Terms & Conditions

1Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using CONSTRAT services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, along with our Privacy Policy and any additional terms applicable to specific services.

If you do not agree to these terms, you must not access or use our platform.

2User Accounts

2.1 Account Types

• Business Accounts: For companies seeking construction consultancy services
• Consultant Accounts: For verified construction industry professionals

2.2 Account Responsibilities

• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
• You are responsible for all activities under your account
• One person or entity may only maintain one account

3Consultant Verification

All consultants undergo a rigorous verification process including:

• Professional qualification verification
• Industry experience validation
• Background checks and references
• Ongoing performance monitoring

CONSTRAT reserves the right to suspend or terminate consultant accounts that fail to maintain professional standards.

4Platform Nature & Services

4.1 Our Role

CONSTRAT provides:

• A marketplace platform connecting businesses with verified consultants
• Booking and scheduling tools
• Communication facilities between parties
• AI-powered compliance checking tools
• Document templates and resources
• Integration with authorized payment processors

4.2 What We Do NOT Do

• We do NOT hold, process, or control client funds
• We do NOT provide financial services or payment processing
• We do NOT act as an escrow agent or payment institution
• We do NOT guarantee consultant performance or service outcomes
• We do NOT provide legal, financial, or professional advice

5Payment Processing & Escrow Services

5.1 Authorized Payment Processors

All payments on CONSTRAT are processed by one or more of the following FCA-authorized providers:

• Stripe Payments Europe Ltd - Payment processing (FCA Registration: 900275)
• Shieldpay Ltd - Escrow services (FCA Registration: 804386)

By using CONSTRAT, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of these payment processors in addition to our terms.

5.2 Escrow Protection

For your protection, all consultant booking payments are held in escrow by Shieldpay Ltd, an FCA-authorized Payment Institution:

• Funds are held securely by Shieldpay (not CONSTRAT) until service completion
• Client money protection up to £85,000 per transaction
• Professional indemnity insurance coverage included
• FCA-regulated safeguarding of all funds
• Escrow fee: 1.8% (including VAT) added to booking total

5.3 Payment Release Process

Funds held in escrow are released according to the following process:

• Payment is held in escrow when booking is confirmed
• Consultant completes the agreed services
• Both parties confirm service completion via the platform
• CONSTRAT triggers payment release via Shieldpay API
• Shieldpay releases funds to consultant (minus 8% platform commission)
• Consultant receives payment within 1-2 business days

Important: CONSTRAT only triggers the release; we do not control or hold the funds. All fund holding and transfer is performed by Shieldpay.

5.4 Platform Commission

CONSTRAT charges a platform commission on consultant bookings:

• Consultant Commission: 8% of booking value (deducted from consultant payment)
• Business Service Fee: Variable based on booking value (2.5% - 5%)
• Escrow Fee: 1.8% (paid to Shieldpay, not CONSTRAT)

5.5 Liability Limitation

CONSTRAT is NOT responsible for:

• Payment processing failures or delays by Stripe or Shieldpay
• Fund security (handled by FCA-authorized providers)
• Payment disputes (resolved by Shieldpay per their terms)
• Bank transfer delays or issues
• Currency conversion fees or exchange rate fluctuations

6Booking Terms

6.1 Booking Process

• All bookings are subject to consultant availability
• Booking confirmations are sent via email and SMS
• Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance
• Late cancellations may incur fees

6.2 Cancellation & Refunds

• 24+ hours notice: Full refund (minus processing fees)
• Less than 24 hours: 50% refund
• No-show: No refund
• Consultant cancellations: Full refund automatically processed
• Refunds processed within 5-7 business days

7Dispute Resolution

Payment and service disputes are handled by Shieldpay's dispute resolution team:

• Either party may raise a dispute within 14 days of service completion
• Disputes must be submitted via the CONSTRAT platform
• CONSTRAT forwards disputes to Shieldpay for resolution
• Both parties must provide evidence and documentation
• Shieldpay makes final decisions on fund release
• Funds remain in escrow until dispute resolution
• CONSTRAT may provide evidence but does NOT make final decisions

Important: CONSTRAT acts only as a facilitator. All dispute resolution decisions are made by Shieldpay per their terms of service.

8Data Protection & Privacy

We are committed to protecting your data in compliance with GDPR and UK data protection laws:

• All data is encrypted at rest and in transit
• Booking records retained for 7 years (legal requirement)
• Payment transactions retained for 7 years
• Chat conversations retained for 5 years
• You have the right to access, correct, or delete your data

For full details, please review our Privacy Policy.

9Intellectual Property

All content, trademarks, and intellectual property on CONSTRAT are owned by us or our licensors. You may not:

• Copy, modify, or distribute our content without permission
• Use our trademarks or branding without authorization
• Reverse engineer or attempt to extract source code
• Create derivative works based on our platform

10Limitation of Liability

CONSTRAT acts as a technology platform connecting businesses with consultants. We:

• Do not guarantee specific outcomes from consultancy services
• Are not liable for consultant performance or advice
• Are not responsible for payment processing or fund security
• Are not responsible for disputes between users
• Limit our liability to the amount of platform fees paid in the last 12 months

Maximum Liability: Our total liability to you for any claims arising from use of CONSTRAT shall not exceed the total platform fees you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

11Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that:

• Violate these terms and conditions
• Engage in fraudulent or illegal activities
• Provide false or misleading information
• Abuse or harass other users
• Fail to maintain professional standards

12Changes to Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated via email. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

13Contact Information

For questions about these terms, please contact us: