Terms of Service

1. Agreement and GroundBid's Role

These Terms are a binding agreement between you and GroundBid when you create an account or use the platform. GroundBid operates a marketplace that connects homeowners and businesses ("Posters") with independent service providers ("Providers") through sealed, time-boxed bidding. GroundBid is not a contractor, employer, joint venturer, insurer, or agent of either marketplace party and does not perform or supervise the contracted work.

2. Eligibility, Authority, and Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old, legally able to enter contracts, and use GroundBid only for lawful purposes. If you act for a company or another person, you represent that you have authority to bind them. You must provide accurate, current information; protect account credentials; promptly report unauthorized access; and may not sell, share, or transfer an account. Providers remain responsible for all licenses, insurance, permits, registrations, qualifications, employees, subcontractors, and taxes required for their work.

3. Jobs, Bids, and Marketplace Contract

Posters are responsible for an accurate scope, site access, material facts, and authority to order the work. A Provider's submitted bid is a binding offer during the stated bidding window. When a Poster accepts a bid, the Poster and Provider form a separate service contract on the accepted scope, price, schedule, and platform rules. Each party is responsible for independently evaluating the other, the site, the work, and applicable law.

No off-platform payment. Posters and Providers may not solicit, arrange, or accept payment outside GroundBid for a GroundBid-originated job to avoid fees or platform safeguards. Doing so is a material breach and may remove payment protections. See Trust & Safety.

4. Payment Funding, Release, Fees, and Taxes

After bid acceptance, GroundBid may require the Poster to fund the accepted amount through Stripe before work proceeds. Funds are not guaranteed to a Provider merely because a job or bid exists. Release requires the platform's recorded eligibility conditions, including successful funding, applicable Provider verification and payout eligibility, completion confirmation or a final dispute decision, and the absence of a charge failure, reversal, legal hold, or other restriction. GroundBid's current platform commission is 10% of a completed job unless a clearly disclosed promotion or written agreement applies.

Each user is responsible for taxes arising from their own activity except taxes GroundBid is legally required to collect, withhold, or remit. GroundBid or Stripe may request tax information, withhold amounts required by law, and provide tax information returns such as Form 1099-K when applicable. Platform information is not tax advice.

5. Provider Non-Performance

Once a Poster funds an accepted bid, the awarded Provider must accept the job terms within 48 hours and submit completion within the quoted duration plus a 7-day grace period, capped at 30 days from funding. Missing either deadline may be treated as non-performance. GroundBid may reassign the job, restrict the Provider from that job, record a strike, and assess only the documented processing and administrative charges disclosed before acceptance and permitted by law. A second strike may result in a 30-day suspension and a third in account removal. Refund, reassignment, and dispute handling remain subject to the recorded job state and Trust & Safety.

6. Cancellations, Refunds, and Disputes

After funding, cancellation and refund rights depend on the job state, applicable law, and GroundBid's dispute process. Disputes may proceed through direct resolution, platform review, and a final platform determination based on submitted records. Pending funds remain restricted while a dispute is open. GroundBid may release, refund, split, or continue holding funds as supported by the agreement, evidence, payment-network rules, and law. Nothing in these Terms limits non-waivable consumer rights.

7. Conduct, Safety, and Content

Users may not commit fraud, collude on bids, evade fees, misrepresent credentials, harass others, publish unlawful or infringing content, submit false completion evidence or disputes, interfere with the platform, scrape protected data, or use another person's identity. Providers control their methods, personnel, tools, and safety practices and must comply with site rules and applicable law. You retain ownership of content you submit and grant GroundBid a non-exclusive license to host, process, reproduce, and display it as necessary to operate, secure, and improve the service.

8. Verification and Third-Party Services

GroundBid may review identity, license, insurance, and other evidence, but a verification badge or status is not a warranty, endorsement, background check, or guarantee of current qualifications, conduct, or work quality. GroundBid relies on services such as identity, payment, communications, hosting, mapping, and licensing sources that may have separate terms or outages.

9. Suspension and Termination

GroundBid may restrict, suspend, or terminate access to protect users, investigate suspected violations, comply with law, address payment or verification risk, or enforce these Terms. Account closure does not eliminate obligations, disputes, payment duties, audit records, or provisions that by their nature survive.

10. Disclaimers

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GROUNDBID AND THE PLATFORM ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." GROUNDBID DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. GROUNDBID DOES NOT WARRANT THAT A USER, BID, VERIFICATION RESULT, JOB, PAYMENT, OR SERVICE WILL BE ACCURATE, SAFE, AVAILABLE, COMPLETE, OR ERROR-FREE. THESE DISCLAIMERS DO NOT EXCLUDE WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT LAWFULLY BE DISCLAIMED.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GROUNDBID WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, PROPERTY DAMAGE, PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY A MARKETPLACE USER, OR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF A POSTER OR PROVIDER. GROUNDBID'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING FROM A PARTICULAR TRANSACTION WILL NOT EXCEED THE PLATFORM FEES PAID TO GROUNDBID FOR THAT TRANSACTION. THESE LIMITATIONS DO NOT APPLY WHERE PROHIBITED OR TO LIABILITY THAT CANNOT LAWFULLY BE LIMITED.

12. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless GroundBid and its personnel from third-party claims, losses, liabilities, and reasonable costs arising from your content, work, property, personnel, taxes, legal violations, breach of these Terms, or infringement of another person's rights. This obligation does not apply to the extent a claim results from GroundBid's own gross negligence, willful misconduct, or other liability that cannot lawfully be shifted.

13. Electronic Communications

You consent to receive agreements, notices, records, and transaction communications electronically. You are responsible for maintaining a working email address and equipment capable of retaining electronic records. Marketing communications are optional where required by law and may be unsubscribed from without affecting operational notices.

14. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by Florida law, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles, except where another jurisdiction's non-waivable law applies. The parties consent to state or federal courts with jurisdiction in Florida, subject to applicable small-claims and consumer rights. These Terms do not add mandatory arbitration or a class-action waiver; GroundBid will not add either without specific owner and qualified-counsel approval.

15. Changes

GroundBid may update these Terms prospectively. Material changes will be identified by a new version and effective date and, when appropriate, require renewed affirmative acceptance. Changes do not retroactively alter an accepted job unless the parties and applicable law permit it.

16. Assignment, Severability, Waiver, and Entire Agreement

You may not assign these Terms or an account without GroundBid's written consent. GroundBid may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, financing, reorganization, sale, or transfer of the service, subject to applicable law. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be limited to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder will continue. A failure to enforce is not a waiver. These Terms, incorporated policies, and an accepted job record are the entire agreement concerning their respective subjects; the accepted job record controls transaction-specific scope and price, while these Terms control platform use.

17. Notices and Contact

Legal notices to GroundBid must be sent to legal@groundbid.app. GroundBid may send notices to the email address associated with your account. Questions may also be directed to that address.