Terms of service

1. Acceptance of Terms
SourcingLine welcomes you. SourcingLine provides its service ("Service") subject to the following Terms of Service ("TOS"), which may be updated from time to time without notice to you. You can review the most current version of the TOS by going to http://www.SourcingLine.com and clicking on the "Terms of Service" link. By using the service in any way, you are agreeing to comply with the TOS. Should you object to any term or condition of the TOS, any guidelines, or any subsequent modifications or become dissatisfied with SourcingLine in any way, your only recourse is to immediately discontinue use of SourcingLine.

2. Description of Service
SourcingLine provides services to buyers and sellers of services. The key offerings are a Get Proposals and a Directory Service.

Get Proposals Service
The SourcingLine Get Proposals service matches buyers with sellers. You provide information on your project, purchasing requirements and your contact information. We then attempt to match you with multiple suppliers (up to a maximum of 5) who will compete for your business. In delivering this service, we share your project and contact information with the selected providers.

Directory Service
SourcingLine also provides a Directory Service where buyers can review provider profiles, ratings and feedback. Buyers can elect to contact providers for more information via the Contact Us function. As with the Get Proposal service, we collect your project and contact information and share this with the selected provider(s).

We do not guarantee that we will be able to match your needs with a provider or that there are providers that are either capable or willing to complete your needs.

Although we take certain steps to examine the profiles of some of the listed providers, we make no guarantees or representations regarding the skills or representations of such providers or the quality of the work they may perform for you if you elect to retain their services. SourcingLine does not endorse or recommend the services of any particular providers. It is entirely up to you to enter into a direct contract or otherwise reach agreement with a provider, and we do not guarantee or warrant their performance on the job or the outcome or quality of the services performed. The providers are not agents of SourcingLine, nor is SourcingLine an agent of the providers. You should exercise as much caution as you would typically exercise with any purchase of products or services.

Should you have a dispute with any provider, you must address such dispute with the provider directly. You hereby agree to release SourcingLine (and our employees and agents) from any and all damages or claims (including consequential and incidental damages) arising out of or in any way connected with such disputes and your transactions with providers.

We do not guarantee that we will be able to match your needs with a provider or that there are providers that are either capable or willing to complete your needs.

Your Use of the Service
SourcingLine's sole role is to connect you with potential providers. You decide whether to purchase from any of these providers. By submitting a Get Proposal Request or Contact Us Request, you agree that SourcingLine and/or our providers may contact you via email and/or the telephone. You should only use the service if you have legitimate purchasing needs.

Information You Provide to Us
You will be asked to provide information regarding your project and purchase requirements and contact information to allow providers to respond to your request. The information you provide us must be complete and accurate.

Transactional Communications
SourcingLine, from time to time, may send you certain communications, such as service announcements and administrative messages, and you recognize that these communications are considered part of SourcingLine membership and you will not be able to opt out of receiving them. If you would like to close your account, please notify customer care via the Contact Us link at the bottom of every page.

Provider Communication
You recognize that in submitting a Get Proposal request, selected providers will contact you and that this is an integral part of the service.

Feedback on Providers
You may elect to provide feedback on one or many projects or providers. In doing so, you agree to the feedback verification process outlined in Section 11. The information you provide us must be complete and accurate.

3. Your Use of SourcingLine Services
SourcingLine enables you to initiate transactions for the purchase of products or services. However, SourcingLine is not the provider of such products or services, nor is it a third party to any transactions involving such products or services. SourcingLine matches buyers to participating providers.

You agree that by completing a Get Proposal request, you are entering into an agreement with SourcingLine and a business relationship with SourcingLine's providers and thus agree to be contacted by SourcingLine and its providers. You acknowledge that these providers can contact you regarding your project(s) and that you are expressly consenting to such contact by them, or SourcingLine, to fulfill such request via phone, fax, email, mail or other reasonable means, at any of your contact numbers or addresses. These contacts are necessary to provide the services set forth on our site, to service your account, to reasonably address matters pertaining to your account or for other reasonable purposes related to our business.

It is agreed that your use of SourcingLine services is for purchasing purposes and not for any other purpose including advertising or competitive intelligence. You acknowledge that SourcingLine screens your Get Proposal request(s) and has the right (but not the obligation) in our sole discretion to deny any Get Proposal request that is in violation of these terms and conditions.

If it is determined or suspected by SourcingLine in its sole discretion that you are misusing or attempting to misuse or circumvent the SourcingLine services or system, or are using or attempting to use it for any inappropriate purposes, including but not limited to activities such as hacking, fraud, advertising, or spamming, SourcingLine reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to immediately terminate your access without notice and to commence legal actions or proceedings to seek remedies and/or damages, including but not limited to lost revenue, repairs, legal fees, costs and expenses, and to seek injunctions or other equitable remedies.

4. Information You Provide to Us
When using SourcingLine services, you will be prompted to disclose certain information about yourself and your project and purchasing requirements. This information will be sent to providers who will need this information to respond to you. You agree to only complete a Get Proposals request for yourself or another person who has authorized you to share his or her contact information. You promise that all information you provide will be accurate, current and truthful to the best of your knowledge. If you provide any information that is untrue, not current or incomplete, or SourcingLine has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, SourcingLine has the right to refuse you any current or future use of the SourcingLine services. You are responsible for any use of the SourcingLine services by persons to whom you intentionally or negligently allow access to your password. Your acceptance of these Terms of Service indicates that you expressly consent to our use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

In consideration of your use of the Service, you represent that you are of 18 years of age or older, are of legal age to form a binding contract, and are not a person barred from receiving services under the laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdiction.

5. Your Use of SourcingLine Content
SourcingLine provides content including but not limited to text, photographs, graphics, data, and other material ("Content") that are protected worldwide by copyright and other laws. The Content includes both content owned or controlled by SourcingLine and content owned or controlled by third parties.

You understand that SourcingLine does not control, and is not responsible for Content made available through the Service by third parties, and that by using the Service, you may be exposed to Content that may be inaccurate or misleading. Furthermore, the SourcingLine site and Content available through the Service may contain links to other websites, which are independent of SourcingLine. SourcingLine makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any Content, that you may not rely on said Content, and that under no circumstances will SourcingLine be liable in any way for any Content or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted, emailed or otherwise made available via the Service. You acknowledge that SourcingLine does not pre-screen or approve Content, but that SourcingLine shall have the right (but not the obligation) in its sole discretion to refuse, delete or move any Content that is available via the Service, for violating the letter or spirit of the TOS or for any other reason. You understand that SourcingLine cannot guarantee the identity of any other member with whom you may interact in the course of using the SourcingLine Service. Additionally, we cannot guarantee the authenticity of any data which members may provide.

You agree that you will not use this site for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these terms, conditions, and notices. Use of SourcingLine content for any other purpose is expressly prohibited by law, and may result in civil and criminal penalties.

6. Communications
SourcingLine may send you information related to your Get Proposal request, Contact Provider reques, Provider Feedback or your SourcingLine account. You acknowledge and agree that SourcingLine has the right to do so. Providers associated with your Get Proposal request or Contact Provider request may send you information related to these requests. You acknowledge and agree that Providers have the right to do so.

7. Privacy Policy
SourcingLine has established a Privacy Policy to explain how data on users is collected and used.

Your use of the SourcingLine website or the Service signifies acknowledgement of agreement to our Privacy Policy. You further acknowledge and agree that SourcingLine may, in its sole discretion, preserve or disclose your Content, as well as your information, such as email addresses, IP addresses, timestamps, and other user information, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: comply with legal process; enforce the TOS; respond to claims that any Content violates the rights of third-parties; protect the rights, property, or personal safety of SourcingLine, its users or the general public.

8. Member Account, Password and Security
You will receive a password and account designation upon completing the Service's registration process. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account. You agree to (a) immediately notify SourcingLine of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. SourcingLine cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this Section.

9. Termination of Service
You agree that SourcingLine, in its sole discretion, has the right (but not the obligation) to delete or deactivate your account, block your email or IP address, or otherwise terminate your access to or use of the Service (or any part thereof), immediately and without notice, and remove and discard any Content within the Service, for any reason, including, without limitation, if SourcingLine believes that you have acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of the TOS. Further, you agree that SourcingLine shall not be liable to you or any third-party for any termination of your access to the Service. Further, you agree not to attempt to use the Service after said termination.

10. Proprietary Rights
The Service is protected to the maximum extent permitted by copyright laws and international treaties. Content displayed on or through the Service is protected by copyright as a collective work and/or compilation, pursuant to copyrights laws, and international conventions. Any reproduction, modification, creation of derivative works from or redistribution of the site or the collective work, and/or copying or reproducing the sites or any portion thereof to any other server or location for further reproduction or redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of SourcingLine. You further agree not to reproduce, duplicate or copy Content from the Service without the express written consent of SourcingLine, and agree to abide by any and all copyright notices displayed on the Service. You may not decompile or disassemble, reverse engineer or otherwise attempt to discover any source code contained in the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit for any commercial purposes, any aspect of the Service.

Although SourcingLine does not claim ownership of content that its users post, by posting Content to any public area of the Service, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to SourcingLine an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully paid, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, and distribute said Content and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, said Content, and to grant and authorize. Furthermore, by posting Content to any public area of the Service, you automatically grant SourcingLine all rights necessary to prohibit any subsequent aggregation, display, copying, duplication, reproduction, or exploitation of the Content on the Service by any party for any purpose.

11. Provider and Feedback Verification and Disclaimers
SourcingLine provides verification services at the time providers register for the Get Proposal service. This verification may also be referred to as "Prescreening". SourcingLine also conducts verification services for some feedback and ratings displayed by the service.

Verification or Prescreening of providers may include some or all of the following:

Identity Verification (Reverse Phone or Domain Lookup) - SourcingLine verifies provider identity by confirming the phone number and/or email URL given matches the provider. Verification may include reverse look-up services or call back services.

Identity Verification (Financial Transaction) - SourcingLine verifies the identity of the provider's principal contact via a financial transaction (e.g. Amex, Visa, Paypal, bank transfer)

Business Registration or Licensing Verification - Where available and applicable, SourcingLine may verify business registration or licensing. Verification may include review of license documents or the use of license verification services. Licensing requirements vary by country and state and may not be readily available or applicable for many providers.

Web Site Verification - SourcingLine verifies the ownership of provider's principle website. Ownership is confirmed via the use of reverse look-up services and/or domain email access.

Internet/ Public Records Search - SourcingLine conducts a search of internet and public records on the provider. The data collected is checked for consistency with the provider's profile at registration.

Agreement to Provider Terms of Service - Each provider must agree to the Terms of Service (TOS) for providers. The provider TOS sets requirements for provider's use of this service.

Reference/ Feedback Verification - Provider Verification or Prescreening requires two positive, verified references or project feedbacks. Positive is defined as a numerical rating of 4 or higher on a 5 point scale where 1 is "very poor" and 5 is "very good". The criteria for feedback verification are below.

Verification of references or feedback includes the following activities:

Clarification of Project Scope - SourcingLine contacts feedback contributors (or references) to confirm the scope of their project and help ensure consistency with descriptions on the service. Clarification is conducted via telephone or email.

Clarification of Ratings - SourcingLine also contacts feedback contributors to help ensure consistency of ratings and reviews. Clarification is conducted via telephone or email.

Identity Verification (Reverse Phone Lookup) - SourcingLine verifies feedback contributor's identity by confirming the name or company associated with phone number matches the name or company provided. Verification may include reverse look-up services or call back services.

Identity Verification (Web Search) - SourcingLine seeks to verify feedback contributor's identity and association with company via a web search. Search includes company name and contributor's name.

Identity Verification (Email Access) - SourcingLine verifies feedback contributor's identity by confirming access to email with the domain associated with the reference company. Verification is completed via site registration or follow-up email exchange.

Provider Profiles / Ratings and Reviews: SourcingLine allows Providers to post profiles about themselves and their business on the SourcingLine web site. SourcingLine does not review or verify the information or representations set forth in those profiles, except as expressly set forth above, as they are self-reported by the Provider. All Ratings & Reviews of a Provider displayed to you reflect the opinions of other buyers, and do not reflect or represent the opinions or representations of SourcingLine. SourcingLine disclaims any and all representations or warranties with regard to the Ratings & Reviews.

The above procedures may change from time to time at the sole discretion of SourcingLine. SourcingLine believes that it uses commercially reasonable methods to check these matters but does not make any representations or warranties that members are appropriately qualified, licensed, free legal judgments, or carry appropriate insurance at the time of registration, during the period they are members, or thereafter. As circumstances can change daily, SourcingLine advises consumers to check these matters for themselves. SourcingLine does not represent or warrant that the information received from third party sources is accurate, error free, or that it is up to date or updated at the time that SourcingLine checks such information.

Disclaimer:
SourcingLine expressly disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied relating to the prescreening or verification process, criteria, procedures or information obtained or presented in the prescreening and verification process or disclosures including but not limited to any warranties of provider ability, fitness for a particular use, or that the screening or verification procedures or standards are sufficient or that the information received in these screening or verification procedures is accurate, timely or error free.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties
You expressly understand and agree that:

Your use of the service is at your sole risk. The service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. SourcingLine and its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners and licensors expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

SourcingLine and its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners and licensors make no warranty that (i) the service will meet your requirements; (ii) the service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free; (iii) the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable; (iv) the quality of any products, services, information or other material purchased or obtained by you through the service will meet your expectations; and (v) any errors in the software will be corrected.

Any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the service is accessed at your own discretion and risk, and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of any such material.

No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from SourcingLine or through or from the service, or through or from third parties on the service shall create any warranty not expressly stated in the TOS.

13. Exclusions and Limitations
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages. Accordingly, some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

14. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and hold SourcingLine, its parent company, officers, subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, assigns, directors, officers, agents, service providers, providers and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorney fees and court costs, made by any third party due to or arising out of Content you submit, post or make available through the Service, your use of the Service, your violation of the TOS, your breach of any of the representations and warranties herein, or your violation of any rights of another.

15. Copyright or Intellectual Property Infringement
SourcingLine respects the intellectual property of others. SourcingLine may, at its discretion, disable and/or terminate the accounts of users who infringe the rights of others. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or your intellectual property rights have been violated, please contact us.

16. General Information
The TOS constitute the entire agreement between you and SourcingLine and govern your use of the Service, superseding any prior agreements between you and SourcingLine. The TOS and the relationship between you and SourcingLine shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware without regard to its conflict of law provisions. The failure of SourcingLine to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the TOS shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of the TOS is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the TOS remain in full force and effect. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the Service or the TOS must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.

17. Violation of TOS
Please report any violations of the TOS by contacting us.

18. Comments and Suggestions
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please contact customer care.