The Fair Engagement Pledge

A short, public, checkable commitment. No fee, no paid badge, no audit: the only guarantee is that it is signed by a named person and that anyone can verify it.

The four commitments

  1. 01

    Payment within 30 days

    We pay independent professionals' invoices within 30 calendar days of receipt, without making it conditional on a third party's internal approval.

  2. 02

    A contract before work starts

    We don't ask for work without a written engagement setting out scope, price, deadline and who owns the result.

  3. 03

    No risks shifted downstream

    We don't impose clauses that shift risks the professional can't control: disproportionate penalties, unpaid exclusivity, or open-ended assignment of rights without consideration.

  4. 04

    A real route to complain

    We publish a named contact for disputes and commit to answering within 10 working days.

Sign the Pledge

It has to be signed by someone able to commit the organisation. The public directory shows the profile — logo, activity, website and a named complaints contact — once we have checked it.

The organisation

Logo

Declared by the company; not an Observatory figure.

Two or three sentences. They appear in the public directory.

The signatory
Route for complaints

The fourth commitment requires a public named contact. It will appear in the directory.

Directory of signatories

The directory goes live with the first verified signatures. If your company wants to be in the first batch, write to us.