5.29 Variable fees capped to an agreed level provide NHS bodies with a good mechanism to control costs while sharing incentives to keep costs low once contracts have been signed. As with fixed fees, advisers may not be willing to cap fees where there is lack of clarity in their responsibilities and the resources they will be required to provide. In these circumstances it is unrealistic to expect advisers when bidding to commit to a cap before they have had an opportunity adequately to scope the work in discussion with the NHSScotland body's team.
5.30 For time and capped fees, NHS bodies should ask for monthly billing and auditing so that problems with fees are signalled early.