Terms of Service

These terms govern access to and use of the SIPS platform (the "Platform") by pharmacies and suppliers (together, the "Users"). By creating an account or using the Platform, a User accepts these terms, the Fee schedule and the Privacy policy, which form one agreement.

1. The Platform and its operator

SIPS is a business-to-business procurement marketplace for pharmaceutical products. It is operated by the entity named on the Legal notice page (the "Operator"). The Platform is an intermediary: it connects pharmacies that need stock with suppliers that sell it, organises the comparison of offers and the award, and tracks the resulting orders. The Operator is not a party to the sale of goods between a supplier and a pharmacy and does not itself sell, store or ship pharmaceutical products.

2. Accounts

• Accounts are created by invitation for licensed pharmacies and authorised suppliers, and for the staff they designate. Each User warrants that it holds the licences and authorisations required to buy or sell the products it deals with on the Platform.
• Credentials are personal. A User is responsible for every action taken under its account and must report any suspected unauthorised use without delay.
• The Operator may suspend or close an account that breaches these terms, provides false information, or is used in a way that endangers other Users or the Platform.

3. How a request becomes an order

1. A pharmacy posts a restock request. Requests are pooled into a grouped request for quotation (RFQ) that the Operator opens for bidding.
2. Invited suppliers bid on the pooled volume: unit prices and available quantities per product, a shipping fee per destination, and a lead time. A bid is a firm offer, valid until the RFQ closes.
3. The Operator ranks the bids and confirms one winning supplier for the RFQ. The award creates one order per pharmacy, at the awarded prices, shipped directly by the supplier to that pharmacy.
4. Each order then follows the steps shown on the Platform: payment of the platform fee, supplier confirmation, preparation, shipping, receipt by the pharmacy, and closure.

4. Prices and the platform service fee

• Prices are quoted by suppliers in Saudi riyals (SAR), VAT excluded unless stated otherwise.
• The Operator charges a platform service fee on every order, expressed as a percentage of the order total (products and shipping). The published rate is shown on the Fee schedule page (currently 5%) and on every RFQ before a supplier bids. The rate applied to an order is recorded on that order and does not change afterwards.
• The fee is included in the awarded price: the pharmacy pays the order total and nothing on top; the supplier's payout is the order total minus the fee. By bidding, a supplier accepts that the fee at the rate displayed on the RFQ will be deducted from its payout.
• A specific rate may be agreed in writing with a pharmacy. That rate replaces the published rate for that pharmacy's orders and is recorded on them in the same way.

5. Payments and documents

• The Platform records payments; it does not process them. The platform fee is paid by bank transfer or another method agreed with the Operator, and an administrator records the payment on the order. An order does not move to preparation until the fee is recorded as paid.
• The supplier invoices the goods to the pharmacy. The Operator issues a service fee note for its fee; that note is not an invoice for the goods.
• Supplier payouts are recorded on the Platform with a reference, a method and a date. The payout amount is frozen when it is recorded.
• Documents generated by the Platform (order summaries, service fee notes) are issued electronically and are valid without a handwritten signature.

6. Supplier obligations

• Deliver the awarded products, in the awarded quantities and at the awarded prices, within the lead time bid, to each pharmacy's delivery address.
• Supply only genuine products that comply with Saudi regulations, with valid batch numbers and expiry dates recorded on the Platform before shipping.
• Keep the order status on the Platform accurate (confirmation, preparation, shipping) and respond to the Operator's requests about an order.

7. Pharmacy obligations

• Post accurate requests and accept the award made on them; an awarded order is a firm purchase at the awarded prices.
• Pay the platform fee promptly so the order can proceed, and settle the supplier's invoice under the terms agreed with the supplier.
• Check the delivery on receipt, record the receipt on the Platform, and report any shortfall or damage through the Platform without delay.

8. Cancellations and disputes

• An order may be cancelled by the Operator before shipping, with the reason recorded on the order's timeline. A platform fee already collected on a cancelled order is refunded or credited by the Operator.
• Disputes between a supplier and a pharmacy about the goods (quantity, quality, delivery) are resolved between them; the Operator assists through the support desk and the order's timeline but is not liable for the goods.

9. Ratings and conduct

Pharmacies may rate suppliers after an order. Ratings must be honest and relate to the order. Users must not use the Platform to collude on prices, to circumvent the Platform after an introduction made through it, or to harm other Users.

10. Availability and liability

• The Operator works to keep the Platform available but does not guarantee uninterrupted access. Maintenance and incidents are announced on the Platform when possible.
• To the extent permitted by law, the Operator's liability towards a User for any claim arising from the use of the Platform is limited to the platform fees that User paid in the twelve months before the claim. The Operator is not liable for the goods, for a supplier's or a pharmacy's performance, or for indirect losses.

11. Data

The Privacy policy describes what data the Platform processes and why. Business data a User enters (requests, bids, orders) is kept for the duration of the relationship and the retention periods required by law, and is shown to the other Users only as the workflow requires (for example, pharmacy names are not disclosed to suppliers before an award).

12. Changes to these terms

The Operator may update these terms and the Fee schedule. Changes are published on the Platform with a new version date. Continued use after publication constitutes acceptance; a rate change applies only to orders created after it.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Disputes that cannot be settled amicably are submitted to the competent courts of the Kingdom.