Managed Hosting and Support: Service Level Agreement
Definitions
Account Manager: The primary point of contact responsible for support and advice on optimising website use.
Additional Functionality: Features or functions not originally included on the site, implemented at an additional charge.
Agreement: This Service Level Agreement supersedes any prior agreements and governs the terms of service.
Bug: Functionality that initially performed correctly post-Start Date (see below) but ceased functioning properly due to code changes or updates.
Business Day: Any day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays) when banks in London are operational.
Change Request: A request to modify functionality not performing as desired or expected, subject to additional charges.
CMS: Content Management System, a software used to manage digital content.
DevOps: An IT professional with broad expertise in development and operations, including coding, infrastructure management, and system administration.
Fast Track Service: An expedited service option at a higher hourly rate.
General Support: Basic support tasks that can be resolved within 15 minutes by your Account Manager, such as password resets or CMS advice.
Hours: One hour during a Business Day.
Non-retainer Client: A client who does not have pre-purchased retainer hours.
OKRs: Objectives and Key Results, a framework we use to set and evaluate website performance goals.
PHP: A widely used open source scripting language.
Plugins: Third-party software components that add specific functionalities to websites.
Project Work: Larger tasks that require project management, with timelines agreed upon with the client.
Quarterly Reporting: Regular meetings to discuss a website’s performance relative to its OKRs and potential improvements.
Retainer Client: A client who has pre-booked a minimum of 21 hours per quarter at a reduced rate, benefiting from quicker turnaround times.
Support Developers: Developers dedicated to providing ongoing support and handling additional tasks as needed.
Site Speed: Assessed using external tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to evaluate factors affecting website responsiveness and performance.
Staging Environment: A replica of the production environment used for testing software before its final release. Each client is provided with three standard staging environments, with additional environments available for a fee.
Start Date: The date when the website is officially transferred to the support team and assigned an Account Manager.
Third-Party Bug: An issue originating from changes or updates in third-party plugins, software or systems which were functioning correctly before becoming outdated or unsupported.
Working Hours: Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, excluding UK Bank holidays.
Work on Account: Additional work managed by the Account Manager, billed separately.
1: Introduction
The Fat Beehive managed Hosting and Support packages are designed to ensure that:
You have a dedicated Account Manager who can provide advice and support as needed.
You can get the best from your website. (You have access to a full range of professionals, from website analysts, strategists, and social media marketing to design and copywriting)
You can easily update and improve your site. (We can add new features and amends as required)
Your website Is always secure (we handle all the security updates)
Your website is available and functions as it should. (We constantly monitor your site, optimise the servers as needed, and will get your site back up if it goes down). 99.5% uptime
If your site’s functionality breaks, our team can investigate and try to resolve the issue.
Your site is kept up to date (We update the code and plugins as needed)
Should the worst happen, your site will be backed up and can be restored immediately.
Our packages are based on the server size needed to deliver your site optimally, the complexity of the technical infrastructure required to maintain the site(s) and the Tier Level of support needed.
Tier Levels represent the site’s complexity, the level of support needed, and the type and number of modules/plugins and external integrations. Your account manager can provide current pricing for Tiers.
To keep our sites as secure as possible, we only offer a managed hosting service and do not allow sites to be hosted without support.
2: Support Services
The following are included in all our packages.
Access to a dedicated named Account Manager for support and advice
Managed secure web hosting
Technical support
Backup and recovery
Security and Monitoring
Performance optimisation
Software updates and patch management
Ticketing system for unlimited bug fixing
Ticketing system for additional paid-for work such as change requests and extra functionality
3: Work covered as part of your support service
Access to a named Account Manager for any support enquiries
General support
A ticketing system for reporting incidents, bugs, issues or questions to the support team
Bug fixes
Definition of a Bug: See the definition above
Reasonable Use: This service offers unlimited bug fixes but is subject to a reasonable use policy to ensure fair access for all users. “Reasonable use” is the typical number of bug fixes required by a single website in regular operation. This service is not intended for ongoing, continuous, or excessive requests beyond standard maintenance and upkeep.
Fair Usage Limitations: If the volume or frequency of bug fix requests exceeds what is considered reasonable, we reserve the right to:
Limit the number of fixes provided within a specific period.
Prioritise fixes based on severity and impact.
Discuss alternative support options, such as dedicated development time or service upgrades.
Review and Adjustment: We reserve the right to periodically review and adjust this reasonable use policy to ensure it fairly and equitably meets the needs of all users.
Infrastructure issues, such as site speed, upload issues, SSL issues
Exclusions:
Third-Party Bugs – Items caused by changes to third-party code, integrations or APIs (see the section on External Third Party Software and applications for more information)
Problems caused by user error or website misuse.
Issues resulting from unauthorised modifications to the website’s code.
Change requests
Additions of new functionalities
Changes or additions of content/images/media
Changes to analytics or tracking scripts
Issues caused by incorrect usage of CMS by Client
DNS changes, additions or changes to CDNs
Page redirects
Mandatory site maintenance and security updates
WordPress / Drupal core security releases
WordPress / Drupal Plugin and Module security releases
Keeping PHP version at a fully supported secure level, including updating code to match (limits apply; see Upgrades for server-side technologies for more information), occasionally updating ahead of schedule for best performance (exceptions may apply)
Keeping MySQL version at a fully supported secure level, including updating code to match (limits apply; see Upgrades for server-side technologies for more information), occasionally updating ahead of schedule for best performance (exceptions may apply)
General server operating system (Eg Debian) updates and upgrades to the latest fully supported secure level.
4: How to raise a support issue
We use Jira Service Desk for raising tickets:
All requests must be made via the ticketing system, even if you have phoned or emailed your Account Manager.
To avoid duplicate or conflicting tickets, clients will have one account for the service desk per client.
We can provide additional accounts, although these will be chargeable. Please speak to your Account Manager for details.
Only one issue can be used per ticket. If a ticket generates another problem, a new ticket must be submitted.
Details to include in your ticket
Whether you are a retainer client or not (Retainer clients have a premium service)
Subject – Summarise the issue in a short title.
Tickets must be identified as one of the following
Bug fix
General support enquiry
Change request
Change request (Fast Track service)
Additional functionality (work on account)
Additional functionality (work on account) (Fast Track service)
Incorrectly identified tickets will be rejected, and a new ticket must be submitted.
Description – Describe the issue in as much detail as possible
Priority level
Critical
High Priority
Medium Priority
Low Priority (Default)
Please reserve High/Critical priorities for really urgent issues. For response times and response priority levels, please see paragraph 5. We reserve the right to alter the priority level if we feel it has not been correctly identified, which may delay response times.
URL to the page relating to the ticket
Please include as much detail as you can, including a link to the affected site area, the browser name and version, and/or device and screen size you are using, and a screenshot if possible.
The more detail you include in the ticket, the better we can process it efficiently. Your ticket may be delayed if we seek further clarification on where the issue occurs and what it consists of.
For bug fixes:
Please state when the functionality last worked correctly and when it broke.
The device and operating system being used.
Attachment – Add a screenshot or other attachment to support your description. You can drag and drop files and copy and paste screenshots into the ticket.
5: Response times
We will endeavour to meet the following response and resolution times; however, they are not guaranteed.
Resolution times will depend on the complexity of the issue, its cause, and whether it is the result of a third party.
Response and resolution times are based on UK business hours.
Bug fixes
Critical: Issues that cause a complete or significant loss of service, affecting all users or critical business functions. These issues require immediate attention and resolution to restore normal operations.
Examples:
Complete server or website outage.
Severe security breaches (e.g., data loss, data corruption).
Significant performance degradation affecting all users.
Critical application failure.
Cannot take payments via the website
Response time:
Initial Response: Within one hour (Retainer Client)
Initial Response: Within two hours (non-retainer client).
Resolution: Within four hours (Retainer client)
Resolution: Within six hours (non-retainer client)
High Priority:Issues that significantly impair functionality or performance for a subset of users or major functions but do not constitute a complete outage need prompt resolution to minimise the impact on operations.
Examples:
Partial website outage (e.g., specific pages or functions not working).
Performance issues affect a significant portion of users.
A major bug causing operational inefficiencies.
Non-critical security vulnerabilities
Response Time:
Initial Response: Within four hours (Retainer Client)
Initial Response: Within six hours (non-retainer client).
Resolution: Within one business day (Retainer client)
Resolution: Within two business days (non-retainer client).
Medium Priority: Issues that cause minor disruptions or impair non-essential functions. These issues are inconvenient but do not significantly affect overall operations. They should be addressed promptly but are not urgent.
Examples:
Minor bugs or glitches affect a small number of users.
Intermittent performance issues.
Minor security vulnerabilities.
Non-critical feature requests.
Response Time:
Initial Response: Within one business day (Retainer Client)
Initial Response: Within two business days (non-retainer client).
Resolution: Within three business days (Retainer client)
Resolution: Within five business days (non-retainer client).
Low Priority: Issues that are cosmetic or have a minimal impact on operations. These issues are generally non-urgent and can be scheduled for resolution during regular maintenance periods.
Initial Response: Within two business days (Retainer Client)
Initial Response: Within three business days (non-retainer client).
Resolution: Within five business days (Retainer client)
Resolution: Within ten business days (non-retainer client).
General support
Your Account Manager will normally respond within three hours (Retainer client) or six hours (non-retainer client) and can usually resolve the issue immediately.
If the nature of your inquiry takes longer than 15 minutes to resolve or needs specialist support, this will normally be chargeable, and the ticket will be converted to a change request or additional functionality.
Change Request and new functionality (work on account)
Quotes:
If you have submitted enough information for us to be able to quote for the change request or additional functionality (work on Account), you will receive a quote within 1 business day of submitting the ticket.
If we require further information to provide a quote, we will contact you and you will receive a quote within 1 business day of us having all the relevant information.
Quotes for work are valid for one month from the day you receive them.
A new quote will be required after one month. Quotes for the same piece of work may incur additional charges.
Acceptance of quote must be via signed DocuSign
Invoicing
Change requests or work on account under £1000 will be invoiced in full on receipt of the signed Proposal
Change requests and work on account over £1000 will be invoiced 50% on receipt of the signed Proposal and 50% once work is complete
Resolution times (from date of signed Proposal)
Under £1000
21 business days (non-retainer client)
Retainer client: 14 business days
Fast Track service: five business days
Over £1000 but under £2000
28 business days (non-retainer client)
Retainer client: 21 business days
Fast Track service: ten business days
Over £2000: Timeframes will be agreed upon with the client at the time of quote.
Retainer clients will have work completed 25% faster
Fast Track service will be 50% faster
Resolution times are based on clients responding promptly, and any amends are within the scope of the initial quote.
Work on Account / Change requests are billed at our standard hourly rate plus VAT.
Minimum booking of one hour. If further requests or modifications are made, each request will be quoted and accepted similarly.
If Work On Account has been handed over to the client for testing and/or go-live confirmation, and the client fails to communicate to Fat Beehive any amendments, change requests or go-live confirmation within one month, we reserve the right to charge additional costs depending on what is required to complete or rollback the work.
Project Work
A project is a larger or more complex work comprising a single, self-contained task or a set of closely related tasks and has strategy and/or planning requirements.
Fat Beehive will provide a written Statement of Work for the project and acceptance of the associated quote before the work commences. The project fee will include the hours required to create the specifications and quote.
Depending on the size of the project, ‘acceptance’ constitutes written acceptance of a Fat Beehive-generated quote by electronic signature.
Timeframes for completion will be provided at the time of the quote but may change if the work is not agreed to in a timely manner.
If, after three months of any project work being handed over to the client for testing and/or go-live confirmation, the client fails to communicate to the team any amends, change requests or go-live confirmation, we reserve the right to charge additional costs depending on what is required to finish the project, set it live or roll back the work.
6: Backup and Recovery
A daily snapshot is taken of the server once every 24 hours to enable recovery from a catastrophic failure.
There is a 10-day retention policy on those snapshots and daily database backups are retained for 30 days.
Full system recovery in case of failure within four hours.
Monthly testing of backup integrity.
7: Security and Monitoring
24/7 monitoring for server health and security threats.
Implement security patches within two business days of release.
All writable volumes are separated from the application layer to ensure data security
Access to your application server is restricted by two-factor authentication and SSH
8: Performance Optimisation
Regular performance monitoring and tuning.
Monthly reports on website performance metrics.
Recommendations and implementation of performance improvements.
9: Website and Server updates
Updates for Open Source Content Management Systems
Essential security updates to Drupal and WordPress are covered within your support contract. These will be applied promptly across all relevant sites. We may not always inform you prior to updates being carried out if they are likely to have no visible impact on your website.
We may not apply a security update to your site if we are confident that it will not impact it. For example, if the security issue is related to comments and your site does not use comments, we may not run the security update. If there is any doubt, we will run the update.
Minor updates and Plugins
We will update WordPress and Plugins as appropriate.
Major version upgrades
We do not implement major version upgrades of your website’s content management system (CMS) as part of the support service. If there are new features in a major version release that you’d like to take advantage of, please ask your Account Manager to provide a quote.
Exceptions
We reserve the right to terminate hosting and support for any site that we consider too unstable or a security risk due to the expiry of support for the code base, the infrastructure, or any third-party integrations. We will provide as much notice as possible should this decision become necessary, and we will provide alternatives where possible.
Third-party services and CMS updates
When an update is released for a CMS, developers of third-party plugins, modules and other integrations make a timetable for updating their systems to become compatible with the update. While we have no control over this timetable and in some cases, updates may never be produced, we rely during the build phase on a catalogue of add-ons known to us as reliably updated and maintained. If there is likely to be a long wait for an update from a third party, we will let you know and present the following options:
We can upgrade your website at the risk that the functionality will be broken until the third party releases an update. At which point you can:
Choose to keep the product in its current state
Temporarily disable and hide the feature(s) from users (if possible, may be chargeable)
Create replacement functionality to take over from the missing product. This work will be chargeable.
Upgrades for server-side technologies
We endeavour to use the latest technology for new websites; technology that is stable, secure and well-supported. The cost for updates to server-side technologies such as the web server (Apache/Nginx), Database (MySQL), and PHP are included within the Support contract. Work on any updates to the website that become necessary due to applying server-side updates will be limited to 10 hours of development time, any additional time will be chargeable. We will discuss the options with you if this situation arises (we expect these types of problems to occur rarely and as part of third-party integrations or other functionality outside of our control).
All upgrades will be performed initially on a copy of the site on a staging server
Each client has a maximum of three staging environments. If a client needs more, these will be charged monthly.
Once they are complete, we will ask you to review the staging site, testing each area of functionality to confirm that you are satisfied that it is working as normal. Once we receive your confirmation, we will complete the same process on the live server. The application of updates may require either temporarily taking down the website and implementing a holding or maintenance page or temporarily suspending certain functionalities within the site. Once the upgrades have been completed on the live server, we will ask you to review your site again to ensure it works normally.
Critical security updates
While the above process will be followed where possible, in some cases, security updates may be released that must be applied extremely quickly to avoid major risks to your website. Where this is the case, we will likely notify you of these updates in advance and their potential effect on the site, but our priority will be to apply the updates. Once the updates are applied, we will notify you to enable you to review the site and confirm that you are satisfied that everything is working as usual.
Testing updates
We endeavour to test updates as thoroughly as possible, but we require that you also conduct testing on the site to ensure that it is operating as it should be. Where possible, we will inform you of the areas on which to concentrate your testing, but in general this would include:
Checking all pages look the same as before, that images and text are rendering correctly, and that any included embeds (such as video, forms etc) are still working.
Checking any forms can still be submitted and any functionality triggered by those submissions (emails, additions to a database etc) are still working correctly.
Checking login/member areas to ensure any protected functionality is still working correctly and that users have the correct access permissions
Check the admin section to ensure that you are still able to add/edit/delete content in line with your access permissions and that you can carry out any other specific tasks that you may have, such as viewing comments, validating shop orders, viewing or exporting reports etc.
After you confirm with us that your testing is complete and you are happy that the site is working as intended, any subsequent issues must be raised within 4 weeks of this date. Otherwise, any required work may be chargeable.
10: External Third-Party Software and Applications
Our technical support service does not cover help with the use of external third party software or applications such as .
mailing list software (e.g. MailChimp, Campaign Monitor etc)
customer relationship management (CRM) software.
If Fat Beehive have integrated functionality into your website through the use of a third-party application, and/or an Application Programming Interface (API) provided by that third party, and the API or application is subsequently modified, superseded, or deprecated by the third party or the Client, Fat Beehive will charge for any work required to:
Reintegrate with that modified or otherwise changed API or application
Integrate with a new third-party service as a replacement
Remove or modify the functionality supported by that API or application.
In the rare case of an abandoned third-party module, plugin, or API, we will discuss the options available with you. Some options will be chargeable.
In this case, ‘Third Party’ does not include the CMS itself or modules or plugins used to create the site unless they are specifically used to connect to another Third-Party System. For example, if the Mailchimp module requires an update due to a change in the Mailchimp API that necessitates a change to the site, this would be considered a Third-Party change and, as such, would be chargeable work. If an issue occurs in a plugin which Fat Beehive used to provide core functionality to your site (e.g., Advanced Custom Fields, Gravity Forms, Timber (templating plugin), this would not be chargeable; however these plugins may not have major updates made if it would require significant changes to the site codebase, if the updates only contain non-security updates.
New features
If you wish to add a feature to your website, we will provide a quote for developing it or recommend a high-quality, well-supported, and maintained plugin or module that our experience tells us is right for the job.
Similarly, if you request the installation of a specific third-party plugin, all support required is billable at our hourly rate.
11: Browser and device support
Your website is built to World Wide Web Consortium accessibility standards (WCAG).
It has been built to be compatible with modern browsers and devices that have a stable market share at the time of build; we cannot guarantee that the website or content management system will work for browsers built subsequently to the website’s development or any that will be in the future.
We can provide you with a quote for upgrading your site to be compatible with newer browsers and devices.
We are not responsible for the browser support provided by third-party add-ons, such as video embeds, iframes, maps, tracking scripts etc. Any changes needed to the website due to changes within third-party add-ons will be chargeable.
12: Responsive sites for desktop, tablet and mobile
We build all our new sites to be mobile responsive as standard;
If you have an older site that is not fully responsive or does not behave as required on new devices or screen sizes, any work necessary to make your site responsive is not included in the support contract. We would happily provide you with a quote for any work needed.
13: CMS Training
Ongoing CMS training
It is the Client’s responsibility to ensure that each person who has access to make any changes to the website has a working knowledge of the content management system and access to any documentation that we may have provided to you.
If you would like us to provide training for your staff, we will provide a quote. The cost will depend on the complexity of your site and the number of staff you’d like us to train, including our preparation time. Each training session can include a maximum of 8 staff for a minimum half-day session.
While we will always endeavour to support a Client as fully as possible, we reserve the right to refuse to offer technical support to a given staff member if we feel they have not had adequate training in the content management system or lack overall technical experience.
14: Analytics and Tracking
Any required changes or additions to these items are not included in the support contract and will be chargeable.
We are happy to offer top-level advice on the running of Google Analytics or other analytics packages. However, the Client is responsible for the effective use and upkeep of their accounts (any extra work may be chargeable).
Cookies
Based on the provider the client decides what Cookie Management Platform (CMP) is best for them. All CMPs must be owned by the client and licences paid for directly by them.
Fat Beehive will install the cookie management tool on the website, although this is chargeable.
All investigations and changes to your site’s hosting will also be chargeable.
Fat Beehive will set up the consent management functionality, but the client will remain responsible for making decisions about cookies, privacy, and tracking.
Privacy Policy
We are not liable for any issues or legal implications arising from the privacy practices or policies implemented by the client.
Google Analytics
If there are any changes or issues, the SLA does not cover time to investigate and fix them. If the issue is found to be a direct result of Fat Beehive’s action, then any investigation and fix will be implemented free of charge. The work will be chargeable in all other cases (including if the cause is unknown).
15: Hosting Specification
Servers
We reserve the right to change or alter our hosting provider or servers without notice if it provides a comparable service.
Monitoring
We use an infrastructure partner to host your site, which, in addition to operating to the highest environmental standards, provides 24×7 monitoring and support, managed cloud infrastructure, and automated security and compliance.
Our hosting platform’s monitoring enables the Fat Beehive team to receive alerts of any serious issues with your site, both in and out of office hours. Our infrastructure partner’s dedicated technicians are also on hand during business hours.
Spikes in traffic
Our server average uptime is >99.5% , we cannot guarantee 100% uptime. The servers can normally cope with a heavy demand as we have a reasonable amount of redundancy built in but unexpected, very high spikes in traffic can cause servers to become unresponsive.
We request that clients notify Fat Beehive in advance if they are aware of any predicted increases in traffic so we can attempt to mitigate any issues. For example, additional traffic caused by a new campaign, event, marketing initiative or expected press coverage. Please provide at least 2 weeks notice.
For details or options, please ask your Account Manager.
SSL Certificates
If you wish to provide your own certificate, we can install it on the server, but the client must manage all management (including renewals), and any issues related to the certificate will be charged at our standard hourly rate.
Scheduled Maintenance
Our infrastructure partners schedule regular maintenance on all servers on an infrequent basis. This maintenance requires a restart of each server, which takes place within a maintenance window, usually of around four hours. We do not schedule these maintenance windows, and are sometimes initialised outside of office hours. We will notify you if an expected maintenance window will affect your website and, in some cases, we can trigger the maintenance sooner by restarting the server manually. If this is practical and necessary for your site, we will discuss it with you as part of the notification.
In addition to the automated and ad-hoc maintenance when alerted by our suite of tools:
We run monthly maintenance across a suite of tools, ensuring backups, monitoring, and general systems are functioning effectively.
We perform scheduled maintenance reboots to apply system-level updates that cannot be applied without reboot.
We run quarterly major maintenance, which does a further in-depth analysis, including test restores from systems.
In rare instances, it may be necessary to carry out during office hours, resulting in website downtime. We will notify you when we expect this will be the case and attempt to accommodate any requests for rescheduling where possible.
Server access
Server access is restricted to Fat Beehive staff, authorised personnel and infrastructure partners.
All access is controlled using SSH keys, 4096-bit encrypted RSA with an additional passphrase. All keys are named and linked to the particular user. Scripts are in place to rapidly revoke access to a particular key or keys.
Databases
Databases do not have external access and can only be accessed from the server itself. Databases are isolated, and each site’s database is accessed via a different username and password combination. Development, staging, and feature branch environments cannot access the live database.
Databases are stored on a separately mounted server volume. The database server volume is encrypted at the volume level.
16: Client Responsibilities
Providing accurate and up-to-date contact information
Inform your Account Manager in advance of any likely peaks in traffic or other factors that might impact the hosting of your site.
Use the ticketing system for all enquiries
Tickets must be sent from the nominated account
Tickets must be labelled correctly as set out in 4.2
Use no more than three staging environments at any one time (where applicable) unless agreed in advance.
Clients must provide feedback in 5-7 business days before our hosting partner pauses the test environment
No response by the client will mean the test link is closed and ticked resolved, and the time to open the test link again will be charged if a new ticket is created later.
Provide Clear Requirements and timely feedback:
Articulate goals and expectations for any new work
Ensure that all provided content is accurate, up-to-date, and free from copyright restrictions.
Respond promptly to drafts and any requests for feedback or approval.
Training
Allocate time for team members managing the content management system (CMS) to receive training on updating and maintaining the website.
Ensure that those responsible for website updates are familiar with the CMS functionalities.
Pay invoices on time
Prompt payment helps maintain a positive working relationship.
We reserve the right to charge interest, refuse to accept further work or switch off hosting for late payment of invoices.
Adhering to our acceptable use policy.
17: Reporting and Communication
Monthly service reports detailing uptime, performance, and incidents.
Quarterly review meetings to discuss service quality and improvements.
18: Term and Termination
This SLA is effective from Start Date and will continue for one year and renew automatically on the anniversary of the start date unless cancelled under 18.2.1
Either party may terminate this agreement with three months’ notice
If you wish to terminate your contract with Fat Beehive, please provide three months’ notice before your renewal date. Upon termination, there is no cancellation fee. There are several typical scenarios at this point.
You are going live with a new website on an alternative host. Your contract will end when this new site goes live and you do not need access to your old Fat Beehive site after this time. If the live date falls after your renewal and you give us advance notice of this date, we are happy to renew your current contract with us every month if needed. There is a small admin fee applied to the normal pro-rata monthly cost.
You are going live with a new site on an alternative host but require the old website to be available on an alternative url for a short time. We can keep your old site live on a private url and do this at minimal cost, if within the current hosting and support period. However, if this has expired, you must renew your hosting every quarter until you no longer need access to the old site.
You would like to transfer your current Fat Beehive website and content management system to another host. We will charge for packaging the code, database, and any other external dependencies into a form ready to deploy to another identically provisioned environment. The cost for this work depends on the site’s complexity and associated dependencies. We will provide technical documentation for your new provider to set up the site; this documentation will be designed to be followed by a qualified technical engineer. If your new provider needs any additional technical support, we will charge this at our hourly rate. Fat Beehive will not be liable for any issues caused by a new provider during the transfer of a website or any subsequent issues after our support contract has been terminated.
You are turning off your website permanently. We will agree on a date for its removal.
Once the contract has expired or the date of website termination arrives, a copy of the site in its final state will be created, archived, and stored securely by us for 1 year. This will be stored as backup files, not a usable version of the site. The servers will be turned off, and all staging and development copies of the site data will be removed from our systems. If you require a copy of the website and CMS, either for backup or to transfer content, we can provide this in an appropriate format. Please let us know any requirements before the site is off. This may be chargeable depending on requirements. Any other data, access details or documentation we hold on your behalf will be transferred over as required.
If you would like further options, please speak to your Account Manager.
19: Review and Amendment
Fat Beehive reserves the right to change the terms of this Agreement. Written notice will be given before any changes.
20: Changes to the Law
From time to time, new laws come into place which may affect your website,
For example, the EU Cookie Legislation was introduced in 2012 and GDPR in May 2018. Any work required to the site or its infrastructure due to new or changed legislation will be chargeable. Fat Beehive will discuss the options with you and advise on which may be the most suitable from a technical and budget perspective.
Fat Beehive will endeavour to keep all Clients informed of these changes, but the client is responsible for complying with the law. We are not qualified to advise on legal matters and urge you to seek professional legal advice.
General Data Protection Rules
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) is a privacy and data protection regulation in the European Union (EU). It became enforceable on May 25, 2018, and required no enabling legislation, so it automatically became binding and applicable on that date. It is designed to give individuals greater control over their data, ensure data privacy, and harmonise data protection laws across Europe.
The GDPR governs how organisations handle personal data, enforce data subject rights, and ensure compliance with data protection standards. It applies to data processing carried out by organisations operating within the EU and to organisations outside the EU that offer goods or services to individuals in the EU.
Post Brexit the UK adopted UK GDPR, which mirrors the EU GDPR but applies within the UK. The UK GDPR works alongside the Data Protection Act 2018 to regulate data protection in the UK.
Fat Beehive supports the implementation of GDPR and adheres to GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR) as a data processor and controller.
We have planned and developed a programme of work that will deliver what the legislation requires. This has involved working with our suppliers and partner organisations to ensure they can meet these obligations.
The hosting services that Fat Beehive provides are GDPR-compliant and based within the EU. Occasionally, Fat Beehive may suggest or recommend third-party services to the Client. We make every effort to check that these services are also compliant. Still, the Client is responsible for ensuring the services they use to follow the relevant data and security regulations. Fat Beehive has always taken all information security seriously, including that of personal data, whether Fat Beehive is considered a processor or controller.
Fat Beehive has assessed the GDPR and matched its own activities and products in four key areas we consider relevant:
A data controller of its employee data.
A data controller or processor of third-party data, such as activity relating to direct marketing.
A Software as a Service (SaaS) supplier.
A business that develops software.
ISO/IEC 27001
Fat Beehive has been externally audited and is an ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) certified organisation, demonstrating our commitment to information security.
An ISMS is a systematic approach to managing sensitive corporate information so it remains secure. It includes people, processes, and IT systems and applies a risk management process.
21: Costs and invoices
Additional work costs will be quoted in hours at our standard hourly rate plus VAT.
Retainer clients can pre-book 21 hours or more at a reduced hourly rate
Our minimum cost is one hour
We reserve the right to change our hourly rate for Work on Account and Project Work. Clients will be notified in advance of any change. Your account manager can provide our current standard fees.
Yearly hosting fee
The yearly Support and Hosting fee is charged on the last day of the month before the hosting and support period is due for renewal.
We offer the option to pay either an Annual Upfront Fee or a Quarterly Fee for a Fixed Term Contract (12 months) commencing on the date the site enters support. The hosting and support period will renew upon the anniversary of this date.
Fees are payable upfront. If the service is terminated before the hosting and support period ends, no refund will be given.
Costs for clients paying an Annual Fee include a 10% discount.
Fees will normally increase each April based on the current Consumer Price Index. New fees will be paid on the renewal anniversary.
Additionally, we reserve the right to alter the costs based on any changes to services or infrastructure needed to keep your site safe, secure, and running optimally. Notification of any alterations to these costs will be communicated at least three months before your current hosting agreement ends and applied at the beginning of the new term.
If you wish to terminate your Hosting and Support contract with us due to changes made by Fat Beehive, please notify us at least one month before the end of your current hosting agreement so that we can process this request.
Invoices
Unless otherwise stated, payment terms are 28 days from the date of issue of invoice.
An invoice dispute must be communicated to Fat Beehive within seven days of issue. Otherwise, it will be assumed that the invoice has been accepted.
Fat Beehive reserves the right to add fees and interest as laid out by UK late payment legislation and regulations in case of any late or non-payment.
Fat Beehive also reserves the right to stop development, temporarily remove client website(s) from the internet, and/or suspend agreements with external suppliers until late payments and fees are paid.
22: General
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties.
By hosting with Fat Beehive, you accept the terms and conditions in this SLA.
This SLA shall supersede and replace all prior Service Level Agreements and understandings, oral or written, between the Fat Beehive and the client.
We reserve the right to substitute alternative, comparable tools, systems, and services without prior notice.
A waiver by one of the parties of any of the provisions of the Agreement (or of any default by the other party in performing any of those provisions) shall not constitute a continuing waiver. It shall not prevent the waiving party from subsequently enforcing any of this Agreement’s other provisions or acting on any subsequent default.
The invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity, legality, or enforceability of the remaining provisions.
In this Agreement, words denoting the singular shall include the plural and vice versa, words denoting persons shall include companies and associations and vice versa, and words denoting the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction.
This Agreement and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation shall be governed by and construed under the laws of England. Each Party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or related to this Agreement or its subject matter or formation.
While Fat Beehive will endeavour to complete all work requested by the Client, Fat Beehive reserves the right not to accept work for any reason.
Advice and support
Fat Beehive makes every effort to give correct advice and support to the best of our knowledge at the time it is given. We cannot be held responsible for any loss of income or time due to actions taken by the Client due to this advice or due to advice not offered.
