Pluggin User & Participation Terms and Conditions

Governing the Pluggin civic infrastructure and digital Pluggin Marketplace

This website, the Pluggin Civic Infrastructure and associated technology are owned and operated by Pluggin Ecosystem Limited (trading as 'Pluggin'), a registered Social Enterprise in England and Wales (Company No. 11392570).

Our mission is to directly support, connect, capture, measure, and promote social value generated through UK public procurement spending and the use of this civic infrastructure is to provide UK communities with a free to access and use, public utility. 

These Terms and Conditions apply to all participating entities and their approved users, including Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs/charities), Public Sector Buying Authorities, Tier 1 and Commercial Suppliers, and Academic Institutions. By accessing, joining, raising Social Purchase Orders (SPOs), or executing Collaboration Agreements via Pluggin, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please cease using the infrastructure immediately.

1. Access to Our Civic Infrastructure

• Access to and use of www.pluggin.org and its Pluggin Marketplace is provided free of charge for community participants and authorised public sector and business users in accordance with these Terms.

• Access is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We may alter, suspend, or discontinue any part of our infrastructure at any time without prior notice. We shall not be liable if our infrastructure is unavailable at any time or for any period.

2. Civic Infrastructure vs. Government Systems

• Independent Utility: Pluggin operates as independent civic infrastructure—not a government-owned database, internal public sector software, or proprietary commercial SaaS tool.

• Public Sector Authority Use: Public Sector Buying Authorities (including central government departments, police forces, local councils, and blue-light services) utilise Pluggin as a civic infrastructure to contract, track, verify, and promote hyper-localised social value obligations against unique Contract IDs.

• System Control & Data Sovereignty: Utilising Pluggin grants buying authorities access to community validated and produced quantitative and qualitative dashboard management functions. Buying authorities do not host, own, or control Pluggin’s underlying infrastructure, data repository, or public-facing marketplace arena.

3. Public Domain Social Value Data & Perpetual License

Because Pluggin facilitates social value funded directly through taxpayer-backed public procurement contracts, all delivery outcomes belong in the public domain for taxpayer, resident, and community scrutiny.

• Public Domain Characterisation: When a supplier raises a Social Purchase Order (SPO) in support of a VCSE partner both parties accept a Collaboration Agreement locked-to a public contract -  the resulting non-PII metrics (including £ value, hours delivered, resource allocations, and qualitative case studies linked to Contract IDs) are operated and tracked, measured and promoted within our public marketplace arena.

• Perpetual License Grant: By submitting data, raising SPOs, or executing Collaboration Agreements on Pluggin, participating entities grant Pluggin a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to display, publish, verify, and process all non-Personally Identifiable Information project metrics and delivery proofs in the public domain.

• Prohibition of Commercial Secrecy: Participating entities acknowledge that social value commitments funded via public procurement cannot be concealed behind corporate Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), proprietary trade secret claims, or private encumbrances.

4. Intellectual Property Rights & Fair Use

• The copyright, database rights, and intellectual property in all core platform architecture, the DICM Engine, design assets, and content belong to Pluggin Ecosystem Limited or its licensors, unless specifically indicated otherwise.

• You may not reproduce, copy, distribute, sell, sub-license, or store content from our website without express written permission from Pluggin.

• Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes statutory provisions under Chapter III of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 ('Acts Permitted in Relation to Copyright Works').

5. Links to and from Our Infrastructure

• You may backlink to www.pluggin.org provided you do so in a fair, legal manner that does not damage our reputation or suggest any form of official endorsement or affiliation where none exists.

• Where our website contains links to third-party sites, these are provided for information only. We assume no responsibility or liability for third-party content or policies.

6. Disclaimers & Operational Guarantees

• General Information: Nothing on our website constitutes legal, financial, or formal procurement advice upon which sole reliance should be placed. Participating entities should verify specific contractual duties independently.

• Cyber Resilience Assurance: As a member of the UK policing-led West Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre (Membership No. 362811900116), Pluggin maintains rigorous technical safeguards to protect system integrity and prevent unauthorised access.

• Accuracy of Content: While we take all reasonable steps to ensure web content is complete and accurate, we make no express or implied warranties regarding content absolute completeness or perpetual uptime.

7. Participation, Subscriptions & Member Protocols

When submitting an online Sign-up Form as a Business, VCSE, Buying Authority, or SME participant:

1. Registration & Due Diligence: Participation is subject to our receipt of a completed form, successful verification checks, and written confirmation of account issuance. We reserve the right to refuse access at our discretion.

2. Pre-Tender Business Listings (Restricted Access): In support of public contracting evaluation, restricted pre-tender supplier directory listings are accessible solely by authorised Buyer Members during evaluation phases. This pre-tender evaluation listing is separate from active, post-award SPO public domain delivery.

3. Publicity & Branding Safeguards: Except where associated with an active public SPO or explicit member request, Pluggin will not publish corporate logos or commercial promotional material on the public homepage without prior agreement.

4. Communication & Newsfeed Posting: Designated marketing or primary contacts gain access to post updates within regional community newsfeeds. All user-generated updates are subject to content moderation under our Privacy Policy.

5. Cancellation Protocol: Participation can be cancelled at any time by emailing info@pluggin.org with the subject line 'Membership Cancellation'. Cancellations are administered within 24 business hours.

8. Our Liability

• To the fullest extent permissible by UK law, Pluggin accepts no liability for any loss or damage (contractual, tortious, or otherwise) arising out of or in connection with the use of, or inability to use, our website or reliance upon platform content.

• We exclude liability for loss of profits, sales, commercial opportunities, goodwill, anticipated savings, or indirect/consequential losses.

• Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury resulting from negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded under English law.

9. Acceptable Usage & System Security

• You must use our infrastructure exclusively for lawful purposes and in full compliance with local, national, and international laws.

• Security Duties: You must not introduce viruses, malware, or technologically harmful material, nor attempt unauthorized access to our servers, databases, or infrastructure networks.

• Computer Misuse Act 1990: Breaches of system security will be reported immediately to relevant law enforcement agencies (including Police Cyber Crime Units) and co-prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

10. Privacy, Data Protection & Cross-Policy Governance

• Use of Pluggin is governed by our Privacy & GDPR Policy and our Data Governance & Public Domain Framework, which are hereby incorporated into these Terms by reference.

• All processing of beneficiary metrics adheres strictly to UK GDPR anonymisation boundaries.

11. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to alter these Terms and Conditions at any time. Changes become binding upon your first use of the website following publication. Continued participation indicates acceptance of updated Terms.

12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions, and any non-contractual obligations or disputes arising out of them, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

13. Contacting Us

For operational, legal, or governance inquiries, please contact:

Pluggin Ecosystem Limited

York Hub, Popeshead Court Offices, Peter Lane, York, YO1 8SU

Email: info@pluggin.org | Phone: +44 (0) 1904 954257

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