Terms of Service

1. PLATFORM DESCRIPTION

RFP Pipeline ("the Platform," "we," "us") is a software platform and tooling provider offering AI-acceleration, document management, and expert-curated opportunity tools for small businesses pursuing federal research and development funding. The Platform provides AI-assisted proposal drafting, compliance matrix curation, opportunity matching, and document management tools. RFP Pipeline is a platform — not a proposal writer, not a government contracting advisor, and not a guarantor of any outcome. Our software and our people can and do make mistakes; the Platform, its AI, and its human experts produce drafts, suggestions, and support only.

2. AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE CERTIFICATION

By submitting this application, you certify that:

(a) You are an authorized representative of the company named in this application with the legal authority to bind the company to these terms;

(b) You are at least 18 years of age;

(c) The information you provide is accurate and complete;

(d) You will serve as the primary administrator for your company's workspace.

3. YOUR FINAL REVIEW RESPONSIBILITY

(a) Final review, verification, and submission of any materials is ALWAYS your responsibility. You are the final quality gate before anything is submitted to any federal agency or third party.

(b) The Platform, its AI features, and any curation, review, or consultation performed by RFP Pipeline staff produce drafts, suggestions, and support — never final, submission-ready deliverables. Nothing the Platform or our staff produces is a substitute for your own independent review.

(c) We make mistakes. AI output can be inaccurate or fabricated, opportunity data can be incomplete or stale, and human reviewers can err. You agree to independently verify all content, requirements, deadlines, page limits, and compliance items before relying on or submitting them.

(d) RFP Pipeline is not a legal, financial, or government-contracting advisory service. Consult qualified professionals for such advice.

4. ADMINISTRATOR & USER-ACCESS RESPONSIBILITY

User access is always the responsibility of the customer administrator. As the designated administrator, you are solely responsible for:

(a) All users, employees, and collaborators you invite to or grant access to your company workspace, and everything they do with that access;

(b) Setting, reviewing, and revoking each user's and collaborator's access to the minimum necessary for their role, and revoking it promptly when it is no longer needed;

(c) The accuracy, legality, and appropriateness of all content uploaded to the Platform;

(d) Ensuring that any team members or partners you add understand and comply with these terms;

(e) Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

RFP Pipeline is not responsible for access you grant, fail to revoke, or misconfigure.

5. DATA AND CONTENT

(a) You retain ownership of all content you upload to the Platform ("Your Content").

(b) You grant RFP Pipeline a limited, non-exclusive license to process, store, analyze, and use Your Content solely for the purpose of providing Platform services to you.

(c) AI-generated content produced by the Platform is provided as drafts for your review. You are solely responsible for reviewing, editing, accepting, and submitting any materials derived from AI assistance.

(d) RFP Pipeline does not claim ownership of AI-generated content produced for your use.

6. EXPERT CURATION & RFP-PIPELINE OVERSIGHT (SHADOW ACCESS)

(a) Auto opt-in. By default, RFP Pipeline expert staff ("RFP-Pipeline Admins") are granted oversight access to your proposal portals to provide curation, quality review, compliance setup, and support ("RFP-Pipeline Oversight"). This access is enabled automatically for each proposal portal you purchase, and it is how we curate, release, and support your build.

(b) What it is used for. RFP-Pipeline Oversight is used to prepare and release your proposal portal, review and improve compliance and drafting, respond to support requests, and provide the escalations and nudges that keep a build on schedule. RFP-Pipeline Admins act on your behalf within your workspace; their work remains advisory and is subject to Section 3.

(c) Opting out. You may decline RFP-Pipeline Oversight for any proposal portal at any time through that portal's guardrail settings.

(d) Effects of opting out. If you opt out of RFP-Pipeline Oversight for a portal, RFP Pipeline will not provide expert curation, backstop review, or oversight nudges for that portal, and you will not receive the benefit of our review on it. All responsibility for review, compliance, quality, and deadlines for that portal rests solely with you. Opting out does not reduce your fees and does not create any RFP Pipeline obligation to monitor that portal.

7. EXPERT CONSULTATION TIME

(a) Eligible customers accrue up to fifteen (15) minutes of expert consultation time per month ("Expert Time"), schedulable through the Platform's calendar against an RFP-Pipeline Admin's posted availability, up to your accrued balance.

(b) Expert Time is advisory only. It does not transfer any responsibility or liability to RFP Pipeline, does not guarantee any outcome, and is subject to Sections 3, 9, and 10.

(c) Expert Time is subject to availability and scheduling. Accrual amounts, rollover, and eligibility may change on notice; unless expressly stated, unused Expert Time does not roll over.

(d) Automated video-meeting scheduling (e.g., calendar-linked video links) may be offered as the feature matures; its availability is not guaranteed and is not a condition of these terms.

8. NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES

(a) THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

(b) RFP Pipeline does not guarantee any specific outcomes, including but not limited to: proposal wins, funding awards, compliance accuracy, or scoring results.

(c) RFP Pipeline does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of opportunity data sourced from federal or third-party databases (DSIP, SAM.gov, SBIR.gov, Grants.gov, etc.).

(d) No warranty applies to any curation, review, consultation, drafting assistance, or oversight performed by the Platform or by RFP-Pipeline Admins; all of it is advisory and subject to your final review under Section 3.

(e) You are solely responsible for reviewing and verifying all materials before submission to any federal agency.

9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RFP PIPELINE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM OR ANY CURATION, REVIEW, CONSULTATION, OR OVERSIGHT PERFORMED BY RFP-PIPELINE STAFF, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES WERE FORESEEABLE OR WHETHER RFP PIPELINE WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. RFP PIPELINE'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO RFP PIPELINE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

10. DATA SECURITY

(a) RFP Pipeline implements industry-standard security measures to protect Your Content, including encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access controls, and tenant isolation.

(b) However, no system is 100% secure. RFP Pipeline cannot guarantee that Your Content will never be subject to unauthorized access, breach, or loss.

(c) You acknowledge this risk and agree that RFP Pipeline's liability for data security incidents is limited as set forth in Section 9.

(d) In the event of a data breach affecting Your Content, RFP Pipeline will notify you within 72 hours of discovery.

11. PRICING AND PAYMENT

(a) Founding Cohort Spotlight subscription: $499/month.

(b) Proposal Portal purchases: priced per portal at the rates in effect at time of purchase.

(c) Payment is due on the day of onboarding for the first month and on the same day of each subsequent month.

(d) Pricing may change at any time, but customers will be given at least 30 days' written notice prior to any price change.

(e) You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation is effective at the end of the current paid period. No pro-rata refunds will be issued for partial months.

(f) Proposal Portal purchases are non-refundable once AI drafting has been initiated.

12. CANCELLATION AND TERMINATION

(a) You may cancel your subscription at any time by contacting eric@rfppipeline.com.

(b) Upon cancellation, your access continues until the end of the current paid period.

(c) After the paid period ends, your workspace will be placed in read-only mode for 30 days. During this period you may export your data.

(d) After the 30-day read-only period, your data may be permanently deleted.

(e) RFP Pipeline reserves the right to terminate your account for violation of these terms, with 30 days' notice except in cases of egregious violations.

13. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

(a) RFP Pipeline retains all rights to the Platform, including its software, AI models, curation processes, and proprietary methods.

(b) De-identified, aggregated insights derived from platform usage may be used to improve the service for all customers. No individual customer data will be shared or identifiable.

14. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless RFP Pipeline, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Platform, (b) your violation of these terms, (c) your violation of any applicable law, (d) any content you upload to the Platform, or (e) any material you submit to a federal agency or third party, whether or not it was prepared with the assistance of the Platform or RFP-Pipeline staff.

15. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

These terms shall be governed by the laws of the State of Ohio. Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association, conducted in Ohio. Each party bears its own attorneys' fees.

16. MODIFICATIONS

RFP Pipeline may modify these terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

17. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These Terms & Conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and RFP Pipeline regarding use of the Platform and supersede any prior agreements or understandings.