Terms of Use

What these Terms cover

These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of procurementinstitute.io and its associated domains (procurementintel.io, procurementmundi.com, and commerciummundi.com — collectively, “the Site”) and the content, communications, and pre-engagement interactions we provide through the Site.

These Terms do not govern contracted engagements. When you enter a contracted engagement with Procurement Institute — whether for counterparty verification, transaction facilitation, advisory work, or intelligence subscription — the commercial terms of that engagement are set out in a separate engagement letter or service agreement issued at the point of engagement. Those documents govern the commercial relationship, and in the event of conflict with these Terms, those documents prevail as to the scope, performance, and liability of the engagement.

By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the Site.

About Procurement Institute

The Site is operated by Commercium Mundi Ltd, trading as Procurement Institute, a company registered in England and Wales under company number [TO BE INSERTED POST-INCORPORATION], with registered office at 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ.

Procurement Institute is a physical commodity trade facilitation, advisory, and intelligence business. We do not take principal risk, hold inventory, or act as counterparty to commodity transactions. We provide verification, facilitation, advisory, and intelligence services under individually-negotiated engagement letters.

We are not currently authorised or regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The services we provide do not constitute regulated financial activity within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. For a fuller statement of our regulatory posture, see our Regulatory Status Notice (in preparation).

Permitted use of the Site

What you may do. You may access and read content published on the Site, share links to our pages, submit intake briefs through the forms provided, book calls with our trade desk, and correspond with us by email. You may quote short extracts from our published intelligence with clear attribution to Procurement Institute and a link back to the source article, for purposes of commentary, criticism, review, or reporting, consistent with fair dealing under sections 29 and 30 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

You may also retrieve, read, and cite our published content through an AI assistant operating on your behalf at inference time, subject to the conditions set out in Section 4.

What you may not do. You must not:

• scrape, crawl, or systematically extract content from the Site as a bulk dataset, save for public search-engine indexing and AI-assisted inference retrieval operating under our published robots.txt and permitted under Section 4
• use the Site or any content on it to develop, train, fine-tune, benchmark, or evaluate machine learning models or artificial intelligence systems, save for the inference-time uses expressly permitted under Section 4
• re-publish, re-distribute, re-sell, sub-license, or create derivative works from content on the Site in a manner inconsistent with Section 4
• extract, copy, or re-utilise substantial parts of our intelligence corpus, or repeatedly and systematically extract insubstantial parts, in a way that would conflict with our rights under the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997
• reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive the source code or underlying methodology of any software, data structure, or schema used by the Site
• circumvent any access controls, authentication measures, or rate limits
• submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information through our intake forms or in correspondence with us
• use the Site to facilitate or engage in activity that is unlawful in the jurisdiction where you are located, where we are based, or where the counterparties you reference are located
• use the Site to evade or facilitate the evasion of sanctions, anti-money-laundering controls, export controls, or other regulatory restrictions
• use any automated means of accessing the Site that would place unreasonable load on our infrastructure or degrade service quality for others
• impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with a company or counterparty

Your representations. By using the Site, you represent that:

• you are accessing the Site for lawful purposes consistent with these Terms
• you have the capacity and authority to do so, and where you are acting on behalf of an organisation, you are authorised to bind that organisation to these Terms
• any information you submit is accurate, complete, and up to date to the best of your knowledge
• you understand that the Site does not constitute an offer, solicitation, or commitment by Procurement Institute to provide services

Intellectual property and the intelligence corpus

Ownership. All content we publish on the Site — including intelligence articles, reports, analytical commentary, benchmarks, market context, operator profiles, regional analyses, corridor studies, methodology documents, and any structured data derived from these materials — is the intellectual property of Commercium Mundi Ltd (trading as Procurement Institute) unless expressly marked otherwise. This includes:

• editorial copyright in individual articles, reports, and analytical works
• copyright in the structured schema, field taxonomy, narrative thread framework, and operator classification system that organises our intelligence corpus
• the sui generis database right under the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, subsisting in the collection, selection, and systematic arrangement of our intelligence corpus as a whole
• trade mark and common law goodwill in “Procurement Institute”, “PI”, “Procurement Intel”, “Commercium Mundi”, and associated logos and brand identifiers

Our intelligence corpus as a protected database. Our published intelligence is not merely a collection of individual articles. It is a structured, schema-consistent body of analytical work that maps commodity events, operator activity, and market context across multiple classification dimensions (commodities, regions, corridors, operator types, narrative threads). The selection, arrangement, and systematic maintenance of this corpus represents substantial investment in obtaining, verifying, and presenting its contents, and the corpus therefore constitutes a protected database within the meaning of regulation 13 of the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997.

Limited licence to users. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and read content on the Site for personal reading, editorial reference, internal business evaluation, and the quotation and attribution uses permitted under Section 3. Where you access our content through an AI assistant operating on your behalf at inference time, that retrieval is covered by the same licence under the conditions set out below. No other rights are granted, whether by implication, estoppel, or otherwise.

AI systems — permitted use. We have deliberately structured the Site, its metadata, and its content to be accessible and citable by AI systems operating on behalf of individual users at inference time. You, or an AI assistant acting on your behalf, may retrieve our content, summarise it, and cite it in response to a specific user query, provided that:

• the AI system attributes the content to Procurement Institute
• where technically feasible, the AI system provides a link to the source article on the Site
• the AI system complies with our published robots.txt directives and any rate limits we publish
• the retrieval is triggered by a specific user query, is limited to what is reasonably necessary to answer that query, and does not persist our content into training, fine-tuning, evaluation, or benchmark datasets

Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other general-purpose AI assistants operating under this inference-time retrieval pattern are welcome users of the Site. No additional licence from Procurement Institute is required for use conforming to this paragraph.

AI systems — prohibited use. Without a separate written licence from Procurement Institute, you may not:

• use our content as training data, fine-tuning data, reinforcement-learning feedback data, evaluation data, or benchmark data for the development or assessment of any machine learning model, large language model, foundation model, or other artificial intelligence system
• extract, download, store, or cache (other than transient inference-time caching) the corpus or substantial parts of it as a dataset for any AI development, research, or modelling purpose, whether for your own model or a third party’s
• use our schema, operator taxonomy, narrative thread framework, commodity classification, or underlying analytical methodology to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop any competing intelligence system, dataset, or analytical product
• carry out systematic, bulk, or repeated extraction of content that exceeds what is reasonably necessary for individual user-initiated retrieval
• bypass, circumvent, or ignore any technical signals we publish (in robots.txt, in meta directives, in /.well-known/ files, or elsewhere) that indicate content is not available for training or bulk extraction

Commercial licensing. We recognise that our intelligence corpus has substantial value as structured training data, and we are open to licensing it on proper terms. Commercial licensing — whether for training data, systematic research integration, derivative analytical products, or bulk republication — is available on individually negotiated terms. What we do not consent to is unlicensed extraction. For licensing enquiries, contact team@procurementinstitute.io.

Text and data mining. The exception for non-commercial text and data mining in section 29A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 does not authorise the uses prohibited above. We expressly reserve all rights in respect of commercial text and data mining and the development, training, or fine-tuning of artificial intelligence systems. Our published content is not made available under any open licence or waiver permitting such use.

Technical signals. The robots.txt file and any /.well-known/ AI directives we publish reflect and implement this Section. Where a technical signal appears to conflict with a legal term in this Section, the legal term prevails; the technical signal is a convenience for compliance rather than an invitation to exploit any gap between them.

Copyright notices and attribution. You may not remove, obscure, or alter any copyright notices, attributions, author credits, or metadata from content you access on the Site or retrieve via an AI system.

Republication. You may not republish our content on any third-party platform, aggregator, newsletter, or distribution channel, in whole or in substantial part, without our prior express written permission. This restriction does not prohibit sharing direct links to content on the Site, which we actively encourage.

Intake briefs, inquiries, and pre-engagement communications

Submission does not create an engagement. When you submit a buyer requirement brief, supply position, intelligence access request, book-a-call form, or any other inquiry through the Site, you are making a request for Procurement Institute to consider. No engagement exists between you and us by virtue of your submission alone. No contract for services is formed unless and until we issue an engagement letter or service agreement and that document is executed by both parties.

Our discretion. We may, in our sole discretion, decline any submission, request additional information before progressing, propose different commercial terms from those assumed or requested by the user, or refer a submission to a third party where appropriate. Receipt of a submission does not oblige us to engage or to provide any particular response.

Representations on submission. When you submit information through the Site or in correspondence prior to engagement, you represent that: the information is accurate and complete to the best of your knowledge; you have the authority to share it (including, where relevant, authority to share information about counterparties, directors, or commercial contacts); and you are not submitting the information to circumvent legitimate commercial channels or to facilitate unlawful activity.

Treatment of submitted information. Information you submit is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Submission of counterparty or commercial information through an intake form does not, by itself, create a confidentiality obligation beyond those set out in our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law. A mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and, where relevant, a non-circumvention and non-disclosure agreement (NDNCA) is executed at the point of engagement and governs the handling of confidential information within the engagement.

Nature of our published intelligence — disclaimers

Our published intelligence content is commentary and analysis on physical commodity markets. It is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute:

• financial, investment, trading, or hedging advice
• legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, or compliance advice
• a recommendation to buy, sell, or transact in any commodity, security, derivative, or financial instrument
• due diligence on, verification of, or endorsement of any company, counterparty, transaction, product, or individual mentioned in the content
• an offer to transact in, or facilitate transactions in, any commodity

Our published intelligence is prepared using publicly available information, industry sources, and our own analytical methodology. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or currency of published content, and content is not updated continuously — the publication date reflects the state of our research at that time.

Users who rely on our published intelligence for commercial decisions do so at their own risk and should conduct their own independent due diligence and take their own professional advice before acting.

Where our published intelligence mentions companies, individuals, or market activity, such mentions do not constitute verification or endorsement of those entities. Verification of counterparties, transactions, and market positions is a separate service delivered only under engagement letter, with documented evidence and a stated verdict standard.

Site availability and changes

We provide the Site on a best-effort basis. We do not guarantee that the Site or any part of it will be available at any particular time, or that access will be uninterrupted or error-free. We may modify, suspend, or withdraw any part of the Site, including published content, at any time and without notice.

We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. The current version is always available at this URL, with the last-updated date shown at the top. Material changes will be notified through the Site or, where appropriate, by direct communication. Your continued use of the Site after changes to these Terms constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Prohibited activities

In addition to the use restrictions in Section 3, you must not use the Site or any service accessed through it to engage in, facilitate, or support:

• any activity that is unlawful under the laws of the United Kingdom or any other jurisdiction that applies to you or to the subject matter of the activity
• evasion of international sanctions regimes, including those maintained by the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), the European Union, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), or the United Nations Security Council
• money laundering, terrorist financing, or any activity in breach of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 or the Terrorism Act 2000
• export-control breaches under the Export Control Act 2002 or equivalent legislation in other jurisdictions
• corruption, bribery, or breach of the Bribery Act 2010
• fraudulent misrepresentation about your identity, authority, commercial position, or the nature of counterparties involved
• submission of intake briefs or supply positions on behalf of sanctioned or designated persons, or entities ultimately controlled by such persons, without prior disclosure to us

We reserve the right to investigate any suspected breach of this Section and to cooperate fully with regulatory, law enforcement, or professional bodies. We may deny access to the Site or refuse to engage with any user we reasonably suspect of breaching this Section, without notice and without liability to the user.

User-submitted content

You retain ownership of what you submit. When you submit an intake brief, supply position, commercial context, or other content through the Site, you retain ownership of that content.

Limited licence to us. You grant Procurement Institute a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, store, process, and communicate the content you submit strictly for the purpose of evaluating your inquiry, responding to you, and — if an engagement follows — delivering the engaged service. This licence terminates when you withdraw the submission or request its deletion, subject to our retention obligations under the Privacy Policy.

Accuracy and authority. You warrant that all information you submit is accurate to the best of your knowledge, that you have the authority to share it, and that sharing it does not breach any obligation you owe to a third party.

Third-party links and services

The Site may link to third-party websites, platforms, and services. We provide these links for convenience only. We do not endorse, control, or accept responsibility for the content, policies, availability, or practices of third-party sites, and your use of those sites is at your own risk and subject to their own terms and policies.

Where we identify third-party services we use on the Site — for example, hosting, content delivery, analytics, or consent-management infrastructure — these are disclosed in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Trade desk engagement and service terms

Service terms are set at engagement. The terms governing our commercial services are set out in a separate engagement letter or service agreement issued at the point of engagement. These Terms of Use do not constitute an offer of services and do not govern the commercial relationship once an engagement is agreed.

Matters set at engagement include, without limitation:

• service category (verification, facilitation, advisory, subscription, or other) and specific scope of work
• methodology, deliverables, evidentiary standards, and timelines
• fees, payment terms, expense arrangements, and retainer or success-fee structures
• mutual confidentiality and non-disclosure undertakings (NDA)
• mutual non-circumvention and non-disclosure undertakings (NDNCA) where multi-party commercial introductions are involved
• representations, warranties, indemnities, and limitations of liability proportionate to the engagement and fee
• intellectual property rights in deliverables and in any materials exchanged during the engagement
• termination rights, escalation procedures, and dispute resolution provisions
• governing law and jurisdiction for the engagement (these may differ from the governing law stated in Section 14 of these Terms)

No informal engagement. Conversations, correspondence, calls, and informal discussions do not constitute an engagement or create contractual obligations between Procurement Institute and you, regardless of how substantive they may be. Only an executed engagement letter or service agreement creates a contractual relationship for the delivery of services.

No obligation to engage. Nothing in these Terms obliges Procurement Institute to offer an engagement, respond to an inquiry in any particular form, or continue a pre-engagement discussion. We retain sole discretion over whom we engage with and on what terms.

Limitation of liability for Site use

Scope of this Section. This Section applies to your use of the Site and to pre-engagement communications only. It does not apply to liability arising under an engagement letter or service agreement, which is governed by the limitation and liability provisions of that document.

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• we exclude all implied warranties, conditions, or representations concerning the Site and its content, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, fitness for purpose, and non-infringement
• we are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on our published intelligence, your access to or use of the Site, or any unavailability, delay, or interruption of the Site
• we are not liable for indirect, consequential, special, incidental, or exemplary loss; loss of profit, revenue, or business opportunity; loss of goodwill or reputation; or loss or corruption of data, howsoever arising in connection with your use of the Site
• our total aggregate liability to you in connection with your use of the Site, other than liability that cannot be excluded as a matter of law, is limited to £100 (one hundred pounds sterling)

What we do not exclude. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for: death or personal injury caused by our negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited as a matter of English law, including under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 or the Consumer Rights Act 2015 where applicable.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Procurement Institute, its directors, officers, employees, and contractors from and against any claim, loss, damage, liability, cost, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• your breach of these Terms
• your misuse of the Site or its content, including any breach of Section 4 (intellectual property and the intelligence corpus)
• your submission of inaccurate or fraudulent information through the Site or in pre-engagement correspondence
• any third-party claim arising from your use of the Site or any content you have caused to be published via the Site

Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

You agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Site, and you submit to the jurisdiction of those courts.

This Section does not apply to engagement letters or service agreements, which contain their own governing law and dispute resolution provisions. It applies only to matters arising from use of the Site and from pre-engagement communications.

Entire agreement, severability, and no waiver

These Terms of Use, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Procurement Institute in respect of your use of the Site prior to engagement, and supersede any prior communications, representations, or understandings relating to your use of the Site.

If any provision of these Terms is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be severed from these Terms, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Failure by Procurement Institute to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of that provision or of any other provision, and does not prevent us from enforcing it on a later occasion.

Contact

For any question about these Terms of Use:

Commercium Mundi Ltd, trading as Procurement Institute
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden
London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ
team@procurementinstitute.io

For questions about how we handle your personal data, see our Privacy Policy.

For questions about cookies and tracking technologies, see our Cookie Policy.

For terms governing a specific contracted engagement, see the engagement letter or service agreement issued at the time of engagement.

For licensing enquiries concerning our intelligence corpus, contact team@procurementinstitute.io referencing “corpus licensing”.

These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of England and Wales. They should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and — for engaged work — the engagement letter or service agreement applicable to that engagement.