Terms of Engagement
The terms on which we accept instructions and deliver our work.
On this page
Note: these terms are a starting template prepared for Gulf Sentinel Intelligence. They should be reviewed by a UAE-qualified lawyer before use, and the bracketed figures below completed, before they are relied on commercially.
1. Scope of these terms
These Terms of Engagement govern the provision of services by Gulf Sentinel Intelligence ("GSI", "we") to a client ("you"). They apply to every engagement unless we agree otherwise in a signed engagement letter, which will prevail to the extent of any conflict.
2. Our services
We provide corporate intelligence, due diligence, KYC and KYB screening, risk advisory and ongoing monitoring services. We are an independent advisory firm. We are not a credit bureau or credit reference agency, and we do not issue credit reports, credit scores or credit ratings.
We are not lawyers, auditors or licensed financial advisers, and nothing we provide constitutes legal, audit, tax, accounting or investment advice.
3. Instructions and scope of work
Each engagement begins with a written scope setting out what you need to know, the depth of enquiry, the deliverable and the deadline. We will only carry out work within the agreed scope. Any expansion of scope requires written agreement and may affect fees and timelines.
You confirm that you have a legitimate business reason for requesting the enquiry, that you are entitled to make it, and that our findings will be used lawfully and for the stated purpose.
4. Fees and payment
- Fees are agreed in writing before work begins and are ordinarily fixed for the agreed scope.
- Invoices are payable within [30] days of the invoice date unless agreed otherwise.
- Disbursements such as official registry or court record fees are charged at cost and identified separately.
- We may suspend work on overdue accounts after giving notice.
5. Confidentiality
We treat every engagement as confidential. We will not disclose your identity, the fact of your instruction, or the content of our work to any third party, except where required by law or regulation, or with your written consent.
Our reports are prepared for you alone. You may share a report internally and with your professional advisers, but not publish it, provide it to a third party, or use our name in any public statement without our prior written consent.
6. Sources and methods
Our work draws on corporate registries, official filings, court and litigation records, sanctions and watchlists, published media, commercial databases and, where appropriate and lawful, discreet human enquiry. We do not use unlawful methods, misrepresent our identity to obtain information, access private data without authority, or engage in surveillance.
Where a material finding rests on a single source, we say so in the report.
7. Limitations of our work
You should understand the following before relying on our reports:
- Our findings reflect information reasonably available within the agreed scope, timeframe and budget.
- Public records in some jurisdictions are incomplete, delayed or unreliable, and an absence of adverse findings is not proof that none exist.
- A report reflects the position at the date of delivery. Circumstances change.
- We verify information to a reasonable professional standard but cannot guarantee the accuracy of third-party records.
- Our reports support your decision. They are not a recommendation to proceed with or decline a transaction, and the decision remains yours.
8. Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with an engagement, whether in contract, tort, negligence or otherwise, shall not exceed [the total fees paid by you for that engagement] / [AED ___].
We are not liable for indirect, consequential, special or economic loss, including loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill or anticipated savings.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
9. Intellectual property
We retain ownership of the methodologies, templates, know-how and working materials used to produce a deliverable. On payment in full, you receive a non-exclusive licence to use the delivered report for the purpose for which it was commissioned.
10. Compliance and refusal of work
We conduct our own client onboarding, sanctions and anti-money-laundering checks and may decline or discontinue an engagement where we consider that proceeding would breach applicable law or sanctions, create a conflict of interest, or be inconsistent with our professional standards. Where we decline, we are not obliged to give reasons.
11. Term and termination
Either party may terminate an engagement on written notice. On termination you remain liable for fees and disbursements properly incurred up to the date of termination. Clauses relating to confidentiality, liability, intellectual property and governing law survive termination.
12. Governing law and jurisdiction
These terms are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates as applied in the Emirate of Dubai. The courts of Dubai have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, unless the engagement letter provides for arbitration.
13. Contact
Gulf Sentinel Intelligence
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Email: info@thegsi.ae
Telephone: +971 55 776 8007