Terms and Conditions of OSC MembershipYou must agree to these terms and conditions to become an OSC member. Please make payment to the Open Source Consortium, Rivermead House,Hamm Moor Lane,Weybridge, KT15 2SF, for the amount applicable to your level of membership (full, associate or individual). Your application is for twelve months membership of the Open Source Consortium and is subject to receipt of payment and approval by the OSC Executive Council.
Levels of membershipFull memberAn OSC full member must be a business of some type (e.g. limited company or sole trader) which has a significant proportion of its business based around FLOSS and is not large enough to win large public sector contracts on its own.The decision on whether a company meets these criteria rests with the OSC Executive Council.The Executive Council has the option to deny a company full membership whilst permitting it to be an associate member.
Associate memberAn OSC associate member may be any company or organisation, at the discretion of the OSC Executive Council.
Individual memberAn OSC individual member must be an individual.The individual may be an employee or director of a company.
Benefits of membershipBenefits 1 and 2 apply only to full members, not to individual or associate members.
1. The OSC's primary function is to allow member companies to increase revenue by opening up the possibility of working on large public sector projects. Full members may use the OSC name to directly bid for work, using the bonding scheme, professional standards and other client benefits as selling points. Individual and associate members may not use the OSC name when bidding for work (other than to identify themselves as members of the OSC), but may be employed or subcontracted by the OSC or a full member.
2. Through the bonding scheme, full members can reassure some of the concerns of clients: if for any reason, one company is unable to complete the work to an appropriate standard, the OSC will find an alternative provider at no additional cost to the client.The bonding scheme only applies to business where the client contracts directly with the OSC itself (referred to as tier 3 business in the OSC constitution).
Benefits 3-8 below apply to all members, full, associate and individual.
3. The OSC lobbies the UK Government, the EU and political parties on behalf of members.The OSC campaigns actively on issues which are important to members.
4. The OSC acts as a networking group for members with meetings, social and networking events, an online community and newsletters.
5. The OSC builds links with many organisations, both FLOSS and others, of which members may be able to take advantage.
6. Members have the opportunity to participate in the OSC working groups, sit on the OSC Executive Council and be involved in OSC regional groups.
7. Members may use the OSC logo in marketing (e.g. business cards, website). A different logo exists for each level of membership;members may only use the logo for their own membership level.
8. The OSC seeks to negotiate benefits for members such as reduced fees for certain goods and services, using our size to obtain deals that individual companies would be unable to achieve.
Responsibilities of membershipResponsibilities 1-6 apply to all members, full, associate and individual.
1. I agree to abide by the OSC Constitution and accept the OSC Executive Council as the final arbiter on OSC matters.
2. I agree to pay the annual membership fee for my level of membership and that my membership will start only when the fee has been received by the OSC. The annual fee is £100+VAT for full membership, £25+VAT for associate membership and £10+VAT for individual membership.
3. I agree that my membership application is subject to approval by the OSC Executive Council, which has the right to refuse any application.
4. I agree that this entitles me to twelve months' OSC membership. I may terminate my membership at any time by informing the OSC in writing. If I terminate my membership part-way through a year, I will not be entitled to a refund of my annual membership fee.
5. Limitation of Liability - I agree that in no event shall the OSC be liable for any indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages, including, without limitation, damages for loss of goodwill or any and all other commercial damages or losses, even if advised of the possibility thereof, and regardless of whether any claim is based upon any contract, tort or other legal or equitable theory, relating or arising from the actions of the OSC or any OSC member.
6. The OSC operates an internal marketplace to generate business for our members and pass business between members. I agree that, when using that marketplace, I will abide by its rules, which can be obtained on request from
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Responsibilities 7-10 apply to all members (full, associate or individual) only with regard to work the member performs on an OSC project (defined as tier 2 or 3 work in the OSC constitution). No associate or individual member has any obligation to work on any OSC project and nothing here should be interpreted as suggesting otherwise.
7. I agree that,when working on OSC projects (defined as tier 2 or 3 work in the OSC constitution) all solutions I deliver will be based around FLOSS and all my creations for those projects will be released under an appropriate FLOSS licence.
8. I agree that,when working on OSC projects, I will ensure that the information necessary for another company or group to take over the work (such as documentation) is made available when required.As and when the OSC develops particular schemes to achieve this (such as escrow systems), I agree to participate in such schemes providing my commercial interest is not unduly harmed. I accept that this is critical for the OSC bonding scheme to operate.
9. I agree that,when working on OSC projects, I shall work to the OSC's professional standards.These standards will be approved by the OSC Executive Council, will not place an undue burden on me and will be appropriate to the work being undertaken.
10. I agree that a percentage of the profit from any OSC contract goes to the OSC to fund the organisation. An OSC contract is defined in the OSC constitution as tier 2 or 3 business.This in no way affects work done outside the OSC or tier 1 work within the OSC.
Responsibility 11 applies to full members only.
11.I agree to treat as a priority picking up bonded work which another OSC member is unable to complete,when requested to do so by the OSC. I accept that I am not required to jeopardise existing projects or to turn away work from existing customers; I also accept that I must make positive efforts to take on bonded work and this is important for the bonding scheme to operate.
Responsibility 12 applies to associate members only.
12.I agree that, if I work on an OSC contract (tier 2 or tier 3 business), I may be required to upgrade to full membership, at the discretion of the OSC Executive Council.
AgreementI agree to the responsibility clauses relevant to my level of membership and that my membership may be forfeit if I fail to follow these rules. If joining as an associate or full member, I confirm that I am legally able to bind the organisation to these terms and conditions and, in applying for OSC membership, do so.
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