AMHSA to host seminar on new MF/1

The latest version of the handling industry’s favoured contract, MF/1, has now been released and the Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA) is holding a seminar to explain the changes in this important legal document.

Model Form 1 (MF/1) is the most widely used contract in the material handling sector, used for both automated and manual warehousing systems alike. As well as being relatively easy to use – without necessarily employing external legal advisors – MF/1 is popular among logistics suppliers because it is designed to accommodate sub-contractor activities. In addition, its terms and conditions cover the supply of software and also offer extensive provision for the testing of equipment to ensure that its performance meets client requirements.

Published jointly by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), MF/1 is a model form of contract for electrical, electronic or mechanical plant and consultancy. The latest revision (number 6) replaces revision 5, published back in 2010, and will continue to provide a framework for regulating a range of contractual issues such as scope of supply, delivery and terms, as well as the consequences of delay, failing to meet performance criteria and so on.

The new version represents a substantial overhaul, designed to make MF/1 more user-friendly and to reflect changes in market practice and terminology. It retains the key elements that make it popular in the handling sector, including provisions to cover subsystems, software and testing.

AMHSA is holding a seminar to introduce the revised MF/1 in Market Harborough on 9 April. Open to both members and non-members, the event will be led by Tony Ventrella, a barrister and Legal Director at Ventrella Associates, who has been a key member of the MF/1 Model Contract Drafting Committee. Delegates attending the seminar will receive a free copy of the new contract, which usually costs £70. To book a place at the seminar, please visit www.amhsa.co.uk.