The key features, advantages and disadvantages of standard terms are summarised below:
- Form: Concise, generic and designed to be attached to purchase or sales orders
- Non-negotiable
- Ineffective terms: may be replaced by implied terms or national legal code rules, or subject to court 'balance of interest' judgement.
- Advantages: Basic contractual protection for most common circumstances; Avoid having to create new contract for repeat business.
- User friendly
- Usage: Low value, low risk, repetitive transactions
- Coverage: Definitions, relationship to other contracts, formation of the contract, order of precedence, price, invoicing and payment, specification, legal compliance, warrantee and liability, ownership and risk, intellectual property, data management and ethics.
- Disadvantages: Does not allow for specific circumstances; Risk for creating battle of the forms; Can create contractual uncertainty if used with purchase orders under call-off contracts.
Reference: CIPS study guide page 139
LO 3, AC 3.1

Variable pricing is suitable to situations when the cost of certain elements of the product fluctuate unpredictably. For road building, asphalt fluctuates regularly. Furthermore, 5 years are long period, then variable pricing is the most appropriate method to achieve value for money and control budget.
A contract for window cleaning during the next three months is a short-term service contract, fixed price is the most suitable method.
A contract for the supply of lubricating oil for immediate delivery is an one-off contract, only fixed price is applicable.
A contract for the supply of 100 printing machines to be delivered next month is also an one-off contract.
Reference: CIPS study guide page 172-183
LO 3, AC 3.3

'Consensus ad idem' is a Latin term meaning "meeting of the minds." It refers to both parties having the same understanding and intention regarding the contract's terms. This mutual agreement is essential for forming a valid and enforceable contract.
Reference:CIPS L4M3 Commercial Contracting Study Guide, Chapter 1, Section 1.1.1 - Essential elements of a valid contract.

Developing new tender specifications should draw on:
* Current supplier experience (1);
* Alternative suppliers' input (3);
* Performance and usage data (4).Maintenance services (2) are unrelated to cleaning.
Reference: CIPS L4M3 Commercial Contracting - "Sources of data for contract specifications."

Framework agreements allow for pre-approved suppliers to be used over a contract period with simplified ordering processes. A key benefit is the use of mini-competitions among these suppliers to secure value and innovation without repeating the full tender process. This approach is highly effective in dynamic sectors like telecommunications.
Reference:CIPS L4M3 Commercial Contracting Study Guide, Chapter 4, Section 4.1.2 - Framework agreements and mini-competitions.