Date

External Adviser Name and

Institution address 1

Institution address 2

Institution address 3

Dear External Adviser Name

Letter of Appointment for the Review of Existing Programmes

Following completion of the nomination process, I write on behalf of the University to formally invite you to act as External Adviser in connection with the review of the following programme(s) in the School of XXXXX

Your term of Office is: XXXXXXXXX

The following Programme(s) are being reviewed:

Programme Name (s)

The following Module(s) are being reviewed:

Module Name 1

Module Name 2 etc

Please can I draw your attention to the following documents which will assist you to complete the role described in the External Adviser Policy.

External Adviser Policy

Programme Approval and Review Process.

External Adviser report template.

Framework for Taught Programmes

Any subject-specific characteristics developed by the School.

Programme documents including:

programme specification;

5-year enhancement action plan, with supporting evidence which may include the programme SWOT analysis (undertaken in phase 1of the Programme Review Process) and the outcomes from engagement with toolkits required/recommended as strategic enhancement, quality and standards or compliance priorities by the approval panel (in phase 1).

As External Adviser you are asked to provide the programme team with advice as they refresh their existing programme documentation and write their enhancement action plan. Your work will culminate in an External Advisers Report.

The External Advisers Report will form part of the documentation presented to the Approval Panel when the programme team meets with the Approval Panel on [insert date] and you are welcome to attend this meeting. Please contact the School contact detailed below if you wish to attend.

The Approval Panel will be looking for evidence that you have been provided with a response from the programme team indicating how any ideas and recommendations you have made have been incorporated into the programme and that the enhancement action plan or any concerns you have made have been appropriately addressed.

Payment

On receipt of your report a fee of £xxx will be payable. To obtain this you must submit an invoice for the work undertaken including any expenses that you experienced in carrying out this work.

A sample of the VAT invoice template can be found in the General Information for Suppliers section of the University of Southampton Finance website. Your invoice should be submitted to the School contact as noted below.

Claims for expenses should be submitted no later than three months after they were incurred. If you have any queries regarding the payment of expenses, please contact the School contact as noted below.

May we remind you that it remains your responsibility to ensure that the required tax and national insurance contributions are paid in line with the HMRC regulations.

Confidentiality

In the performance of your duties as an External Adviser you may have access to confidential information that belongs to the University or a partner of the University. This means that you should not discuss, reveal, make copies of, or pass on this information to any other person or entity without the prior written consent of the University. ‘Any other person’ includes family, friends and colleagues, and ‘entity’ includes companies, organisations or other legally constituted bodies located in any country across the world.

Please be aware that you are also required to take proper care to ensure that you do not allow any confidential information to be revealed. It is important that you do not leave documentation with confidential information where unauthorised people can gain access to it, and you should be particularly careful when dealing with electronic documentation and electronic means of exchange. If you have any concerns about handling such information, please contact the University for more information.

Privacy

Please see the University Privacy Notice.

Acceptance

I should be grateful if you would confirm to me that you are willing to accept this appointment by signing and returning a copy of this letter by email. Once you have accepted the appointment the relevant School will be in touch with you to provide other details and information concerning the specific programmes you will be examining.

If you feel you have not received sufficient information or have not been made aware of key dates well in advance, please contact the Quality, Standards and Accreditation team (qsa@soton.ac.uk) or the School using the appropriate email address below.

School Contacts
Academic queries (curriculum)
Queries regarding administrative arrangements and submission of completed reports, expenses and invoices.

Thank you very much in advance for your work. We very much value the input of our External Advisers and your feedback will be of great assistance to us in ensuring that we maintain the standards and quality of the University’s academic awards and enhance the academic experience of our students.

Yours sincerely

XXX

I accept the appointment as an External Adviser for the appointment stated above, on the terms and conditions set out in this letter. Nothing in this letter of appointment shall be construed as creating any relationship of employer and employee with the University of Southampton, and it is agreed that this appointment shall constitute a contract for the delivery of services.

Signed…………………………………..............................................……….. Dated………………………….

The fee and expenses should be included in one invoice.