Terms and Conditions for Dofe Award Centre Customers – 2027

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Terms and Conditions

These terms and conditions apply to all Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition and residential services contracted with Aspen Outdoors Ltd by DofE Award Centres and Licensed Organisations.

 

Booking & Payment

  • Payment is required in full before the service is delivered. Where a service spans several dates or a longer period, Aspen and the Award Centre will agree a suitable payment schedule in advance.
  • Where an Award Centre requires a purchase order as part of its payment process, this must be submitted to Aspen Outdoors Ltd at least six weeks before the expedition start date, to allow sufficient time to process payment.
  • All prices exclude VAT.

 

Cancellation & Amendments

  • Cancellations or reductions in the number of instructors or vehicles required received less than four weeks before the event will be charged in full. No refund will be issued.
  • Where a cancellation or amendment is received with more than four weeks’ notice, Aspen will discuss the position with the Award Centre and seek a reasonable outcome wherever possible.

 

Instructor Rates

  • Instructor day rates for 2027 are as follows: £245 per day plus VAT
  • Aspen operates a no lone working policy. Where there is a single Silver or Gold expedition group and no accompanying adult from the Award Centre, a second Aspen instructor will be required. This will be invoiced accordingly.
  • Where a Silver or Gold qualifying expedition requires a separate assessor and the Award Centre is unable to provide one, Aspen can supply an assessor at the standard instructor day rate.

 

Staffing & Supervision

  • A pastoral member of Award Centre staff must accompany all Bronze expeditions.
  • The names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of all accompanying adults from the Award Centre must be provided to Aspen before the expedition begins.
  • In circumstances where an Award Centre requests instructors of a specific gender to reflect the composition of the expedition group, Aspen will make every effort to accommodate this with at least two months’ notice. If this cannot be arranged, the responsibility for providing suitable accompanying adults rests with the Award Centre.
  • In circumstances where supervision of an expedition is shared between Aspen instructors and Award Centre supervisors, Aspen shall hold the lead role in all safety decisions — including route changes, route foreshortening, abandonment, and the withdrawal of any participant due to injury or illness.
  • In circumstances where six or more expedition groups are out at the same, and there is no pastoral Award Centre leader, Aspen will require an additional instructor to be available in the expedition area to manage risk and respond to incidents. This cost will be charged to the Award Centre. Aspen may also require there to be a vehicle available to facilitate this role and invoice accordingly.

 

Planning & Routes

  • Award Centres are asked to provide the following information as early as possible in the planning process:
    • Number of participants and expedition groups
    • Any direct-entry participants
    • Any additional support needs or medical conditions
    • Preferred route type (flat/hilly, wild camp/serviced camp, indoor shelter required?)
    • Whether transport from Aspen is required
    • Whether participants will use public transport
  • Where an Award Centre provides the expedition route, this must be sent to Aspen at least four weeks in advance.

 

Transport, Campsite and Public Transport Costs

  • Aspen’s vehicle rates for 2026 are:
    • 17-seater minibus – £175 + VAT per day
    • 9-seater minibus – £105 + VAT per day
    • 6-seater van – £70 + VAT per day
  • A fuel (diesel) charge applies to all minibus / van journeys.
  • In circumstances where a 17 seater minibus is used without a separate accompanying vehicle for rucksack storage, passenger capacity on the 17-seater shall be limited to 10.
  • In circumstances where an additional instructor is required to drive a vehicle beyond the complement of instructors deployed, an additional charge of £30 per hour + VAT shall apply.
  • Where Aspen determines that a support vehicle is necessary during an expedition — for route safety or incident response — a vehicle must be available in the area. This may be a car driven by an Award Centre leader. If the Award Centre cannot provide a vehicle, Aspen will arrange one and recharge the cost. This determination is made at Aspen’s discretion.
  • Award Centres must cover the cost of campsite fees for instructors, and any public transport fares incurred when instructors accompany participants.

 

Equipment 

  • Aspen instructors occasionally carry spare emergency kit (hats, gloves, rucksack liners, waterproof jacket and trousers) at no charge in the event a participant has forgotten an item. Where these items are lost or damaged, the following replacement costs apply:
    • Hat or gloves – £15
    • Rucksack liner – £5
    • Waterproof jacket – £100
    • Waterproof trousers – £75
  • Grab bags and radios are essential safety equipment. Participants must take care of this equipment throughout the expedition. Where safety equipment is lost or damaged, the following costs apply:
    • Grab bag – £200
    • Radio  -£45
    • Mobile phone – £25
    • GPS device – £120

 

Participant Welfare & Medical Needs

  • Award Centres must provide Aspen with a participant list and written details of any additional support requirements or medical conditions prior to the expedition.
  • Aspen instructors will only carry medication in exceptional circumstances and only following prior discussion and agreement with the Award Centre.

 

Equipment Standards & Participant Preparedness

  • It is the Award Centre’s responsibility to ensure all participants are properly equipped for the conditions and route. Aspen reserves the right to cancel an expedition or exclude an individual participant if, in our assessment, they are not adequately prepared. No refund will be issued in these circumstances.
  • The following minimum kit is required on every expedition:
    • Hat and gloves
    • Waterproof jacket and trousers
    • Walking boots
    • Warm mid-layers
    • Rucksack with waterproof liner
  • Award Centres must also verify before departure that:
    • Tents are complete with correct poles and sufficient pegs
    • Sleeping bags and roll mats are packed and stored inside waterproof liners
    • Stove sets include a functioning burner and gas
    • In hot weather: additional water, sun hat, and suncream are carried

 

Winter & Shoulder-Season Expeditions

  • Expeditions taking place after the October school holidays, or during the first two weeks of March, must be based at a serviced campsite with access to indoor shelter for cooking and evening use. Award Centres should budget accordingly.

 

Qualifying Expeditions

  • In readiness for qualifying expeditions, Award Centres should send Aspen, before the expedition starts, a list of the participants’ edofe numbers.

 

Campsite fees

  • Aspen may, upon request, provide a campsite booking service for Award Centres. The price invoiced to the Award Centre shall be calculated as follows: campsite supplier price, plus an Aspen Outdoors  administration fee of 20%, plus VAT.