Notice to All Listed Commercial & Legal Correspondents 2013/2014 - Revised Invoicing Requirements

Dear Sirs, 

Revised Invoicing Requirements

For the attention of all Correspondents, Lawyers and others who submit invoices for claims handled for The West of England’s Members:

Please find attached the format and information that should be included within your invoices in respect of all cases (both P&I and FD&D) that you handle. We request that you follow this format which will also facilitate the prompt payment of your invoices.

May we also remind you that invoices should be submitted promptly. Where you are instructed over a period of time, the Club requires that you remit interim invoices once the invoice amount, including disbursements, has reached US$10,000 or its equivalent in local currency, unless the Club’s claims handler requests you to invoice more frequently. Where an amount of US$10,000 or more, or its equivalent in local currency, is incurred in a single month you should invoice the Club at the end of that month.

Where you are instructed for a survey or other specific piece of work, the Club requires that you remit your invoice for fees and disbursements promptly and, in any event, within one month of having completed the piece of work. This will assist us in reserving the case properly. Please contact the Club if you have any queries.

Please note that if additional suppliers are instructed by you (barristers, experts etc.); it is your responsibility to ensure that such additional suppliers recognise that they should also follow these invoicing guidelines.

In both P&I and FD&D cases, invoices must contain the following minimum information:

1. Vessel name;
2. Description of incident and date;
3. Date of invoice;
4. Period covered;
5. Invoice number;
6. The Club’s file reference (e.g. 2010123456) and name or initials of the claims handler dealing with the file in the Club’s offices; 
7. File reference of the correspondent or sub contractor;
8. The name of each individual in respect of whose work the invoice has been submitted;
9. The number of hours that individual has spent working on the case, by date;
10. The inclusive hourly charge for that individual;
11. The total amount chargeable in respect of each individual’s work;
12. Where sub-contractors (e.g. surveyors) are appointed by a club correspondent or lawyer instructed by the Club, that correspondent or lawyer shall ensure that the sub-contractor submits a bill containing the same information as is specified here.

• Your bank account details should also be contained within the invoice, for the currency of the invoice: 
  • bank name,
  • account name, 
  • account number and 
  • routing method, i.e. SWIFT or sort code. 
• Invoices should be addressed to the named Member, using the Member’s registered address and using the Member’s VAT registration number (where applicable – see Club’s Notice to European Correspondents – Fees: VAT in the EU June 2012)

Link to a specimen invoice format 

Yours faithfully
For: West of England Insurance Services (Luxembourg) S.A.
       (As Managers) 

Chris South
Deputy Director and
Representation Co-Ordinator