This document is pending formal legal review and may be updated before general launch.
These terms and conditions (the Terms) govern access to and use of the TenderLock website and platform (the Service), provided by Cognivo FZ LLC (TenderLock, we, us). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these Terms. If you accept on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you have authority to bind it.
Where your organisation holds a paid plan, the Subscription agreement also applies and takes precedence on fees, term, service levels and liability. Fees and credit costs are set out in the Pricing and credits schedule.
1. The Service
TenderLock lets a buyer organisation (a Buyer) prepare tenders with AI assistance, invite supplier organisations (Suppliers), manage clarifications, receive sealed submissions that cannot be opened until the deadline, evaluate submissions and record the outcome.
2. Accounts
- Eligibility: you must be at least 18 and using the Service for business purposes.
- Accuracy: registration details must be accurate and kept up to date.
- Security: you are responsible for your credentials and should enable two-factor authentication. Tell us promptly of any unauthorised use.
- Organisations: account owners control their organisation's users, roles and billing.
3. Plans, credits and payment
- Free plan: one live tender with the limits shown in the Pricing and credits schedule. No card is required.
- Paid plans: billed monthly or annually in advance by card through our payment provider, Stripe.
- Credits: one credit balance per organisation is used for launching tenders and AI features at the rates in the schedule. Included credits renew each billing period. Purchased top-up credits are valid for the period stated in the schedule.
- Taxes: prices exclude VAT and other applicable taxes.
- Failed payments: if a payment fails we will notify you and retry. Continued non-payment may lead to the account moving to read-only access. Your records are preserved.
4. Sealed bidding and fairness
Submissions are held sealed and cannot be opened by the Buyer before the deadline. Deadlines are enforced on our servers using server time. Suppliers cannot see other Suppliers' submissions or clarification questions.
5. AI features
AI features prepare drafts, findings and suggestions. They do not make procurement decisions. The Buyer remains solely responsible for the content it publishes, the scores it records and the award it makes. See our AI use policy.
6. Your content
- Ownership: you retain all rights in content you upload (Customer Content).
- Licence to us: you grant us a licence to host, process and display Customer Content only as needed to provide, secure and support the Service.
- Responsibility: you confirm you have the right to upload the content and that it complies with the Acceptable use policy.
- Audit records: the tender ledger is append-only. Some records cannot be deleted while they are needed to evidence a procurement decision.
7. Acceptable use
You must use the Service lawfully and in line with the Acceptable use policy. We may suspend access that puts the Service, other users or data at risk.
8. Availability and support
We aim to keep the Service available at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted access, except where service levels are agreed in writing for Enterprise customers.
9. Liability
Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law. Otherwise, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit or loss arising from procurement decisions made by users. Our total liability in any 12-month period is limited to the fees paid by your organisation in that period, or £100 for organisations on the Free plan.
10. Suspension and termination
You may stop using the Service at any time and cancel a paid plan from the Billing page. We may suspend or end access for material breach. On closure you may export your records for 30 days, after which they are handled under our retention rules.
11. Changes
We may update these Terms. We will give at least 30 days' notice of material changes to paid customers by email or in the Service.
12. General
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, unless otherwise agreed in an Enterprise order. Contact us through our contact page.