General Terms and Conditions
Jürg Schneider, Research and Writing Projects, Consultancies
Version as of December 12, 2025
- General
1.1. Scope
These General Terms and Conditions (hereafter “GTCs”) govern the business relationships between the
Consultant Jürg Schneider, as a sole Swiss proprietorship with domicile in CH-3097 Liebefeld
(hereafter “the Consultant”), and its Client (hereafter “the Client”). These GTCs become an integral
part of contracts between the Consultant and the Client upon the conclusion of a contract. Terms and
conditions of the Client which are specific for any given contract, or clauses which are additional to
these GTCs, or deviate from them, require the acceptance, in written form, of the Consultant.
1.2. Offers and conclusion of contract
The Client provides the Consultant with the relevant information on the service request, and informs
him on any pre-defined conditions. The Consultant provides his service offer on the basis of this
information, detailing relevant aspects of his offer, such as deliverables, fees, timetable, costs to be
borne by the Client, as appropriate. Offers with no deadline for acceptance are binding for 60 days.
A contract is concluded upon receipt by the Consultant of the offer countersigned by the Client. If
requested by the Client, a contract that complies with the specific requirements of the Client can be
negotiated and signed.
The contract as well as all any legally relevant declarations must be in written form to be valid (e‑mail
communication meets the written form requirement). - Services
2.1. Status of Consultant
The Consultant is an independent contractor and not an employee, partner, agent or joint venture of the
Client. The Consultant is solely responsible for all taxes, social security contributions, insurance
premiums and other statutory charges arising from the fees paid under a Contract, and shall not be
entitled to any employee benefits from the Client.
2.2. Cooperation duty of the Client
The Client provides the Consultant with all relevant information (documents, contacts, etc.) which are
required for the implementation of the contract. He ensures that information provided to the Consultant
is accurate and he has the proprietary rights where applicable. - Fees, expenses, invoicing, payments, and taxes
3.1. Fees
The fees shall be as specified in the offer or contract (e.g., as hourly rate, day rate or lumpsum). All fees
are quoted in Swiss Francs (CHF), exclusive of VAT and any applicable withholding taxes, unless stated
otherwise.
Fees become due upon acceptance of Services („Abnahme“) or milestones; a minimum fee of four
working hours at the hourly rate applies per engagement.
3.2. Installments
For projects exceeding CHF 10,000, the Consultant may require installments or partial payments
(„Teilzahlungen“) as follows: (i) 30% advance on the agreed fee upon contract signing; (ii) 40% upon
completion of a mutually agreed milestone (e.g., interim report); (iii) 30% upon final acceptance. Each
installment becomes due within 30 days of the respective trigger event. The schedule will be specified
in the offer or agreement.
3.3. Expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., travel, accommodation, third-party costs) require the Client’s prior written
approval and are reimbursed against receipts at cost, plus VAT if applicable. The Consultant invoices
for expenses monthly in arrears; payment is due within 30 days net. Late payments accrue interest at
5% p.a. above the Swiss National Bank rate. - Acceptance and Warranty
The Consultant warrants that the Services will be performed with due professional care in accordance
with Swiss law (in particular Art. 394 ff. OR). Any warranty (‚Gewährleistung‘) is limited to remedying
alleged defects notified in writing within 30 days after acceptance. The Client shall provide sufficient
details to enable verification of the alleged defect. If no notice is given, the Services shall be deemed
accepted (“Abnahme”).
In case of a notified defect within the warranty period, the Consultant shall, at his discretion, remedy
the defect within a reasonable time.
The Parties‘ liability for defects is governed exclusively by this clause; all other warranties, express or
implied, are excluded to the extent permitted by law. - Limitation of liability
The Consultant provides no guarantee of specific results or success; the Client makes all decisions and
bears implementation risks.
The Consultant bears no liability for defects arising from Client instructions, data, or third-party
materials. In no event shall the Consultant be liable for lost profits, data loss, business interruption, or
any indirect damages.
The Consultant’s liability shall not exceed the total fees paid under a contract in the 12 months preceding
a liability event. - Intellectual property
All works created by the Consultant are subject to copyright.
6.1. Ownership of deliverables
All deliverables specifically created for the Client under a contract (e.g., reports, strategies,
presentations; hereafter the „Work Product“) are owned by the Client upon full payment. The Consultant
assigns to the Client all rights, title, and interest in the Work Product, including copyrights.
6.2. Background Intellectual Property
The Consultant retains ownership of all pre-existing materials, tools, methodologies, know-how, or
general IP used in performing his services. The Client receives a non-exclusive license to use such
Background IP solely as necessary to exploit the Work Product. - Confidentiality and data protection
„Confidential Information“ means any non-public information disclosed by one Party to the other,
including internal documents, business data, know-how, but excluding information that is public,
independently developed, or rightfully received from third parties.
Each Party shall: (a) keep Confidential Information strictly confidential; and (b) use it solely for
implementing a contract. These obligations survive termination of the contract by three years, except
for trade secrets which remain protected indefinitely while they retain such status. - Final clauses
8.1. Severability
If individual provisions of these GTCs are – or, after the conclusion of the agreement, become -
ineffective or unenforceable, the contract and the other provisions of these GTC shall not be affected.
8.2. Governing law and jurisdiction
These GTCs and any Services Contract shall be governed by the substantive laws of Switzerland. The
exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising out of or in connection with these GTCs shall be
the courts of Berne, Switzerland.
8.3. Validity and amendments
These General Terms and Conditions are the version effective as of 19 December 2025 and apply to all
new contracts or services engagements concluded after this date.
The GTCs are published on the Consultant’s website www.jurgschneider.com and may be amended, in
full or in part, by the Consultant from time to time. Amended versions will be published on the website
with a new effective date and apply only to new contracts or services commenced thereafter.
Contracts or engagements concluded prior to an amended version remain governed by the GTCs in
force at the time of their conclusion.
8.4. Copyright
These GTCs are protected by the copyright of the Consultant. They may not be used or copied by third
parties without explicit consent of the Consultant.
