The IMFPA Agreement (Irrevocable Master Fee Protection Agreement) is a type of contract used in foreign trade, mainly for the purchase of commodities or merchandise negotiated in bulk (food, raw materials, minerals), whose objective is to protect the fee (commission) of the intermediary (broker) who mediates in the transaction. The fee is only paid, either for the buyer or the seller or both, when the transaction is completed and the commission is automatically transferred from the buyer´s or seller’s bank account to the broker´s account.
This model contract template is generally undertaken with other contracts such as the International Broker Agreement and the NCND Non-Circumvention & Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Index of the contract
- Irrevocable payment confirmation of intermediary´s fee
- Total commission
- Terms & Conditions
- Partial invalidity
- Applicable Law
- Resolution of disputes – Arbitration
- Identification of Seller and Buyer and signature
- Seller´s Mandate and Buyer´s Mandate
- Identification of Intermediary and signature
- Annexes
Sample of Content
Seller´s company name …………………………
Seller´s side Representative ………………………….
Buyer´s company name ……………………………..
Buyer´s side Representative ………………………
Type of contract……………………… [Sale, Supply, Manufacturing, Turnkey]
Product……………………………….. [Describe product]
Product origin…………………………. [Mention country of origin]
Contract Period………………………….. [Validity time of the contract]
Contract Quantity………………………. [Tons, Kgs. Square meters, units, etc.]
Delivery terms ……………………….. [If possible use Incoterms Rules]
Price……………………….. [Insert amount and currency -USD, EUR, GBP]
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, herewith referred to as the BUYER, under penalty of perjury do hereby
irrevocably confirm and irrevocably accept to pay all intermediaries and fee holders at the same
time and in a manner as the SELLER is being paid for each and every transaction of this contract
up to the completion of the contract plus rollovers and extensions and pursuant to the bank
details to be specified in this contract.
WE, THE BUYER, irrevocably confirm that we shall order and direct our bank to endorse
automatic payment orders to the beneficiaries named hereafter; furthermore, WE, THE BUYER,
herein confirm that all payment orders shall automatically transfer funds as directed into each
beneficiary designated bank account within …… [insert number, generally 1] day after the date
of closing and completion of each and every shipment of the product during the contract term
plus any/or extensions and rollover of the specified contract. For the purposes of clarification,
we herein confirm that the closing and completion of each and every shipment shall be deemed
to take place when the letter of credit issued by the buyer has been drawn down at the counters
of the issuing bank.
WE, THE BUYER, herein agree to provide all beneficiaries with written evidence of the payment
orders submitted with our bank together with acknowledgements of the acceptance thereof.
Furthermore, our bank shall be instructed to provide duly signed and stamped
acknowledgment of this instruction as set out in the Annex, forming part of this agreement. It
is understood that for the purposes of this Irrevocable Master Fee Protection Agreement, the
bank shall be the same bank and this IMFPA acts as an integral part thereof.
Some Tips
DATE
The date when the contract comes into force is the one that appears in its header, as mentioned
in the final paragraphs of the contract, before signatures (This Contract comes into force on the
date written above).
In some contracts -for example in the Supply Contract- the date of coming into force is also
mentioned in one of the clauses. In these cases, you have to verify that the two dates inserted
in the contract (in the heading and in the corresponding clause) are the same, in order to avoid
discrepancies.
PARTIES
Be sure to insert on the first page of the contract the full details of the Parties:
When a Party is a company you must insert the following information: legal name, legal form
(limited, incorporated, etc.), full address, registration data, and fiscal identification number.
When a Party is an individual that works as an independent professional (for example a
commercial agent) you must insert the following information: full name, profession, full
address and fiscal identification number.
CLAUSES
Clauses with different alternatives: choose the most favorable
In the most important clauses of each contract (exclusivity, payment terms, applicable law and
competent jurisdiction, etc.) several drafting alternatives are proposed so you can choose the
most appropriate to each situation. Therefore, the user before submitting the contract to the
other Party must choose the alternatives that seem best suited to their interests and eliminate
the rest.
Clauses with blank spaces to be completed
In several clauses of the contract blank spaces appear with dots (…………………..) that the user
has to complete inserting text. Following the dots, between brackets, you will see the data and
explanations to insert the text.
When the text between brackets is in normal letters (the same as the contract) and
separated by “,” or the word “o”, the user must insert one of the options suggested.
Example of blank space (……..) with options to select between brackets:
Orders handled before completion of the present Contract which produces sales transactions
within ………. [1, 2, 3, 6] months shall entitle the Agent to receive the corresponding commission.
In this case, the user must choose between options 1, 2, 3, or 6 months and insert one in the blank
space (……..).
When the text between brackets is in italics the user has to insert the data and information
requested and eliminate the bracketed text.
Example of blank space – (………) to insert text:
Both parties, by mutual consent, resolve to refer any dispute to the Rules of Conciliation and
Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce by one or more arbitrators appointed in
accordance with said Rules. The place of arbitration shall be ……….. [city and country]. In this
case, the user must insert in the blank space (………..) the city and country have chosen to conduct
the arbitration and afterward eliminate the bracketed text [city and country].
Notices Clause
Sometimes it may happen that the official address of the Parties which appear at the beginning
of the contract is different from which is to be used for communications between the Parties
during the terms of the contract. In this case, the user should include at the end of the contract
a Notices Clause.
Example of Notices Clause:
Notices. – In order to comply with their contractual obligations, the Parties establish the
following address for the provision of notices related to this contract:
– Party 1 ……………………………………………………. [insert full address].
– Party 2 ……………………………………………………. [insert full address].
ANNEXES
The contracts incorporate some Annexes, each of them, referenced to the corresponding Clause.
Annexes are drafted in commonly used formats, although the user must adapt these formats
and the text inserted in them to each particular situation.
SIGNATURES
People who sign
Persons signing the contract on behalf of the company must have the authority to do so and
preferably, be entitled on the basis of a power of attorney. Below the signature, in addition to
the full name of the person that signs his/her position must be inserted. When one of the Parties
who signs is a natural person (for example a commercial agent in an Agency Contract) obviously
he or she is the person that has to sign the contract.
The laws of some countries require that contracts, to be valid, shall be signed in front of
witnesses or a public notary. Therefore, before signing a contract you should be informed about
the requirements that may exist in each country.
Place and date of signature
Usually, contracts are signed by both Parties on the same date and place. Nevertheless, in
international contracts, due to physical distance, it is common that each of the Parties to sign in
different dates and places. This contract provides for both alternatives so it comes to choosing
the most appropriate to each situation.
Number of copies
Usually, the Parties sign two copies of the contract, each Party retaining one of them, but can
also arise the need to sign more copies. In this case, all you have to do is mention explicitly the
number of copies to be signed in the paragraph that is included at the end of the contract (Both
Parties declare their conformity to the present contract, which is signed in …… copies, each of
which shall be considered an original).
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
The Parties must sign all pages of the contract, including Annexes, so they are also valid. It is
better to use ballpoint or pen (not pencil) in a color other than black (e.g.: blue); this makes it
easier to distinguish an original document from a photocopy.
It is preferable (although not mandatory) to express sums of money and percentages in words
and figures. Of course, the words and figures for a given amount must match exactly. You also
must insert the currency in which the amounts are expressed. It is advisable to use the rules
established by ISO that name each currency in three capital letters (EUR for euro, USD for dollar,
GBP for sterling pound, JPY for Japanese yen, etc. – you can get the acronyms of every currency
on the website www.oanda.com).
Once you have chosen the best alternatives for each clause and have completed the blank spaces
you should revise the whole contract to remove the remaining paragraphs and correct any errors.