Platform Dispute Resolution Policy

This Policy explains how disputes arising on the Platform are handled. It forms part of the Platform Agreements and should be read with the Supplier Platform Participation Agreement, the Client Platform Participation Agreement, and the Website Terms of Use.

1. WHAT THIS POLICY DOES AND DOES NOT DO

1.1 Entegri Connect operates the Platform. Entegri Connect is not a party to any Engagement concluded between a Client and a Supplier, does not supervise the delivery of professional services, and does not adjudicate the merits of disputes between users.

1.2 This Policy therefore distinguishes between two categories of dispute:

Category A, Engagement Disputes. Disputes between a Client and a Supplier about the scope, quality, timing, or payment of professional services. Entegri Connect does not decide these. Clause 3 explains what Entegri Connect will and will not do.

Category B, Platform Disputes. Disputes about Entegri Connect’s own conduct as Platform Operator, or about the operation of Platform mechanisms, including profile records, fees, access decisions, feedback, and account suspension. Entegri Connect decides these, and Clause 4 sets out how.

1.3 A single set of facts may give rise to both. Where that happens, Entegri Connect deals only with the Category B element and takes no position on the Category A element.

1.4 Nothing in this Policy limits any party’s right to approach a court, a professional regulatory body, or the Information Regulator.

2. PRINCIPLES

2.1 Entegri Connect applies the following principles to every matter under this Policy:

2.1.1 Both sides are heard before any decision affecting a party is made, save where immediate suspension is necessary to prevent harm.

2.1.2 Decisions are based on Platform records, being Service Requirements, Bids, Information Requests, and Platform communications, which is why the Platform Agreements require communications to be conducted through the Platform.

2.1.3 Entegri Connect does not favour a party because of its role, fee contribution, or transaction volume.

2.1.4 Entegri Connect does not act as an advocate for either party.

2.1.5 Where Entegri Connect has a commercial interest in the outcome, that interest is disclosed and Clause 6 applies.

3. CATEGORY A, ENGAGEMENT DISPUTES

3.1 What Entegri Connect will do

3.1.1 On written request by either party, Entegri Connect will provide both parties with a copy of the Platform record of the Engagement, being the Service Requirement, the accepted Bid, Information Requests and responses, and Platform communications, within five (5) Business Days.

3.1.2 Entegri Connect will confirm factual matters evidenced by Platform records, such as the date a Bid was accepted, the date an Information Request was lodged, or whether a response was received within the applicable period.

3.1.3 Entegri Connect will, at the request of both parties, facilitate a structured exchange through the Platform for a period of fifteen (15) Business Days, with the aim of the parties reaching their own resolution.

3.1.4 Where the dispute reveals conduct in breach of the Platform Conduct Standards, Entegri Connect will deal with that conduct under Clause 5, separately from the underlying dispute.

3.2 What Entegri Connect will not do

3.2.1 Entegri Connect will not determine whether professional services were competently performed, whether a deliverable met the agreed scope, or whether a fee is owed.

3.2.2 Entegri Connect will not withhold, release, set off, or direct any Engagement payment under the current interim payment arrangement described in clause 7.3 of the Supplier Platform Participation Agreement, under which Engagement payments flow directly between Client and Supplier. If a payment or escrow provider is introduced, this Policy will be updated before that payment model is used to reflect any change in Entegri Connect’s role.

3.2.3 Entegri Connect will not compel a party to refund, re-perform, or accept a deliverable.

3.2.4 Entegri Connect will not provide an opinion, expert or otherwise, on the professional merits of any deliverable.

3.3 Escalation by the parties

3.3.1 Engagement Disputes are governed by the terms agreed between the Client and the Supplier for that Engagement, including any dispute resolution clause in the Supplier’s engagement letter.

3.3.2 Where the Engagement does not provide otherwise, the parties are encouraged to attempt mediation before litigation.

3.3.3 A Client who believes a Supplier has breached a professional code may refer the matter to the Supplier’s professional body. Entegri Connect will provide Platform records to a professional body on lawful request.

3.4 Suppliers’ recourse for non-payment

3.4.1 Where a Client fails to pay a Supplier for work properly performed and accepted, the Supplier’s recourse is against the Client. Entegri Connect does not guarantee Client payment and does not act as a collection agent.

3.4.2 The Supplier may report the non-payment to Entegri Connect. Persistent non-payment is a breach of the Client Platform Participation Agreement and is dealt with under Clause 5.

4. CATEGORY B, PLATFORM DISPUTES

4.1 Scope

This Clause applies to disputes about: a record placed on a party’s Platform profile; the Platform Fee charged to a Supplier; feedback published on the Platform; a decision to suspend, restrict, or terminate access; a decision to remove content; and Entegri Connect’s conduct as Platform Operator generally. No Client Access Fee or equivalent charge is payable by Clients, so a fee dispute under this Policy is ordinarily a Supplier matter; see clause 4.5.3.

4.2 Stage 1, Raise the matter

4.2.1 The matter should be raised in writing to info@entegri.net, marked for the attention of the Platform Administrator, setting out what is disputed and what outcome is sought.

4.2.2 Entegri Connect will acknowledge receipt within two (2) Business Days.

4.2.3 Where the matter concerns another Platform user, that user will be given an opportunity to respond within five (5) Business Days before a decision is made.

4.2.4 Entegri Connect will provide a written decision with reasons within fifteen (15) Business Days of acknowledgement, or where that is not possible, an explanation and a revised timeframe.

4.3 Stage 2, Internal review

4.3.1 A party dissatisfied with a Stage 1 decision may request review within ten (10) Business Days.

4.3.2 The review is conducted, so far as practicable, by a person not involved in the original decision. Where that is not practicable and the circumstances warrant it, Entegri Connect may appoint an independent reviewer.

4.3.3 The review decision is issued within fifteen (15) Business Days and is Entegri Connect’s final internal position.

4.4 Stage 3, External resolution

4.4.1 A party dissatisfied with the review decision may refer the matter to mediation under the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), and failing resolution within thirty (30) days, to binding arbitration under the AFSA Commercial Arbitration Rules in Johannesburg before a single arbitrator.

4.4.2 Either party may approach a court of competent jurisdiction at any time for urgent or interdictory relief.

4.4.3 Where a party is a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, nothing in this Clause limits that party’s right to refer a dispute to the National Consumer Commission or any other forum provided for by that Act.

4.5 Specific matters

4.5.1 Profile records. Where a record is placed on a Client’s profile under Clause 8.5.4 of the Supplier Platform Participation Agreement, the Client may submit a written response within ten (10) Business Days, which is recorded alongside the entry. The Client may in addition dispute the record under this Clause 4. Entegri Connect will remove a record it determines to be factually incorrect or entered in bad faith.

4.5.2 Feedback. Entegri Connect will remove feedback it reasonably determines to be defamatory, factually incorrect, retaliatory, or submitted to coerce a fee concession. Entegri Connect will not remove feedback merely because it is unfavourable.

4.5.3 Fee disputes. A Supplier’s disputed Platform Fee is suspended from collection pending the outcome of Stage 1 and, where requested, Stage 2. Interest does not accrue on a disputed amount unless the dispute is determined to have been raised without reasonable grounds. This mechanism applies to the current interim invoice model; if a payment or escrow provider is introduced, the fee-dispute mechanism will be updated before that model is used.

4.5.4 Access suspension. Where access is suspended pending investigation, Entegri Connect will state the reason, give the affected party an opportunity to respond within five (5) Business Days, and complete the investigation within fifteen (15) Business Days. Suspension pending investigation is not a finding of breach.

4.5.5 Effect on Engagements. Suspension or termination of a party’s Platform access does not extinguish any Engagement in progress, and does not affect a Supplier’s right to be paid for work properly performed and accepted.

5. CONDUCT BREACHES

5.1 Where a matter reveals a breach of the Platform Conduct Standards, Entegri Connect deals with the conduct separately from the underlying dispute.

5.2 Entegri Connect may, proportionate to the breach: issue a written warning; require corrective action; restrict specific Platform functions; suspend access; or terminate the relevant Platform Agreement.

5.3 Before taking action other than a warning, Entegri Connect will put the alleged breach to the party in writing and allow five (5) Business Days to respond, save where immediate suspension is necessary to prevent harm to another user, to the Platform, or to Entegri Connect.

5.4 Repeated conduct, or conduct involving dishonesty, is treated as more serious than an isolated lapse.

5.5 A party subject to action under this Clause may dispute it under Clause 4.

6. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

6.1 Entegri Connect operates the Platform only and does not itself provide professional services. Entegri Enterprises (Pty) Ltd is a separate company under common control with Entegri Connect, sharing a director and, in some cases, personnel, and may bid on the Platform as a Supplier, as described in clause 1.5 of the Platform Participation Agreements and in the Related Company Terms. This shared structure creates a conflict of interest where a dispute involves Entegri Enterprises, a Supplier that competes with it, or a Client that has received or accepted a Bid from it.

6.2 Where such a conflict exists, Entegri Connect will:

6.2.1 disclose the conflict in writing to both parties at the outset;

6.2.2 ensure the decision is taken, so far as practicable, by a person not involved in the original decision, or appoint an independent reviewer where appropriate; and

6.2.3 on the written request of either party, refer the matter directly to external mediation under Clause 4.4 without completing Stage 1 or Stage 2.

6.3 Entegri Connect will not use information obtained in the course of a dispute for any commercial purpose, including to solicit either party.

7. RECORDS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND GOOD FAITH

7.1 Records of matters handled under this Policy are retained for three (3) years from the date of the final decision.

7.2 Disputes are handled confidentially. Entegri Connect will not disclose the existence or content of a dispute to any third party except: to the other party to the dispute; to a professional body or regulator on lawful request; where required by law; or where necessary to obtain legal advice.

7.3 Outcomes are not published. Entegri Connect may publish anonymised aggregate statistics about dispute volumes and resolution times.

7.4 A party must not raise a dispute for an improper purpose, including to delay payment, to pressure a counterparty into a fee concession, or to damage a competitor. Doing so is itself a breach of the Platform Conduct Standards.

7.5 Time periods in this Policy are calculated in Business Days as defined in the applicable Platform Agreement, and may be extended by agreement or where the complexity of a matter reasonably requires it, on notice to the parties.

8. HOW TO RAISE A MATTER

Platform disputes and conduct reports: info@entegri.net, marked for the attention of the Platform Administrator.

Personal information and privacy complaints: rayno@entegri.net, marked for the attention of the Information Officer.

Information Regulator of South Africa: POPIAcomplaints@inforegulator.org.za, Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191.

Please include your account details, the Service Requirement or Engagement reference, what is disputed, and the outcome you are seeking.

9. REVIEW

This Policy is reviewed at least annually. Material changes are notified in accordance with the change provisions of the applicable Platform Agreement.