Ecosystem Membership Terms and conditions

1. Who we are

1.1 These terms and conditions, together with the supplementary Membership Sign-up Form (the “Sign-up Form”) (together being the “Terms“) form the basis of the user contract through which the Pluggin Ecosystem Limited trading as Pluggin (“we“, “us” or “our”) will deliver our membership services (the “Services” or “Membership”) to you (“you”) as a member of the ecosystem (“Business Member, CSE Member, Procurement Member, University Member“). Any definition of Pluggin in these Terms may, at Pluggin’s discretion (and upon notice to you) also refer to any and all of Pluggin’s designated partners and/or any other connected entities as may be notified to you from time to time.

1.2 Pluggin Ecosystem Limited is a social enterprise trading as Pluggin and incorporated in England and Wales with the registered number 11392570. Our registered office is located at York Hub, Popeshead Court Offices, Peter Lane, York, North Yorkshire, England, YO1 8SU. You can contact our Company Secretariat on info@pluggin.org or by writing to Pluggin’s Company Secretariat at York Hub, Popeshead Court Offices, Peter Lane, York, North Yorkshire, England, YO1 8SU.

1.3 Please read these Terms carefully before applying to become a Member of the ecosystem. In consideration of us accepting your Sign-up Form to become a Member and enabling you to access the ecosystem and services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. Your attention is particularly drawn to the limitations and exclusions of liability set out in clause 14.

2. Membership and your user subscription with us

2.1 When you click to submit your Sign-up Form online as a prospective Business/CSE/Procurement/University Member, you are making an offer to subscribe to the ecosystem and services in accordance with these Terms.

2.2 Our acceptance of your Membership request will take place once:

(a) a completed Sign-up Form (and payment commitment for business membership if applicable and defined in clause 5) has been received by us;

(b) our due diligence checks on your Sign-up Form have been satisfied; and

(c) we have confirmed in writing (by e-mail to the e-mail address specified in your Sign-up Form) our acceptance of your application to be a Member.

2.3 We reserve the right to refuse any Sign-up Form at our complete discretion. If we refuse your Sign-up Form, we will inform you of our decision to do so as soon as reasonably practicable.

2.4 Subject to any early cancellation or termination rights in accordance with these Terms, your Membership will start on the Commencement Date and will last for a period of 12 months, unless otherwise stated in writing by Us (the “Membership Period”).

2.5 Membership of the ecosystem is on an annual basis only. You may not transfer your Membership or share your access to any Services with or, save for the sole purpose of administering your Membership, share your Pluggin login details with, any other individual outside your organisation.

2.6 All ecosystem updates and membership information will be sent via email to the contact address provided within the Sign-up Form. Communications will be sent to the named Membership Contact at the prescribed email address - on a daily or weekly basis. We accept no responsibility or liability if you do not update the contact details specified in your Sign-up Form.

2.7 These Terms set out your organisational user obligations as an ecosystem member. We may update these Terms at any time and they are held online at this URL.

3. Business Membership cooling off period

3.1 For Business Members paying an annual subscription fee we offer a 14 day's cooling off period, effective from the Commencement Date (referred to as the “Cooling Off Period”). During this Cooling Off Period, you will be allowed to change your mind and cancel your Membership. If you wish to cancel your Membership, we must receive notification from you within the Cooling Off Period in writing or by email.

3.2 In the event of you exercising your rights during the Cooling Off Period, we will close access to our digital platform. The Membership Fee will be 100% refunded to you.

4. Membership benefits

4.1 Membership benefits are subject always to these Terms, the details are set out on our website

• Business: www.pluggin.website/membership 
• CSE: www.pluggin.website/vcse
• Procurement: www.pluggin.website/social-value-ecosystem
• University: www.pluggin.website/universities

4.2 Use of any Membership Benefits are strictly limited to named members only.

4.3 We may change and/or withdraw any and all Membership Benefits that apply to your Membership at any time. Business Members will be advised 30-days in advance of changes.

 5. Business Membership - Annual Subscription Fee & Payment

5.1 There are TWO categories of Business Membership depending upon the annual (gross) turnover of the entity: (i) Medium/Large Business = Annual turnover of £5m or more; Small Business = Annual turnover of less than £5m: 

• Medium/Large Business Membership = £1,900.00 +VAT per annum
• Small Business Membership = £595.00 +VAT

5.2 The Business Membership Fee and any payment terms which are displayed on Pluggin’s website will prevail at all times.

5.3 We may update the Membership Fee and payment terms set out on our website and the respective Business Membership Sign-up Form at any time.

5.4 The Business Membership Fee you pay is fixed during the term of a 12-month Subscription Period; we may increase it on renewal in accordance with clause 8 below.

5.5 Before your Membership can be accepted, we must receive full payment for the Membership Fee by bank transfer.

5.6 The Business Membership subscription fee is shown exclusive of UK VAT.

6. BACS payments

6.1 Business Membership subscription is charged via annual invoice to the finance contact advised within the Sign-up Form. The invoice is sent via email. 

6.2 We establish a commercial connection as a supplier, with your finance team in order to complete the payment process and activate membership.

6.3 Upon membership renewal date, we will contact your accounts to advise them; typically 60 days in advance.

7. Membership cancellation and refunds

7.1 You may cancel your Membership at any time. However you agree that save for cancellations occurring within the Cooling Off Period, you are liable to pay us the Membership Fee for the entire Period and there will be no refund of your Membership Fee if you cancel your Membership prior to the end of the Subscription Period. 

8. Renewal of your Membership

8.1 Prior to the end of your Membership Period, we will send renewal reminders to both Finance and Membership contacts advised to you.

8.2 If you would like to cease to be a Member at the end of your membership period, then you should notify by email accordingly.

8.3 Any renewal by you is subject always to your right to change your mind about the Renewal in accordance with the Cooling Off Period conditions set out at clause 3 (save that in the case of a renewal, the 14 day cooling off period referred to in clause 3 shall apply from the date on which your Subscription Period comes to an end).

9. Advertising, websites and use of Pluggin trademarks/Intellectual Property

9.1 For so long as you are an ecosystem Member, subject always to your compliance with these Terms, you may state on your website and publicity/marketing materials that you are a Member of the Pluggin Ecosystem and associated Dual Impact Collaboration Model within the UK. We will encourage the sharing of backlinks between websites. All goodwill derived from your use of our Marks, is in accordance with this clause and shall accrue to Pluggin. We reserve the right to withdraw any permission given pursuant to this clause at any time.

9.2 The copyright and all other intellectual property rights held within ecosystem information, text, imagery, functionality, content and materials having been made available to you in connection with your Membership and/or via the digital Platform and Website (the “Materials“) belongs to Pluggin and its licensors. You agree to abide by all reasonable instructions and restrictions imposed by Pluggin from time to time in respect of your use of the Materials. Content uploaded and shared by fellow ecosystem members is provided for the convenience of our members only and Pluggin is not responsible in any way for and has no liability in respect of the content or operation of such content or the associated organisations. You are responsible for taking any security measures necessary when using the content.

9.3 Save insofar as our press releases may be used in press articles, you must seek our approval to:

(a) copy, modify, reproduce, re-publish, sub-licence, sell, upload, broadcast, post, transmit or distribute any of the Materials;

(b) use the Materials for any purpose other than for that which they are intended;

(c) remove any copyright or other Pluggin notice on the Materials; or

(d) modify, adapt, merge, translate, disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer (save to the extent permitted by law) any software forming part of the Website.

9.4 We make no warranties or representations as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and digital Materials within the ecosystem. You acknowledge that such Materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law. You should independently verify any information before relying on it.

10. Liability

10.1 We provide the Membership for your organisational use, and you agree that we have no liability to you for any loss of reputation, profit, or interruption or loss of opportunity.

10.2 If we fail to comply with these Terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach of these Terms or our negligence (that means that it is an obvious consequence of our breach, or that it was contemplated by you and us at the time you became a Member), but we are not responsible for:

(a) any loss or damage that is not foreseeable;

(b) any loss or damage arising from your use of Membership which are provided by an external provider / third party other than Pluggin (provided that the loss or damage is not a result of a breach of these Terms by us);

(c) you misusing the digital environment or any other part of the Services in any way (including you undertaking any inappropriate, unlawful or immoral activity and/or any activity which could harm Pluggin and/or bring Pluggin’s reputation or that of its members, officers or employees, into disrepute); or

(d) us or other members, acting on materials or communications which purport to have been made by or on behalf of you but which have been created or sent by (i) a third party purporting to act in your name, or (ii) a person who has lawful access to the Services but who exceeds his or her authority, regardless of whether such losses arise in contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise.

10.3 Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit any company’s liability where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes for death or personal injury caused by a person’s negligence, or any person’s liability for fraud.

10.4 Except as specified in these Terms, all express or implied conditions, terms, representations or warranties (whether implied by statute or otherwise) are hereby excluded to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10.5 These Terms do not and shall not affect your statutory rights.

11. Data Protection

11.1 By entering into these Terms you acknowledge that we will collect and process your data as you provide it and as necessary for our performance of these Terms on the basis set out in our Privacy Policy in force from time to time and available on our website and/or from our Company Secretariat www.pluggin.website/privacy .

12. Termination / suspension of Membership

12.1 Without affecting any other rights and remedies which we may have and without liability to you for any losses which may result, we may terminate your Membership immediately, or suspend your entitlement to any of the Services, if in our sole opinion, you materially or repeatedly breach any of these Terms, or fail to adhere to the Rules and Regulations;

12.2 If we terminate your Membership for any of the reasons set out in clause 16.1, unless otherwise authorised by or on behalf of the Board in writing:

• your right to use our Website and the Services shall cease with immediate effect;
• we may take all steps as we consider necessary to implement this (including, without limitation, terminating your access to and use of any membership only areas of Pluggin’s website and Services and invalidating any relevant access details).

12.3 Termination for whatever reason of these Terms shall not affect:

• any rights, liabilities or obligations which accrued before such termination (including without limitation the right to claim damages in respect of any breach of the Terms which existed at or before the date of termination);
• any of these Terms that are expressly or by implication intended by Pluggin to continue in force on or after termination of these Terms.

12.4 If we need to terminate your Membership immediately, or suspend your access to any of the Services, for any of the reasons set out in this clause, we will inform you of our decision to do so as soon as reasonably practicable.

13. Changes to these terms

13.1 We may update these Terms at any time to reflect changes in or to:

(a) relevant laws or regulatory requirements;

(b) security, technical or operational issues;

(c) the operation of our Website’s and / or Services; or

(d) our business;

13.2 If we update these Terms, we will digitally communicate a URL to the revised website version of the Terms. We may also e-mail you with information on those changes.

14. Member Complaints and Feedback

14.1 If you have any complaints, please send them to us at the address given on the ‘Contact us’ section of our Website or send them to membership@pluggin.org . We would like to hear from you so we can continue to improve our service.

15. General

15.1 These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Pluggin as it relates to membership of our ecosystem and services. Any advertising or descriptions of the Services (for example, on our website) are published for illustrative purposes only and shall not form part of the Terms.

15.2 You agree that we may transfer our rights under these Terms to any company, firm or person provided that your Membership will not be adversely affected as a result of such transfer. If we need to, we will contact you in advance of such transfer.

15.3 Any failure or delay by us to action a breach by you of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of any rights and remedies we have in respect of such breach. 

15.4 We shall not be responsible for any breach by any third party, where such breach is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control. When we say “circumstances beyond our reasonable control”, we mean any act or event beyond our reasonable control and which is not attributable to any act or failure to take preventative action by us (including, for example, a terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, a natural disaster, a failure of public or private telecommunications networks or impossibility or the use of any means of public or private transport). If a breach is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to notify you of it, and our obligations under these Terms will be suspended for the duration of those circumstances.

15.5 These Terms govern the relationship between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of the Terms.

15.6 Unless otherwise expressly stated in these Terms, all notices from you to us should be sent by email to Pluggin’s Membership Department membership@pluggin.org. We may send any notice to you under these Terms by email or by first class or second class post to the email address and/or postal address that we hold on file for you.

15.7 We will do our best to resolve any disputes over these Terms. These Terms, their subject matter and their formation, are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Nothing in these Terms affects your rights to rely on local law mandatory provisions and legal rights.

15.8 You and we both agree that these Terms are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. 

15.9 In the event of a breach by these Terms of any of your statutory rights in force from time to time, it is agreed that your statutory rights will at all times prevail.

15.10 Each of the paragraphs of these Terms operates separately. If a court finds part of these Terms is illegal, the rest will continue in full force and effect.

Return to the website...