Terms & Policies
General Terms
Customer’s electronic acceptance of this Agreement, including via click-through or similar mechanism, constitutes a legally binding agreement.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS FORWARD PILOT AGREEMENT (“PILOT AGREEMENT”) BEFORE CLICKING THE “ACCEPT” BUTTON AND/OR USING THE PLATFORM (AS DEFINED BELOW) IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE PILOT (AS DEFINED BELOW) IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT. BY CLICKING THE “ACCEPT” BUTTON, ENTERING INTO A STATEMENT OF WORK OR ORDER THAT REFERENCES THIS PILOT AGREEMENT AND/OR USING THE PLATFORM IN ANY WAY AS A PART OF A PILOT, YOU AND THE ENTITY THAT YOU REPRESENT IS UNCONDITIONALLY CONSENTING TO BE BOUND BY AND IS BECOMING A PARTY TO THIS PILOT AGREEMENT WITH FORWARD AND YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BIND SUCH ENTITY TO THIS PILOT AGREEMENT. IF CUSTOMER (AS DEFINED BELOW) DOES NOT UNCONDITIONALLY AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS PILOT AGREEMENT, USE OF THE PLATFORM AND RELATED SERVICES (“SERVICES”) IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
This FORWARD Pilot Agreement (this “Pilot Agreement”) governs participation in the FORWARD Pilot Program (the “Pilot”) and is entered into by and between Geocko, Inc., a Washington corporation doing business as FORWARD (“FORWARD”) and the individual or entity accessing the Platform (“Customer”). This Pilot Agreement is effective as of the date Customer first accesses the Platform (the “Effective Date”). No other terms and conditions or agreements (other than a Statement of Work or Order referencing this Pilot Agreement (an “Order”), in which case such Order shall be incorporated herein by reference) shall apply to Customer’s participation in the Pilot and access to the Platform during such Pilot.
FORWARD and Customer may each be referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”
FORWARD is in the business of offering marketing, app and other technology development, and other technical and professional services, platforms, technology and products to create and provide grant program administration and research solutions;
Client desires to engage FORWARD to perform services on an assignment-by-assignment basis, and FORWARD desires to provide such services under the terms of this Agreement; and
In the event Client desires to access and use the FORWARD platform (the “FORWARD Platform” or “Platform”), and/or other pre-existing FORWARD technology or products (as may be more particularly defined in an addendum to this Agreement, collectively, “FORWARD Technology”), the Parties may enter into separate orders substantially in the form used by FORWARD (each, an “Order”) for such access and use, and the terms and conditions associated with such access and use shall be established in an addendum to this Agreement that is agreed to by the Parties.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, the terms and conditions expressed below and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Parties agree as follows:
1. Services and Deliverables.
1.1 Scope.
FORWARD agrees to provide to Client, under the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the mutually agreed upon services (the “Services”) and items that FORWARD is required to deliver to Client in connection with the Services (“Deliverables”), as such Services and Deliverables are described in one or more statements of work (each, an “SOW”). Each SOW will be substantially in the form used by FORWARD and consecutively numbered (SOW No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, etc.). FORWARD may freely subcontract the performance of Services and/or the development of Deliverables (but remains responsible for the performance of each subcontractor hereunder). In the event the Parties agree to a SOW or Order that contemplates (a) rights to access or use FORWARD Technology, and/or (b) administration of any grant program on behalf of Client (a “Grant Program”), unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, the Parties will agree to addenda to this Agreement (each, an “Addendum”) that establishes terms and conditions applicable to the foregoing.
2. Platform Access and Use
2.1 Access
FORWARD provides Client with access to the FORWARD Platform and related Services in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. The Platform is offered as a software-as-a-service solution and may be updated, modified, enhanced, or discontinued by FORWARD from time to time in its sole discretion.
2.2 Modifications to Services
Client acknowledges that the Platform is continuously evolving. FORWARD may update, modify, or discontinue features or functionality of the Platform at any time, and such modifications do not require prior notice or Client approval.
2.3 Client Responsibilities
Client is responsible for ensuring that all data and information submitted to the Platform is accurate, complete, and compliant with applicable law, and that it has obtained all necessary rights, consents, and permissions for such use. Client shall maintain appropriate internal controls over access to and use of the Platform by its personnel and users.
FORWARD shall be entitled to rely on the accuracy and completeness of all information provided by Client and shall not be responsible for any failure, delay, or issue arising from inaccurate, incomplete, or improperly authorized data.
2.4 Platform Use Assumptions
Client acknowledges that the Platform is provided based on standard configurations and functionality, and that performance and outputs depend on Client-provided data and usage. FORWARD does not control and is not responsible for third-party systems, external data sources, or user behavior.
Accordingly, FORWARD shall not be liable for any issues, errors, or disruptions arising from third-party integrations, inaccurate data inputs, or misuse of the Platform by Client or its users.
2.5 Support and Performance
FORWARD will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the availability and performance of the Platform; however, the Platform is provided on an “as available” basis and is not guaranteed to be uninterrupted or error-free.
3. Fees and Payment (If Applicable)
3.1 Fees
Access to the Platform may be provided at no cost during an initial trial period designated by FORWARD. This trial is intended to allow Client to evaluate the Platform and does not create any obligation to purchase services.
If Client elects to continue accessing or using the Platform after the trial period, Client will be required to enter into a paid subscription or other commercial agreement with FORWARD, at which point applicable fees and payment terms will be defined and agreed upon by the Parties.
3.2 Taxes
Any applicable fees are exclusive of taxes. Client is responsible for all federal, state, or local taxes associated with its use of the Platform, excluding taxes based on FORWARD’s net income.
3.3 Billing
Following execution of a paid agreement, FORWARD shall invoice Client or charge Client’s designated payment method in accordance with the agreed billing terms. For Clients electing to pay by credit card, charges shall be processed upon selection of the applicable subscription and payment terms. For Clients invoiced by FORWARD, payment terms shall be net thirty (30) days from the invoice date, unless otherwise specified in writing.
4. Intellectual Property.
4.1 Generally.
Except as expressly stated herein or in an applicable Addendum or SOW:
(a) this Agreement will not operate to assign or otherwise transfer to a Party any (i) intellectual property or proprietary right or any software, data, or other any other item or material owned or controlled by such Party (x) as of the Effective Date or (y) developed by such Party outside the scope of this Agreement after the Effective Date ((x) and (y) each “Background IP”) or (ii) Foreground IP (as defined below);
(b) neither Party will acquire any right in or license to any Background IP or Foreground IP of the other Party; and
(c) neither Party will acquire any right in or license to any third-party intellectual property or proprietary right, software, data or other item or material, and it will be the other Party’s responsibility to procure its own license in respect thereof.
4.2 Client Intellectual Property.
(d) Excluding FORWARD IP (as defined below), Client owns and shall retain ownership of all (i) copyrights in Deliverables to the extent customized to meet the specifications set forth in a SOW that are expressly designated in such SOW as being owned by Client (“Client Foreground IP”) and (ii) Client Background IP ((i) and (ii) together, “Client IP”). To give effect to the foregoing, FORWARD hereby assigns to Client, upon payment in full for the applicable Deliverable, all of its right, title and interest in the Client IP for the applicable Deliverable.
(e) Client hereby grants to FORWARD a non-exclusive, non-transferable (except in accordance with Section 12.5), sublicensable (only to subcontractors of FORWARD), royalty-free, fully paid, worldwide license to use the Client IP, Client Materials and Third-Party Materials (to the extent such Third-Party Materials are provided to FORWARD or otherwise sourced or recommended by Client) to perform its obligations under this Agreement.
4.3 FORWARD Intellectual Property.
(a) FORWARD owns and shall retain ownership of all (i) intellectual property and proprietary rights conceived, produced, developed, fabricated, generated or reduced to practice under this Agreement, including (and notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or any SOW or Order to the contrary) all derivative works of, improvements to, or modifications of any FORWARD Technology, (ii) methodologies, tools, models, procedures, processes, ideas, designs, techniques, inventions, discoveries, improvements, know-how, trade secrets, creations, software, data, works of authorship and any other items that are gathered, prepared or created during the Term (as defined below) but are of a generalized nature and not unique to the Services, (iii) all derivative works of, improvements to, or modifications of any of the foregoing ((i) through (iii), collectively, “FORWARD Foreground IP” and, together with Client Foreground IP, “Foreground IP”), and (iv) FORWARD Background IP (which includes all FORWARD Technology) (together with FORWARD Foreground IP, “FORWARD IP”). To give effect to the foregoing, Client hereby assigns to FORWARD all of its right, title and interest in the FORWARD IP.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, FORWARD shall not be prohibited or enjoined at any time by Client from utilizing any (i) ideas, concepts, know-how, methodologies, processes, technologies, algorithms, techniques, skills or knowledge of a general nature acquired or developed (individually or jointly) during the course of performing the Services or (ii) information publicly known or that could reasonably have been acquired in work performed for another client or in another context.
4.4 Third-Party Materials.
If Client requests that FORWARD use, integrate with, or incorporate into any Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology any software, hardware, information, other material, and/or service that is not proprietary to and developed by FORWARD, including open source software (all of the foregoing, collectively, “Third-Party Materials”), then (i) Client (and not FORWARD) will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all rights and licenses required to use any and all Third-Party Materials and (ii) FORWARD will have no obligation or liability to the extent arising out of any Third-Party Material.
5. Term and Termination.
5.1 Term.
This Agreement commences on the Effective Date. Client may be granted a trial period (the “Trial Period”). Following the Trial Period, continued access to the Platform requires purchase of a paid subscription. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the initial subscription term shall be one (1) year (the “Subscription Term”), with the option for Client to elect a multi-year term at the time of purchase, subject to applicable pricing and discounts.
5.2 Renewal.
Unless otherwise specified in an Order Form or Statement of Work, the Subscription Term shall automatically renew for successive one (1) year terms. Either Party may elect not to renew by providing written notice at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the then-current Subscription Term.
Client may be granted a trial period of seven (7) days, or such other period as determined by FORWARD in its sole discretion (the ‘Trial Period’).
6. Confidentiality.
6.1 Confidential Information.
For the purposes of this Agreement, “Confidential Information” means any and all technical, business, or other data and information (which may be written, oral, or in any other format) that is provided or made available by or on behalf of a Party to the other in connection with this Agreement. The terms of this Agreement will be the Confidential Information of each Party with respect to the other Party. FORWARD’S Confidential Information shall include all FORWARD Technology and all data and information related to the FORWARD Technology or any product, system, security, process, procedure, tool, methodology, or know-how of FORWARD. Except to the extent otherwise provided by Applicable Law, the term “Confidential Information” does not include information that (a) otherwise becomes publicly available other than as the result of a disclosure in breach hereof, (b) becomes available to the receiving Party on a non-confidential basis from a source other than the disclosing Party which the receiving Party reasonably believes is not prohibited from disclosing such information to the receiving Party by obligation (direct or indirect) to the disclosing Party, (c) is known by the receiving Party prior to its receipt from the disclosing Party without any obligation of confidentiality with respect thereto, or (d) is developed by the receiving Party independent of any disclosures of such information made by the disclosing Party to the receiving Party.
6.2 Restrictions.
At all times during the Term and thereafter each Party shall, and shall cause each of its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, contractors, representatives, and agents (collectively, ”Representatives”) to, keep confidential and not publish or otherwise disclose to a third party and not use, directly or indirectly, for any purpose, any Confidential Information provided or otherwise made known to it, directly or indirectly, by the other Party, except to perform obligations or exercise rights under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the receiving Party may, without the prior written consent of the other Party, disclose Confidential Information to its Representatives (provided that in no event may Client disclose FORWARD Confidential Information to any FORWARD Competitor) solely to carry out the purposes of this Agreement and provided that such Representatives are under obligations of non-use and non-disclosure no less restrictive than those set forth herein. The receiving Party shall remain fully responsible for the use and disclosure of the disclosing Party’s Confidential Information by the receiving Party’s Representatives. The receiving Party shall carry out its obligations under this Section 6 using at least the same degree of care as it employs in maintaining in confidence its own proprietary and confidential information, but in no event less than a reasonable degree of care.
6.3 Required Disclosure.
Either Party may disclose Confidential Information to the extent required by Applicable Law, in which case the receiving Party shall notify disclosing Party in writing of its obligation to do so unless prevented by Applicable Law (in which case it shall notify disclosing Party as soon as it is able to) and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the receiving Party shall, at the disclosing Party’s cost, reasonably cooperate with the disclosing Party’s efforts to challenge the disclosure of the disclosing Party’s confidential information, to seek an appropriate protective order, or to pursue such other legal action as the disclosing Party may reasonably deem appropriate.
6.4 Equitable Remedies.
Each Party recognizes that its threatened or actual breach of this Section 6 may cause irreparable harm to the other Party that may be inadequately compensable in damages and that, in addition to other remedies that may be available at law or equity, such other Party is entitled to seek, in any court of competent jurisdiction notwithstanding Section 12.3, injunctive relief for such a threatened or actual breach.
6.5 Return.
All Confidential Information in the custody or control of the receiving Party including all copies of such Confidential Information and in whatever form or media, shall be promptly returned or destroyed upon the earlier of (a) the disclosing Party’s written request, or (b) the expiration or termination of this Agreement. To the extent any Confidential Information cannot reasonably be returned or destroyed or must be maintained by the receiving Party in accordance with any reasonable record-keeping policies or legal requirements, the receiving Party shall continue to treat such Confidential Information as confidential in accordance with the terms of this Agreement for so long as such Confidential Information remains in the receiving Party’s possession or control.
7. Relationship of the Parties.
FORWARD shall render all Services hereunder as an independent contractor and not as an agent, employee, joint venturer, or partner of Client. Except, and to the extent only, that this Agreement expressly states otherwise, neither Party may commit the other Party in any way to any third party without that other Party’s prior written consent.
8. Non-Exclusive Relationship.
The Services, Deliverables and FORWARD Technology provided to Client hereunder are provided on a non-exclusive basis. Subject to FORWARD’s confidentiality obligations herein, nothing contained herein shall prevent FORWARD from (a) providing the same or similar services, deliverables or technology for others or (b) developing and implementing the same or similar deliverable, technology, concepts, ideas, or functionality as developed or provided pursuant to a SOW or Order for Client for another FORWARD client, provided FORWARD does not incorporate therein any Client IP without the right or license to do so.
9. Representations, Warranties, Covenants, Disclaimers.
9.1 Mutual Representations and Warranties.
Each Party represents and warrants that (a) it has the capacity and authority to enter into this Agreement and that this Agreement has been duly authorized by the required corporate action, (b) entry and performance of this Agreement does and will not violate or be subject to any restriction in or by any other agreement or obligation, and (c) its performance under this Agreement will be in accordance with the exercise of that degree of skill, prudence, care and foresight, and the practices and professional standards that would reasonably and ordinarily be expected to be exercised by an entity similar to and of the same nature as such Party (“Good Industry Practice”).
9.2 Ownership; Rights to Use.
Client represents and warrants that (a) it is the owner or licensor of all Client IP, Client Materials and Third-Party Materials, and (b) it has the unconditional right, power, and authority to grant FORWARD the rights and licenses granted in this Agreement, including the rights to use all the Client IP, Client Materials and Third-Party Materials.
9.3 Disclaimers.
(a) Client acknowledges and agrees that (i) FORWARD does not provide legal or financial advice with respect to Grant Programs, and (ii) Client is fully responsible for the accuracy of the information and data input into the Deliverables and FORWARD Technology and the compliance of any Grant Program with Applicable Law.
(b) EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED IN SECTIONS 9.1 AND 9.2, EACH PARTY HEREBY DISCLAIMS AND THE OTHER PARTY HEREBY WAIVES ALL REPRESENTATIONS, CONDITIONS, AND WARRANTIES (WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE), INCLUDING WARRANTY OR CONDITION (A) OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT, TITLE, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, QUIET ENJOYMENT, ACCURACY, OR WITH RESPECT TO THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT, OR (B) ARISING FROM ANY COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, OR USAGE IN THE INDUSTRY. TO THE EXTENT AN IMPLIED WARRANTY CANNOT BE DISCLAIMED, SUCH WARRANTY IS LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE APPLICABLE EXPRESS WARRANTY PERIOD. CLIENT’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY SHALL BE, AT FORWARD’S OPTION, (A) RE-PERFORMANCE OF THE SERVICES, (B) CORRECTION OF THE DELIVERABLE, OR (C) TERMINATION OF THE APPLICABLE SOW OR ORDER AND RETURN OF THE PORTION OF THE FEES PAID TO FORWARD BY CLIENT FOR SUCH NON-CONFORMING SERVICES OR DELIVERABLES. FORWARD SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH ANY ALGORITHM, SPECIFICATION, REQUIREMENT, INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, OR MATERIAL PROVIDED OR GENERATED BY CLIENT (ALL OF THE FOREGOING, COLLECTIVELY, “CLIENT MATERIALS”) OR ANY THIRD-PARTY MATERIAL.
10. Indemnification.
10.1 FORWARD Obligations.
FORWARD shall indemnify Client, its affiliates, and all respective officers, directors, employees, agents and contractors of any of the foregoing, excluding FORWARD Competitors (the “Client Indemnified Parties”), in respect of any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees (collectively, “Losses”), suffered, incurred or sustained by any Client Indemnified Party or to which any Client Indemnified Party becomes subject to the extent resulting from, arising out of or relating to any third-party claim that the Services and Deliverables infringe upon or misappropriate any intellectual property or proprietary right of any third party, unless such claim is attributable to any (a) instruction provided by Client, including any Client instruction to use any Client Material or Third-Party Material in the performance of any Service or development of any Deliverable, (b) alteration or modification of any Service or Deliverable by Client, (c) combination, operation, or use of a Service or Deliverable with any service, product, software or other item or material not supplied by FORWARD, or (d) any Client Material or Third-Party Material (any of (a) through (d), a “Client Infringement Cause”).
10.2 Client Obligations.
Client shall indemnify FORWARD, its affiliates, and all respective officers, directors, employees, agents and contractors of any of the foregoing (the “FORWARD Indemnified Parties” and, together with the Client Indemnified Parties, the “Indemnified Parties”) in respect of any and all Losses suffered, incurred or sustained by any FORWARD Indemnified Party or to which any FORWARD Indemnified Parties becomes subject to the extent resulting from, arising out of or relating to any third-party claim: (a) attributable to a Client Infringement Cause, (b) that any Client Background IP infringes upon or misappropriates any intellectual property or proprietary right of any third party, (c) arising from any Grant Program, including, without limitation, any claims arising from the use or implementation of the Grant Program guidelines that violate any Applicable Law or result in any injury (including death) or damage to tangible or personal property.
10.3 Procedure.
Each Party’s obligations to indemnify the other in connection with any claim is conditioned upon the Indemnified Party (a) providing the indemnifying Party with prompt written notice of such claim, (b) cooperating in a timely manner with the indemnifying Party in connection with such claim, and (c) promptly providing the indemnifying Party with any material correspondence, material documents, and any other material the indemnified Party may reasonably request. The indemnifying Party will be entitled at its own expense to (x) defend such claim, at its sole discretion, with counsel of its own choosing and (y) settle such claim at any time (subject to the Indemnified Party’s approval, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed, of the terms of any such settlement to the extent that such settlement is not only for monetary damages and does not require the indemnified Party to admit fault or liability). The Indemnified Party may, at its own expense, participate in the resolution of such claim.
10.4 Mitigation.
If Client’s use or FORWARD’S provision of any Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology is or is likely to be enjoined by order of a court of competent jurisdiction as an infringement or misappropriation of any intellectual property or proprietary right of a third party, then FORWARD may, at FORWARD’S option and expense, take one or more of the following actions: (a) procure a license for Client at no additional cost to Client to allow Client to continue to use the Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology; (b) modify at no cost to Client any Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology to make it non-infringing; or (c) replace any Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology with a non-infringing Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology, provided that, if FORWARD elects the options in subsections (b) or (c), the modified or replaced Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology is capable of performing substantially the same functional capabilities. If FORWARD is or would be unable, after exercising commercially reasonable efforts, to effect any of the options in this Section 10.4, then FORWARD shall have the right to terminate the provision of (and Clients rights to) any Service, Deliverable, or FORWARD Technology and equitably adjust the fees charged to Client to reflect such termination. If the foregoing is not possible on a commercially reasonable basis, then FORWARD may terminate the associated SOW.
10.5 Exclusive Infringement Remedies.
SECTIONS 10.1 AND 10.4 SET FORTH CLIENT’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY, AND THE ENTIRE LIABILITY OF FORWARD AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES, UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO ANY INFRINGEMENT OR MISAPPROPRIATION OF ANY THIRD PARTY’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR PROPRIETARY RIGHT. SECTION 10.2 SETS FORTH FORWARD’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY, AND THE ENTIRE LIABILITY OF CLIENT, UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO INFRINGEMENT OR MISAPPROPRIATION OF ANY THIRD PARTY’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR PROPRIETARY RIGHT.
11. Liability.
11.1 Consequential Damages Waiver.
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 11.3, IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY, ITS AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER DIRECT OR INDIRECT OR OTHERWISE, OR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, RELIANCE, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF SUCH PARTY OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. IN NO EVENT SHALL FORWARD, REGARDLESS OF LEGAL THEORY, BE LIABLE FOR THE COST OF ANY REPLACEMENT SERVICES (I.E., “COST OF COVER”).
11.2 Limitation on Liability.
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 11.3, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF EITHER PARTY AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES FOR CLAIMS ARISING UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE FEES PAID TO FORWARD DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD PRECEDING THE CLAIM.
11.3 Exclusions.
The exclusions and limitations set out in Section 11.1 and 11.2 will not apply (and no exclusion of or limitation on liability will apply) with respect to the liability of either Party, its affiliates, and their respective Representatives: (a) for infringement or misappropriation of the other Party’s intellectual property; (b) for any Losses for which a Party provides an indemnity under this Agreement, or (c) to the extent such exclusion or limitation is not permitted by Applicable Law.
12. Miscellaneous.
12.1 Notices.
Notices hereunder must be in writing in English and given to the other Party by first class mail, postage prepaid, or by air courier to the physical addresses set forth under each Party’s signature below or to such other physical address as either Party may designate by providing written notice in accordance with this Section 12.1; provided that all notices to FORWARD must be simultaneously copied via email by Client to contracts@forwardplatform.com in order to constitute valid and effective notice to FORWARD, with such email being a necessary component of notice to FORWARD (in addition to notice sent to such physical address). Notices shall be effective when received.
12.2 Dispute Resolution.
The Parties will use good-faith efforts to resolve any issue, dispute, or controversy (a “Dispute”) arising out of or relating to this Agreement. Each Party will give the other Party written notice in accordance with Section 12.1 of any such Dispute not resolved in the normal course of business. Within fifteen (15) business days after delivery of such written notice, executives of each Party will meet to exchange relevant information and to attempt to resolve the Dispute in good faith. If such Dispute cannot be resolved by such executives within fifteen (15) business days (or such longer period as may be mutually agreed by the Parties in writing) after commencement of negotiations, either Party may, in accordance with Section 12.3, pursue any remedy for such Dispute it may have at law or equity. All negotiations pursuant to this Section 12.2 are confidential and will be treated as compromise and settlement negotiations for purposes of evidentiary rules.
12.3 Governing Law and Jurisdiction.
This Agreement, and the rights and obligations of the Parties under this Agreement, is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, without giving effect to the principles thereof relating to the conflicts of laws that would apply the law of any other jurisdiction. Each Party hereby consents to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state or federal courts located in King County, Washington, which will be the sole and exclusive manner of resolving any such Dispute if any Dispute is not resolved by mutual agreement of the Parties in accordance with Section 12.2. Unless specified in a SOW, FORWARD shall not be treated as a U.S. federal contractor or subcontractor, and regulations applicable to federal contractors or subcontractors do not apply to any of FORWARD’S performance or obligations hereunder.
12.4 Force Majeure.
Neither Party shall be liable for any delay or failure in performance due to events outside its reasonable control, including any act of God, flood, earthquake, extreme weather, labor dispute, communications line failure, industry wide shortage of supply, action or inaction of a governmental entity, riot, civil commotion, war, terrorism, mass shooting, illegal activity, fire, wildfire, explosion, epidemic, pandemic, brown- or black-out, delay of a common carrier, personal emergency or resignation of an employee or contractor, transmission delay or failure, or a service provided by any third party.
12.5 Non-Solicitation.
Each Party undertakes that it shall not (except with the prior written consent of the other Party) directly or indirectly solicit or entice (or attempt to solicit or entice) away from the other Party any person employed or otherwise engaged thereby (including contractors, agents, advisors and the like) at any time during the Term of this Agreement and for twelve (12) months after the termination or expiration hereof other than by means of a general advertising campaign open to all comers and not specifically targeted at any of the staff of such other Party.
12.6 Compliance with Laws.
Each Party shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations (collectively, “Applicable Law”) in performance of its obligations and exercise of its rights under this Agreement. If there is any conflict or inconsistency in Applicable Law, Good Industry Practice, and this Agreement, the following order of priority shall apply to the extent of such conflict or inconsistency: (a) Applicable Law, (b) Good Industry Practice, and (c) this Agreement. If any changes in Applicable Law or Good Industry Practice prevent either Party from lawfully performing its obligations under this Agreement, then the Parties will reasonably cooperate in good faith to determine a suitable workaround until such time as the affected Party can reasonably perform its obligations under this Agreement in compliance with Applicable Law or Good Industry Practice without such workaround. Each Party shall use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly resume performance of its respective obligations under this Agreement without the workaround.
12.7 Assignment.
Neither Party may assign or transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement (other than the right to receive any amount due, which shall be freely assignable) without the prior written consent of the other Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either Party may, without the prior written consent of the other Party, assign this Agreement to an affiliate or to a successor in interest in connection with any merger, acquisition, consolidation, asset purchase, or sale of all or substantially all of the business to which this Agreement relates. Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
12.8 Severability.
In the event that one or more terms of this Agreement becomes or is declared to be illegal or otherwise unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, each such term shall be null and void and shall be deemed deleted from this Agreement. All remaining terms of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if this paragraph is invoked and, as a result, the value of this Agreement is materially impaired for either Party, then the affected Party may terminate this Agreement by written notice with immediate effect to the other.
12.9 Third-Party Rights.
Except as expressly set forth herein, no third party has any right to enforce any term of this Agreement.
12.10 Counterparts; Electronic Signatures.
This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original hereof. Counterparts may be delivered via electronic mail (including as a .pdf attachment), and any counterpart so delivered will be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes. Each Party agrees that all electronic signatures, whether digital or encrypted, of either Party set forth on this Agreement or any Order or SOW are intended to authenticate such writing and to have the same force and effect as manual signatures.
12.11 Entire Agreement.
All Addenda, Orders, and SOWs form part of this Agreement and references to this Agreement include them. This Agreement is the complete agreement between the Parties concerning the subject matter of this Agreement and replaces any prior oral or written communications between the Parties, except as expressly agreed in writing by the Parties. There are no conditions, understandings, agreements, representations, or warranties expressed or implied, that are not specified herein. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between (a) the main body of this Agreement, (b) any Addenda, and (c) a SOW or Order, the following order of priority shall apply to the extent of such conflict or inconsistency: (a) the Addenda, (b) main body of this Agreement, and (c) the SOW or Order. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a provision in any SOW or Order expressly states that it takes precedence over a provision in this Agreement or any Addenda by referencing the provision that is unavailing, such provision in such SOW or Order shall prevail to the extent of such express statement.
12.12 Amendment; Waiver.
This Agreement may only be modified by a written document executed by Client and an authorized officer of FORWARD; provided that in no event shall any term or condition included in any purchase order, clickthrough, browsewrap, or other document of Client, any of its affiliates, or any of their respective Representatives be valid or enforceable against FORWARD or have any evidentiary weight unless the Parties have engaged in a bona fide negotiation of its contents and entered into a separate written agreement, expressly referencing such document and this Section, that is executed by Client and an authorized officer of FORWARD. No waiver of any provision hereof shall be enforceable against FORWARD unless made in writing and signed by an authorized officer of FORWARD. The waiver by either Party of any right provided under this Agreement shall not constitute a subsequent or continuing waiver of such right or of any other right under this Agreement.
13.Usage Thresholds
Customer’s subscription plan defines the number of permitted active applications, cases, or other actively managed platform records (“Active Usage”) included within the applicable subscription tier.
FORWARD may monitor overall platform utilization, including active, inactive, archived, closed, retained, or otherwise stored applications, cases, or records within the platform (collectively, “Total Usage”), for purposes of system performance, storage management, operational support, and commercial alignment.
If Customer’s Total Usage exceeds three (3) times the permitted Active Usage included within Customer’s subscription plan, FORWARD may provide written notice to Customer and the Parties shall work in good faith to determine an appropriate adjustment to Customer’s subscription plan, pricing structure, storage allocation, or overall commercial arrangement based on actual platform utilization.
If the Parties are unable to reach agreement on revised commercial terms within thirty (30) days following such notice, FORWARD reserves the right to: (a) require migration to a more appropriate subscription tier, (b) implement a mutually agreed custom pricing arrangement, or (c) suspend or terminate affected Services upon prior written notice.
Software Usage Terms
1. Construction.
1.1 Definitions.
Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Agreement. In addition, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
(a) “Client Data” means all data and information that is collected through a FORWARD Platform or that is otherwise Processed by FORWARD in connection with the Agreement.
(b) “Cyber Security Requirements” means all Applicable Law relating to security of network and information systems, product cyber security, security breach and incident reporting requirements, or otherwise relating to cyber security.
(c) “De-Identified Product Data” means data or information that does not contain Personal Data or has been rendered “de-identified” or “anonymized”.
(d) “DPA” means Attachment 1 hereto.
(e) “FORWARD Platform” means FORWARD’s grant administration platform, curated content library platform, the AI platform, resident assistance tools, program discovery functionality, application guidance tools, and any other online software-as-a-service technologies made available to Client pursuant to an Order.
(f) “FORWARD Technology” means the FORWARD Platform and all other FORWARD technology, including software applications, artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, models, data processing technologies, and related products developed or provided by FORWARD.
(g) “Personal Data” means information that is regulated under Relevant Data Protection Laws as “personal data,” “personally identifiable information,” “personal information” or “protected health information.”
(h) “Processing” (including its cognate, “Process”) means any operation or set of operations that is performed upon data, whether or not by automatic means, including, but not limited to, collection, recording, organization, storage, access, adaptation, alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure, dissemination, making available, alignment, combination, blocking, deleting, appending, erasure, or destruction.
(i) “Relevant Data Protection Laws” means any and all Applicable Law relating (specifically or generally) to privacy, information security, cybersecurity, or data protection.
(j) “Security Incident” means any actual or reasonably suspected compromise to the confidentiality, availability, or integrity of the FORWARD Platform or Client Data.
(k) “Usage Data” means any technical data collected by or on behalf of FORWARD, including without limitation data that is generated automatically as a result of a web browsing session or a User’s interaction with the FORWARD Platform and in connection with customary activities relating to the performance of the FORWARD Platform (e.g., telemetry data, connection information, crash and error information, browser and operating system information, traffic logs), but excluding in all cases any Personal Data. Such Personal Data that would otherwise meet the definition of Usage Data is hereinafter referred to as “Usage Personal Data”. For purposes of the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum), Usage Data is “FORWARD IP.”
(l) “User” means (i) Client, its affiliates, and the respective employees, sub-contractors, representatives, and agents of any of the foregoing; (ii) any natural person that directly or indirectly uploads data to the FORWARD Platform; and (iii) any other person identified as a user in an Order.
1.2 Precedence.
If there is any conflict or inconsistency between this Addendum and the rest of the Agreement, this Addendum will prevail only to the extent of such conflict or inconsistency.
2. FORWARD Technology.
2.1 Access and Use.
Subject to the restrictions set forth in the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum) and any additional restrictions set forth in any Order (including without limitation all territorial restrictions and restrictions on the number and types of Users), FORWARD hereby grants Client a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, fee-bearing (in the amounts set forth in the applicable Order) right to access and use the FORWARD Platform during the subscription term set forth in each Order. Each Order will be substantially in the form used by FORWARD and consecutively numbered (Order No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, etc.).
2.2 Restrictions.
Client’s use of any FORWARD Technology is limited to the scope of the rights granted under Section 2.1 and as set forth in an applicable Order. Client is not permitted to otherwise use the FORWARD Technology in any way. The FORWARD Technology constitutes proprietary information and valuable trade secrets of FORWARD. Client shall not, and shall not permit any third party, to: (a) use the FORWARD Technology other than as expressly permitted and in accordance with the terms of this Addendum and the applicable Order; (b) modify, adapt, alter, translate, or create derivative works from and software or code accessible by using the FORWARD Technology; (c) sublicense (except to the extent expressly permitted in the applicable Order), distribute, sell, use for service bureau use, lease, rent, loan, or otherwise transfer or make available the FORWARD Technology to any third party; (d) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code or the underlying design, functionality, or structure of any FORWARD Technology; (e) otherwise use, reproduce, display, or copy any software or code comprising FORWARD Technology; (f) use the FORWARD Technology to store or process any protected health information, as defined in and subject to HIPAA, without FORWARD’s prior written consent; (g) damage, destroy, disrupt, disable, impair, interfere with, or otherwise impede or harm any other FORWARD customer’s or user’s access to or use of the FORWARD Technology; or (h) access or use the FORWARD Technology outside of the United States.
2.3 Monitoring.
FORWARD may monitor (and collect Usage Data related to) use of the FORWARD Technology to (a) verify that such use is within the parameters specified in the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum) and each Order, (b) track and assess fees and other amounts payable hereunder, and (c) analyze FORWARD Technology performance. In the event any such monitoring reveals that the FORWARD Technology is being used contrary to the terms and conditions of the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum) or any Order, Client shall promptly pay FORWARD additional fees consistent with actual use of the FORWARD Technology. Such assessment of additional fees shall be without prejudice to any other remedies FORWARD may have for breach of the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum) or any Order.
2.4 No Other Rights.
FORWARD grants and Client obtains only the rights granted under the Agreement. Any rights not expressly granted to Client hereunder and thereunder are expressly reserved to FORWARD.
2.5 Exclusions.
Section 10.1 and 10.2 of the Agreement shall not apply to Client’s breach of Section 2.1 or 2.2.
2.6 Artificial Intelligence Functionality.
Certain features of the FORWARD Platform may utilize artificial intelligence tools and technologies (“AI Tools”) to generate informational outputs, including recommendations, program discovery guidance, or application assistance (collectively, the “Output”) in response to the Client’s and Users’ prompts, inquiries, and inputs (“Inputs”). These AI Tools may leverage third-party large language models and artificial intelligence algorithms and platforms to assist in generation of any such Output. Inputs are considered Client Data under this Agreement. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, FORWARD grants Client a royalty-free, fully-paid, nonexclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable right and license during the applicable subscription term to access and use the Output solely for Client’s internal business purposes. All material, information, data and content that FORWARD provides through the FORWARD Platform, including without limitation through the AI Tools, is strictly for general information purposes.
3. Support and Service Levels.
3.1
FORWARD will provide commercially reasonable technical support during FORWARD’s normal business hours, excluding federal holidays.
4. Client Data.
4.1 Client Obligations.
Client is solely responsible for any and all obligations with respect to the accuracy, quality and legality of Client Data. Client will obtain all third-party licenses, consents and permissions needed for FORWARD to use the Client Data to provide the Services. Without limiting the foregoing, Client will be solely responsible for obtaining from third parties, including without limitation all Users, all necessary rights for FORWARD to use the Client Data submitted by or on behalf of Client for the purposes set forth in the Agreement.
4.2 License.
Client hereby grants to FORWARD a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free and fully paid right and license (i) to use the Client Data as necessary to provide the Services to Client and (ii) to use Client Data, on a de-identified and aggregated basis, (A) to improve the FORWARD Technology and Services and FORWARD’s other product and service offerings, including to train, develop, enhance, evolve and improve its AI models and algorithms (collectively, “Models”), proprietary AI Tools, and related technology products and services (including for labeling, classification, weighting and model training purposes); (B) to create new products and services relating to the Services (including analytics services such as providing benchmarking); and (C) to generate and disclose statistics regarding use of the Services, provided, however, that no Client-only or User-only statistics will be disclosed to third parties without Client’s consent; provided, further, that the license described in subpart (ii) shall be perpetual and irrevocable. Client represents and warrants that it has all rights, power and authority to grant the foregoing license, and that FORWARD’s exercise of such rights, will not infringe, misappropriate or violate the rights of any third party, including any intellectual property, publicity or privacy rights.
5. Data Protection.
5.1
In the event that FORWARD Processes Personal Data that is subject to the CCPA, the Parties shall comply with the terms of the DPA with regard to that Personal Data.
5.2
Each Party shall comply with its obligations under Relevant Data Protection Laws in respect of Personal Data. Without limiting the foregoing, FORWARD shall perform its obligations in connection with the Agreement (including this Addendum), including the Processing of Client Data, in accordance with Relevant Data Protection Laws.
5.3
FORWARD may Process Client Data in order to provide the Services or FORWARD Technology, as set forth in the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum), and as required by Applicable Law, including, by way of example, to monitor, operate, and analyze use of the FORWARD Technology and Services in order to manage or improve their operation or security, or to manage or improve the operation and security of the FORWARD Technology.
5.4
Client represents, warrants and covenants that it has all necessary rights, authorizations and consents for FORWARD’s Processing of the Client Data in accordance with the Agreement.
5.5
To the extent required by Relevant Data Protection Law, Client consents and authorizes each contractor of FORWARD to process Personal Data contained in Client Data.
5.6
FORWARD shall notify Client, without undue delay, and in any event within five (5) business days, of any communication from a data subject or regulatory authority in relation to FORWARD’s Processing of Client Data. FORWARD shall not respond to such request unless expressly required to do so by Applicable Law or requested to do by Client. FORWARD shall provide reasonable and timely assistance to Client to respond to any such requests. FORWARD shall ensure that each Deliverable is designed to facilitate Client’s ability to respond to data subjects exercising their rights under Relevant Data Protection Law.
5.7
FORWARD will implement and maintain a privacy policy, an end user license agreement or terms of service, and such other disclosures, consent mechanisms or authorizations, including user consents (and updates and revisions thereto) with respect to any consumer facing portions of the FORWARD Platform.
5.8
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Agreement, nothing in the Agreement or this Addendum shall prohibit FORWARD from complying with any Relevant Data Protection Law or any agreement to be entered into pursuant to any Relevant Data Protection Law, including any applicable DPA or privacy policy.
6. Cybersecurity
6.1 Security Measures and Actions.
In performing its obligations and exercising its rights under the Agreement (including without limitation this Addendum), FORWARD represents, warrants, and covenants that it will maintain administrative, technical, and physical measures, controls, tools, systems, policies and procedures in accordance with Good Industry Practice and the Cyber Security Requirements designed to protect the availability, security and integrity: (i) of the FORWARD Platform and Services; and (ii) of any Client Data controlled, hosted, stored, managed, accessed, transmitted, used or otherwise processed (including Processed) by FORWARD or any of FORWARD’s contractors, and in each case of (i) and (ii) above to manage the risks posed to the security including to prevent and minimize the impact of Security Incidents and to ensure the continuity of the Services.
6.2 Notification of Security Incidents.
(a) FORWARD will notify Client about any Security Incident, including, any Security Incident affecting Client Data without undue delay and in all events within ten (10) business days of becoming aware of a Security Incident.
(b) To the extent known, the notification will contain the following information:
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(i) the categories and nature of data affected;
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(ii) an indication of the root cause of the Security Incident;
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(iii) the duration of the Security Incident;
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(iv) the sites, Client’s information technology infrastructure and Client Data affected and territories involved;
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(v) information concerning the nature and impact of the Security Incident; and
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(vi) the measures which have been taken or which are proposed to be taken to address the Security Incident and to mitigate its possible adverse effects.
(c) Where it is not possible to provide all such information in the initial notification, the information may be provided in phases without undue delay.
(d) FORWARD will (i) assist Client and any affected Client affiliate as reasonably requested in documenting any Security Incidents, including by preserving and making available to Client all relevant records, log files, data reporting, and other materials reasonably related to FORWARD’s investigation to the extent permitted under applicable law and any applicable DPA, and (ii) investigate and take measures to promptly address Security Incidents, including, where appropriate, undertaking measures to mitigate and minimize their possible adverse effects and future risks which may include taking down any environments, systems, and/or components (or part thereof) that have been impacted by the relevant Security Incident and which contain any Client Data.
6.3
FORWARD may use Client Data to create De-Identified Product Data and Usage Data and may use and disclose De-Identified Product Data and Usage Data for its legitimate business purposes, including to improve and monitor its products and services, to develop new products and services, to improve its Models and AI Tools and otherwise as permitted under Section 4.2. All right, title, and interest in and to the Models and AI Tools are retained by FORWARD and its licensors.
7. Term and Termination.
7.1 Term.
This Addendum commences on the Addendum Effective Date and shall automatically terminate upon any termination or expiration of the Agreement.
7.2 Termination.
This Addendum and any Order or SOW entered into pursuant to this Addendum may be separately terminated from the rest of the Agreement as set forth in the Agreement.
7.3 Effect of Termination.
All rights and licenses to FORWARD Technology shall terminate upon termination of this Addendum. The terms and conditions of Sections 1, 2.2 - 2.5, this 7.3, 8, 9, and 10 and any other provisions which by their nature should survive shall survive termination of this Addendum.
8. Additional Disclaimers.
This Section 8 is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other disclaimers under the Agreement or at law.
8.1 No Professional Advice.
THE AI TOOLS ARE INTENDED AS OUTPUT GENERATION TOOLS ONLY AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL, LEGAL, FINANCIAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER ADVICE OF A CERTIFIED OR QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL AND FORWARD MAKES NO WARRANTY OR GUARANTY THAT THE OUTPUT WILL PROVIDE ACCURATE, TAILORED OR INFORMATIVE RESULTS OR BE FIT FOR THE PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE CASE.
8.2 No Responsibility for Use of or Reliance on Outputs.
CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT FORWARD DOES NOT ENDORSE, GUARANTEE OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY, EFFICACY, VERACITY, COMPLETENESS OR APPROPRIATENESS OF ANY INFORMATION OR RESOURCES RECEIVED, PROVIDED OR MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE AI TOOLS, INCLUDING ANY OUTPUTS. CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ANY CONDUCT CLIENT OR ITS USERS ENGAGE IN AS A RESULT OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE AI TOOLS OR ANY OTHER AI-ENABLED FEATURE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE FORWARD PLATFORM OR SERVICES ARE AT CLIENT’S OWN RISK. GENERATIVE AI TECHNOLOGY IS KNOWN TO HALLUCINATE OR OTHERWISE PROVIDE INCORRECT ANSWERS. CLIENT UNDERSTANDS THE FORWARD PLATFORM IS A TOOL AND RESOURCE BUT IS INTENDED ONLY AS A SUPPLEMENT TO CLIENT’S AND USER’S OWN INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION AND JUDGMENT. CLIENT SHOULD EVALUATE THE FITNESS OF ANY OUTPUT AS APPROPRIATE FOR CLIENT’S AND USERS’ SPECIFIC USE CASE. CLIENT, AND NOT FORWARD, SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING THE ACCURACY OF ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THE OUTPUTS AND FOR ITS AND ITS USERS’ USE OF THE AI TOOLS AND OUTPUTS, AND DECISIONS MADE OR ACTIONS TAKEN BASED ON ANY OUTPUT OR OTHER USE OF THE AI TOOLS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, FORWARD DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY ARISING OUT OF AND/OR RELATING TO ANY RELIANCE PLACED BY CLIENT, USERS AND/OR ANY OTHER PERSON BENEFITING FROM THE SERVICES ON ANY OUTPUTS RECEIVED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES.
8.3 IP Rights.
FORWARD DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE CLIENT IS THE LEGAL OWNER OF THE OUTPUT, OR THAT THE INPUT OR OUTPUT ARE PROTECTABLE BY ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, OR THAT THE OUTPUT DOES NOT INCORPORATE, INFRINGE OR MISAPPROPRIATE THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR PROPRIETARY RIGHTS OF ANY THIRD PARTY.
8.4 No Responsibility for Third Parties.
CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE AI TOOLS LEVERAGE THIRD-PARTY SERVICES AND THAT FORWARD IS NOT LIABLE, AND CLIENT AGREES NOT TO SEEK TO HOLD FORWARD LIABLE, FOR THIRD-PARTY SERVICES, AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM SUCH THIRD-PARTY SERVICES RESTS ENTIRELY WITH CLIENT.
8.5 No Responsibility for Third-Party Data.
CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES AND UNDERSTANDS THAT ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE FORWARD PLATFORM AND/OR SERVICES DEPENDS IN PART ON ACCESS TO DATA PROVIDED BY THIRD-PARTY SOURCES (“THIRD-PARTY DATA”) TO CREATE THE OUTPUTS. THE PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THIRD-PARTY DATA MAY BE DERIVED FROM HISTORICAL DATA THAT MAY BE OUTDATED AND NO LONGER ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF USE. FORWARD IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCURACY, QUALITY, CURRENCY, OR COMPLETENESS OF THE THIRD-PARTY DATA AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES REGARDING THE THIRD-PARTY DATA. THE PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE ACCURACY OF THE OUTPUTS ARE DEPENDENT, IN PART, ON THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF THE THIRD-PARTY DATA. IN ADDITION, FORWARD CANNOT GUARANTEE THE THIRD-PARTY DATA WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE. IF A SOURCE OF THIRD-PARTY DATA BECOMES UNAVAILABLE OR FORWARD’S ACCESS TO SUCH SOURCE IS TERMINATED BY THE THIRD-PARTY DATA PROVIDER, THEN THE THIRD-PARTY DATA WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE TO BE ANALYZED AND THE OUTPUTS WILL BE AFFECTED ACCORDINGLY.
9. Additional Indemnification Obligations – Use of AI Tools.
Client shall indemnify the FORWARD Indemnified Parties in respect of any and all Losses suffered, incurred or sustained by any FORWARD Indemnified Party or to which any FORWARD Indemnified Parties becomes subject to the extent resulting from, arising out of or relating to any third-party claim attributable to Client’s and its User’s use and reliance on the AI Tools and/or Outputs. This indemnification obligation is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other indemnification rights to which FORWARD may be entitled under this Agreement or at law.
10. Relationship of the Parties.
10.1 Independent Contractor.
FORWARD shall render all services hereunder as an independent contractor and shall have no power or authority to bind Client in any manner, except as expressly set forth in this Agreement. FORWARD shall act solely as Client’s limited agent for the narrow purposes of (a) disbursing funds on behalf of Client, and (b) preparing and filing tax-reporting forms (e.g., Form 1099s) on Client’s behalf (collectively, the “Agency Services”). Except for those Agency Services described herein, FORWARD has no authority to act, negotiate, or commit Client to any obligation with any third party.
10.2 Client Remains Responsible Party.
Client is and remains the sole “responsible party” for its underlying program, funding sources, and all public accountability obligations. FORWARD’s role is strictly ministerial — i.e., receiving payment instructions from Client, forwarding disbursement instructions to recipients, and generating Form 1099s for Client under Client’s Employer Identification Number (“EIN”), and (b) All Agency Services shall be performed in strict accordance with Client’s written instructions. Client shall be responsible for (i) obtaining and verifying correct W-9 (or other tax-identification) information from each payee, (ii) determining eligibility of participants, and (iii) ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and funding requirements (including, without limitation, audit, reporting, and record-keeping obligations).
10.3 Form 1099 Preparation; Agent Authority.
FORWARD may prepare, issue, and file Form 1099s to each program participant (and to the IRS) listing Client as the payer and using Client’s EIN. In doing so, FORWARD acts merely as Client’s agent under Treasury Regulation § 1.6041-1(e) (or any successor regulation), which permits an authorized agent to file informational returns on behalf of its principal (b) FORWARD shall not be considered the “payer” or “remitter” for any tax-reporting purpose; Client alone is the payer of record. FORWARD’s sole responsibility is to transmit to Client’s payees and to the IRS the information provided by Client (or by payees) and forwarded to FORWARD, (c) If any Form 1099 filed by FORWARD contains inaccuracies caused by incorrect or incomplete data provided by Client or by payees, Client shall indemnify, defend, and hold FORWARD harmless from any liability, penalty, interest, or cost arising from such inaccuracies.
10.4 Compliance and Audit Risk Allocation.
Client bears full responsibility for ensuring that all program disbursements comply with applicable laws, regulations, and funding guidelines. FORWARD’s sole role is to carry out Client’s disbursement instructions. (b) FORWARD shall have no liability for any audit findings, claims of fraud or misuse of funds, or enforcement actions so long as FORWARD acted within the scope of the Agency Services and in accordance with Client’s documented instructions.
10.5 Public Records and FOIA/CPRA Obligations.
Client is solely responsible for responding to any public records request, subpoena, or other demand for information. FORWARD will cooperate with Client to the extent necessary to fulfill Client’s obligations but shall not independently produce records without Client’s prior written direction.
10.6 Indemnification.
Client will indemnify, defend and hold FORWARD harmless from any liability, penalty, interest, or cost arising from any claim arising from incorrect or incomplete payee information provided by the Client or Client’s referral partners that result in inaccurate or late Form 1099 filings or related tax penalties, regardless of whether FORWARD prepared or transmitted the Form 1099 on Client’s behalf or any claim relating to or arising from an audit, investigation or enforcement action initiated by any governmental or regulatory authority in connection with Client’s program funds or disbursement activities. This indemnification obligation is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other indemnification rights to which FORWARD may be entitled under this Agreement or at law.
Updated on April 28, 2026
Privacy Policy
This “Privacy Policy” describes the privacy practices of Geocko, Inc. d/b/a FORWARD and our subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, “FORWARD”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) in connection with the http://www.forwardplatform.com and forward-*.com websites, and any other website or mobile application that we own or control and which posts or links to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Service”), and the rights and choices available to individuals with respect to their information. FORWARD may provide additional or supplemental privacy policies to individuals for specific products or services that we offer at the time we collect Personal Information. These supplemental privacy policies will govern how we may process the information in the context of the specific product or service.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to Personal Information relating to FORWARD’s employment or recruitment-related activities. For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual (e.g., name, address, email address, or phone number).
Table of Contents
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About Us
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FORWARD as a Service Provider
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Privacy Principles
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Personal Information We Collect Related to the Service
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Contact Us Form
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Cookies and Other Information Collected by Automated Means
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Referrals
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Personal Information We Collect Related to Program Services
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Job Applicants
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How We Use Your Personal Information
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How We Share Your Personal Information
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Your Choices
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Other sites, mobile applications and services
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Compliance
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Security practices
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International data transfers
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Children
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Changes to this Privacy Policy
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How to Contact Us
About Us
We are FORWARD. We administer programs on behalf of certain government and nonprofit organizations that contract with us for program administration (our “Customers”). In support of our mission to effectively and efficiently administer programs, we provide websites and related systems and tools (the “Program Services”), that help people access information about government programs and services and participate in programs for which they are eligible.
FORWARD As A Service Provider
FORWARD Customers are organizations that use the FORWARD Program Services to help them manage and engage with eligible participants. FORWARD processes Personal Information in these services only according to our Customer’s instructions (as defined in our Customer agreements). If you have questions about Personal Information you have entered into the Program Services used by one of our Customers, or want to exercise any of your rights regarding your Personal Information, our Customer contract requires that we redirect your inquiry back to that Customer.
FORWARD is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of our Customers, which may differ from those set out in this Privacy Policy. Please review the relevant Customer’s privacy policy to understand more about their data processing activities.
Privacy Principles
FORWARD follows these principles in order to protect your privacy:
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We do not collect any more Personal Information than is necessary to provide the Services or Program Services or to fulfill our legitimate business purposes;
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We only use your Personal Information for the purposes we specify in this Privacy Policy, unless you are notified otherwise; We do not keep your Personal Information after it is no longer needed; and Other than as specified in this Privacy Policy, we do not share your Personal Information with third parties and are not in the business of selling your Personal Information.
Personal Information We Collect Related to the Service
Personal Information you provide to us
The Personal Information you provide to us through the Service or otherwise includes:
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Registration information, such as information that may be related to a service, an account, or an event you register for.
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Business and personal contact information, such as your first and last name, email and mailing addresses, phone number, professional title, and company name.
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Applications and other content you choose to upload to the Service, such as application information, text, and images, along with the metadata associated with the files you upload.
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Profile information, such as your username and password that you may set to establish an online account with us, your photograph, interests, and preferences.
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Feedback or correspondence, such as information you provide when you contact us with questions, feedback, or otherwise correspond with us online.
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Usage information, such as information about how you use the Service and interact with us, including information associated with any content you upload to the websites or otherwise submit to us, and information you provide when you use any interactive features of the Service.
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Marketing information, such as your preferences for receiving communications about our activities, events, and publications, and details about how you engage with our communications.
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Other information that we may collect which is not specifically listed here, but which we will use in accordance with this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.
Information we obtain from social media platforms
We may maintain pages for our Company on social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Instagram, and other third-party platforms. When you visit or interact with our pages on those platforms, the platform provider’s privacy policy will apply to your interactions and their collection, use and processing of your Personal Information. You or the platforms may provide us with information through the platform, and we will treat such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Information we obtain from other third parties
We may receive Personal Information about you from third-party sources. For example, a municipality or local agency may share your contact information with us if you have expressed interest in learning specifically about our services, or the types of services we offer. We may obtain your Personal Information from other third parties, such as marketing partners, publicly-available sources and data providers.
Contact Us Form
By providing a telephone number and submitting this form you are consenting to be contacted by SMS text message. Message & data rates may apply. Message frequency may vary. Privacy Policy. Reply Help for more information. You can reply STOP to opt-out of further messaging.
Cookies and Other Information Collected by Automated Means
We, our service providers, and our business partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and activity occurring on or through the Service, including but not limited, to your computer or mobile device operating system type and version number, manufacturer and model, browser type, screen resolution, IP address, the website you visited before browsing to our website, general location information such as city, state or geographic area; information about your use of and actions on the Service, such as pages or screens you viewed, how long you spent on a page or screen, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times, and length of access; and other Personal Information. Our service providers and business partners may collect this type of information over time and across third-party websites and mobile applications.
On our web pages, this information is collected using cookies, browser web storage (also known as locally stored objects, or “LSOs”), web beacons, and similar technologies, and our emails may also contain web beacons.
A “cookie” is a text file that websites send to a visitor‘s computer or other Internet-connected devices to uniquely identify the visitor’s browser or to store information or settings in the browser. Browser web storage, or LSOs, are used for similar purposes as cookies. Browser web storage enables the storage of a larger amount of data than cookies. A “web beacon,” also known as a pixel tag or clear GIF, is typically used to demonstrate that a webpage was accessed or that certain content was viewed, typically to measure the success of our marketing campaigns or engagement with our emails and to compile statistics about usage of our websites.
Web browsers may offer users of our websites or mobile apps the ability to disable receiving certain types of cookies; however, if cookies are disabled, some features or functionality of our websites may not function correctly. Some cookies are required to access the Service.
You can learn more about the cookies we use on our site in our Cookie Declaration. If you would like to change your choices about what cookies FORWARD uses, in your browser settings you can elect to delete all cookies, or just cookies placed by specific websites. Many browsers provide directions for managing cookies in their “help” or other user support directories (for example, this information is provided by Google for managing cookies in Chrome).
You can also click here for more information about cookies, including how to disable them. If you disable cookies, you may still use our website, but your ability to use some areas of our website will be limited.
We use cookies served by Google Analytics to collect limited data directly from Service Users’ browsers to enable us to better understand your use of the Services, including making use of the demographics and interests reports services of Google Analytics. Further information on how Google collects and uses this data can be found at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/ . You can opt-out of all Google supported analytics within the Services by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout .
We also partner with third-party ad networks to manage our advertising on other sites and with third-party analytics companies to assist us with analyzing the use of our own website. These third-party companies use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and related technologies to collect information about your activities on this and other websites to provide you targeted advertising based upon your interests and to provide measurement and analytic services.
Specifically, we also use the following third-party services: LinkedIn Ads. To learn more about third-party advertising, and to opt out of certain ad-targeting activities, please visit: https://preferences-mgr.truste.com, https://aboutads.info/choices, and https://youronlinechoices.com. To learn more about LinkedIn’s privacy practices, see: http://linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy ; to opt-out of interest-based advertising from LinkedIn, see: http://www.aboutads.info/choices, http://www.youronlinechoices.eu, and http://www.youradchoices.ca/choices.
Referrals
Users of the Service may have the opportunity to refer friends or other contacts to us. If you are an existing user, you may only submit a referral if you have permission to provide the referral’s contact information to us so that we may contact them.
Personal Information We Collect Related to Program Services
If you are a participant or potential participant in a Program Service, you (or the organization from which you have been provided access to the Program Services) may provide certain Personal Information to us through the Program Services – for example, when you register for a FORWARD account to access and use the Program Services, or when you consult with customer support, send us an email, or communicate with us in any way (for example, to make a support request).
The Personal Information we collect may include:
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Personally identifiable information (such as your name, job title, home address, phone number, email address, income);
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Personal information that you provide to us or that is collected on behalf of our Customer as it relates to your Program Service eligibility (such as gender, race and ethnicity, income, revenue, financial reports, housing status);
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Contact information (such as your contact preferences);
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Account log-in credentials (such as your email or username and password when you sign up for an account with us and the unique User ID assigned to you in our systems);
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Troubleshooting and support data (which is data you provide or we otherwise access in connection with support queries we receive from you). This may include, for example, contact or authentication data, the content of your chats and other communications with FORWARD, and the Program Service you are using related to your help inquiry; and
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Payment information (including your banking information and associated identifiers, mailing address, and background information, but only where you are eligible for payment related Program Services).
If you ever communicate directly with us, we will maintain a record of those communications and responses. Please note that if you choose not to provide your Personal Information to us, we may not be able to fulfill your request(s) (e.g., to enroll you in Program Services or to receive communications from us).
Job Applicants
Users of the Service may have the opportunity to refer friends or other contacts to us. If you are an existing user, you may only submit a referral if you have permission to provide the referral’s contact information to us so that we may contact them.
How We Use Your Personal Information
We use your Personal Information for the following purposes and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy or at the time of collection:
To operate the Service and Program Services
We use your Personal Information to:
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provide, operate and improve the Service and Program Services
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provide information about our products and services
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establish and maintain your user profile on the Service or Program Services
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enable security features of the Service, such as by sending you security codes via email or SMS, and remembering devices from which you have previously logged in
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communicate with you about the Service or Program Services, including by sending you announcements, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages
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understand your needs and interests, and personalize your experience with the Service or Program Services and our communications
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provide support and maintenance for the Service or Program Services
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respond to your requests, questions and feedback
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
For research and development
We analyze use of the Service to analyze and improve the Service and to develop new products and services, including by studying user demographics and use of the Service.
To send you marketing and promotional communications
We may send you FORWARD-related marketing communications as permitted by law. You will have the ability to opt-out of our marketing and promotional communications as described in the Opt out of marketing section below.
Handling contact and support requests
If you fill out a “Contact Us” web form or request support as a Program Participant, or if you contact us by other means including via phone or email, we process your Personal Information to perform our contract with you and/or (if we have not entered into a contract with you) to the extent it is necessary for our legitimate interest in fulfilling your requests and communicating with you.
To comply with the law
We use your Personal Information as we believe necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal processes, such as responding to subpoenas or requests from government authorities.
For compliance, fraud prevention, and safety
We may use your Personal Information and disclose it to law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties as we believe necessary or appropriate to: (a) protect our, your or others’ rights, privacy, safety or property (including by making and defending legal claims); (b) enforce the terms and conditions that govern the Service; and (c) protect, investigate and deter against fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity.
With your consent
In some cases, we may specifically ask for your consent to collect, use or share your Personal Information, such as when required by law.
To create anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data
We may create anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data from your Personal Information and other individuals whose Personal Information we collect. We make Personal Information into anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data by removing information that makes the data personally identifiable to you. We may use this anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data and share it with third parties for our lawful business purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and promote our business.
How We Share Your Personal Information
We do not share your Personal Information with third parties without your consent, except in the following circumstances or as described in this Privacy Policy:
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Service providers. We may share your Personal Information with third-party companies and individuals that provide services on our behalf or help us operate the Service (such as customer support, hosting, analytics, email delivery, marketing, and database management services). These third parties may use your Personal Information only as directed or authorized by us and in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy and are prohibited from using or disclosing your information for any other purpose.
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Municipalities and Local Agencies. The Program Services are designed to assist users with locating and applying for funding, loans and other forms of business recovery and growth projects and assistance. As such, if you use the Program Services to apply for any such assistance, we will share your application and any information contained therein, with the applicable municipality, local agency or other governmental entity.
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Professional advisors. We may disclose your Personal Information to professional advisors, such as lawyers, bankers, auditors and insurers, where necessary in the course of the professional services that they render to us.
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For compliance, fraud prevention and safety. We may share your Personal Information for the compliance, fraud prevention and safety purposes described above.
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Business transfers. We may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of our business or assets, including your Personal Information, in connection with a business transaction (or potential business transaction) such as a corporate divestiture, merger, consolidation, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets, or in the event of bankruptcy or dissolution.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, your jurisdiction, and applicable law, you may have the rights below with regard to the Personal Information we control about you. We will respond to your requests within the appropriate timeline under applicable law. Please note, however, that the rights described below are not absolute and, depending on applicable law or in certain cases, may be subject to conditions or limitations. In responding to any request to disclose/delete, FORWARD shall maintain a record of the requests as required under applicable law.
The right of access, or the right to know, means that you have the right to request that we disclose what Personal Information we have collected, used, and disclosed about you. You can do so at any time by contacting us using the contact details provided under the “How to Contact Us” heading below.
If you are located in California, under the CCPA you have the right to request to know:
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The specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you;
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The categories of personal information we have collected, used, and/or disclosed about you;
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The categories of sources from which we have collected personal information about you;
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Business and/or commercial purposes for collecting and disclosing your personal information; and
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The categories of third parties with whom your personal information has been disclosed or shared.
The right of deletion means that you have the right to request that we delete Personal Information collected or maintained by us, subject to certain exceptions. As mentioned above, you can do so at any time by contacting us using the contact details provided under the “How to Contact Us” heading below.
The right to non-discrimination means that you will not receive any discriminatory treatment when you exercise one of your privacy rights, and FORWARD will not discriminate against an individual for exercising any rights under the CCPA or other applicable privacy law, including, but not limited to, (a) denying goods or its professional services, (b) charging different prices or rates (including discounts/penalties) not directly related to the value provided to FORWARD for Personal Information, or (c) suggesting an individual will receive a different rate/price or level of quality of goods/professional services.
The right to opt-out, if you are located in California under the CCPA, means you can opt-out of the sale or certain sharing of your Personal Information at FORWARD’s Privacy Rights page. Note that FORWARD does not sell Personal Information, though in certain instances FORWARD does share Personal Information as described in this Privacy Policy.
You can also ask us to correct or update your Personal Information; object to the processing of your Personal Information; ask us to restrict processing of your Personal Information; or request the portability of your Personal Information.
While you cannot opt out of service-related emails if you are an account holder, as this is an essential part of the Program Services, you have the right to opt-out of marketing communications we send you at any time. You can exercise this right by clicking on the “unsubscribe” or “opt-out” link in the marketing emails we send you, or you can contact us using the contact information below.
Similarly, if we have collected and processed your Personal Information with your consent, then you can withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, nor will it affect processing of your Personal Information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
FORWARD does not engage in any automated decision making with User Personal Information.
If your Personal Information has been submitted to us by or on behalf of our Customer and you wish to exercise any rights you may have under applicable data protection laws, please inquire with the applicable Customer directly. For more information on how our Customer uses your Personal Information, please see the Customer’s privacy policy.
Do Not Track
Some Internet browsers may be configured to send “Do Not Track” signals to the online services that you visit. We currently do not respond to “Do Not Track” or similar signals, in part, because no common industry standard for DNT has been adopted by industry groups, technology companies, or regulators, including no consistent standard of interpreting user intent. FORWARD takes privacy and meaningful choice seriously and will make efforts to continue to monitor developments around DNT browser technology and the implementation of a standard. To find out more about “Do Not Track,” please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.
Choosing not to share your Personal Information
Where we are required by law to collect your Personal Information, or where we need your Personal Information in order to provide the Service or Program Services to you, if you do not provide this information when requested (or you later ask to delete it), we may not be able to provide you with our services. We will tell you what information you must provide to receive the Service or Program Services by designating it as required at the time of collection or through other appropriate means.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Sale of Personal Information Notice
As mentioned above, FORWARD may provide third parties with certain personal information to provide or improve our products and services, for example to deliver products or services at your request. In such cases, we require those third parties to handle the information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
FORWARD does not sell personal information to third parties (pursuant to California Civil Code §§ 1798.100–1798.199, also known as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018) – FORWARD is not a data broker and does not offer or disclose personal information on the open market, nor does FORWARD share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes (pursuant to California Civil Code § 1798.83). In some instances, FORWARD may disclose limited personal information with some of its partners for our advertising purposes as described above. If you elect to opt-out at FORWARD’s Privacy Rights page, FORWARD will stop sharing personal information with those partners. As a result, you may no longer receive personalized offers on some sites or services. We will use the data collected when you opt out solely to process your request and for record-keeping as required under the CCPA.
Other sites, mobile applications and services
The Service may contain links to other websites, mobile applications, and other online services operated by third parties. These links are not an endorsement of or representation that we are affiliated with, any third party. In addition, our content may be included on web pages or in mobile applications or online services that are not associated with us. We do not control third-party websites, mobile applications, or online services, and we are not responsible for their actions. Other websites, mobile applications, and services follow different rules regarding the collection, use and sharing of your Personal Information. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of the other websites, mobile applications and online services you use.
Compliance
FORWARD meets SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliance standards based on the AICPA 2020 Trust Services Criteria, ensuring security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy. A recent compliance report is available upon request.
FORWARD operates on the Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services cloud platforms, which undergoes regular audits and holds certifications in security and control measures, including SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, FERPA, HIPAA, CSA STAR, and FedRAMP.
FORWARD also operates on the Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) cloud platform, which undergoes regular audits and holds security certifications in security and control measures, including PCI-DSS, HIPAA/HITECH, FedRAMP, GDPR, FIPS 140-2, and NIST 800-171.
Security practices
The security of your personal information is important to us. We employ a number of organizational, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information we collect. However, security risk is inherent in all internet and information technologies and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information.
International data transfers
We are headquartered in the United States and have service providers in other countries, and your personal information may be transferred to the United States or other locations outside of your state, province, or country where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your state, province, or country.
Children
As a general rule, children are not allowed to use the Service, and we do not collect personal information from them. We define “children” as anyone under 13 years old. If we learn that we have collected the personal information of a child without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian, we will delete it. We encourage parents with concerns to contact us.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by updating the date of this Privacy Policy and posting it on the Service. We may, and if required by law, will also provide notification of changes in another way that we believe is reasonably likely to reach you, such as via e-mail (if you have an account where we have your contact information) or another manner through the Service.
Any modifications to this Privacy Policy will be effective upon our posting the new terms and/or upon implementation of the new changes on the Service (or as otherwise indicated at the time of posting). In all cases, your continued use of the Service after the posting of any modified Privacy Policy indicates your acceptance of the terms of the modified Privacy Policy.
How to Contact Us
Please direct any questions or comments about this Policy or privacy practices to forward-privacy@forwardplatform.com. You may also write to us via postal mail at:
FORWARD
Attn: Legal – Privacy
P.O. Box 12242
Seattle, WA 98102
Updated on April 28, 2026
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