (to be done)