Can our profession show some leadership and do something to reduce the weight and frequency of new engagement letters. It seems the various firms that serve me change their name or structure every few years and each time they do another 125grams of quallity printed paper with 2 copiues and then a further two for taxation arrives on my desk. Postage cost is £1.60 and the return the same. I never read a single word of these and tell the firm that I have not read it which probably invalidates the whole exercise. I just sigh and sign and send back.
Could not our various accountancy bodies put their heads together to produce standard enagement letters which are published on some website. Firms could then just write to clients referring to these and setting out the very few variations to them. They could become like the terms and conditions when you download a pice of software or buy something - you have to tick the box but you do not have to read. Everyone knows they are a complete nonsense but at least there is no paper involved.
Some figures - lets assume there are 40 million clients of accountancy firms in the country and each one gets two engagement letter every 4 years so 10 million a year at 500grams a pop - that is 5,000 tonnes of quality paper, and £32 million of postage. Think of the carbon.
A target worth going for?
Martin Gibson