Article 1. Participants

1. Everyone can join the BiD Challenge, as long as the participant has a business plan that targets a developing country.
2. Participants are to write their own proposals. Cooperation with other persons and/or organisations is permitted.
3. Participants are free to co-operate with their employer and to find a way to actively involve their employer in the development and, possibly, the implementation of the idea.
4. Participants can work in teams, but the person who submits the idea is the official applicant and thus 1) the contact point for the BiD Challenge organisation and 2) liable for these terms and conditions.
5. The prize money must be assigned to the actual execution and implementation of the business plan; e.g. to purchase machinery, to finance a pilot project or to any another relevant destination that contributes to the execution of the plan.
6. Participants will be excluded from the competition if they:
   • are under the age of 18;
   • Do not have a valid identification document (ID).
   • Have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means the BiD Challenge organisation can justify.
   • Have been convicted of an offence concerning his professional conduct by judgement which has the force of res judicata.
   • Have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions in accordance with the legal provisions of the Netherlands (if so applicable).
   • Have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the Netherlands (if so applicable).
   • Are guilty of serious misrepresentation in supplying information under the terms and conditions of this contest.
   • Directly or indirectly offer, promise, give or demand a bribe or other undue advantage in order to obtain or retain business or other improper advantage. Participants will also not be solicited or expected to render a bribe or other undue advantage.

Article 2. Business plans

1. The BiD Challenge consists of 2 Rounds. For Round 1 the participant submits a summarised business plan, before the Round 1 deadline. In Round 2 the 75 best plans of Round 1 are requested to write a complete and solid business plan, based on contest requirements. Guidelines and formats are available on the website (www.bidchallenge.org), the Round 2 deadline is communicated on the website as well.
2. Business plans can only be submitted through the website, and need to be written in English.
3. The selection criteria and will be made available through the website.
4. In case of using intellectual or lawful protected property of a third party, the participant should have the necessary permission and in Round 2 should submit along with his business plan a declaration of the owner that he/she is allowed to use this information for this purposes.
5. The BiD Challenge organisation encourages intellectual property of universities and other research institutes to be used, however only if done according to the terms and conditions as stated. The BiD Challenge organisation is not obliged to check the business plans regarding the authorised and legal use of intellectual property rights.
6. Participants shall indemnify the BiD Challenge organisation against any third-party cause of action based on the claim that ideas, names and/or knowledge used by the participant himself infringe an intellectual or industrial property right.
7. Participants are responsible to mention any third parties that have contributed an important share to the business plan, both in Round 1 and in Round 2.

Article 3. Subscriptions

1. All participants are required to subscribe to the online BiD community, the BiD Network (www.bidnetwork.org), before they can submit a business plan online.
2. Subscription to the contest is free of charge.
3. Participants can only enter the competition in Round 1. Round 2 participation is only possible if the participant has completed Round 1.

Article 4. Confidentiality

1. All parties that have access to business plans (screeners, coaches, jury, BiD investors) are obliged to sign a Confidentiality Agreement.
2. All parties that have signed the Confidentiality Agreement will be held accountable for violation of this agreement. In case of any conflict we refer to the BiD Challenge Arbitration committee as described in Article 6.3.
3. All business plans remain the property of the participant. The participant does agree that his/her business plan will be internally available to the BiD Challenge organisation for statistical purposes.

Article 5. Jury and Selection Procedure

1. The BiD Challenge organisation full responsibility for the composition of the jury.
2. The organisation has the right to perform the first selection (pre-screening) before the business plans are distributed to screeners, coaches, experts and the jury. Also the organisation has the right to exclude certain business plans from participation, for example if they do not comply with the stated terms and conditions or the Exclusion Criteria.
3. The jury is fully and solely responsible for the final selection of the winning business plans. There will be no correspondence about the jury’s final decision.
4. The organisation and the jury at all times have the right to disqualify a participant, without the obligation to state the reasons.
5. All participants will receive feedback on their business plan. The personal remarks of the screener/jury will be made available to the participant by the organisation at the end of each Round.
6. Round 2 winners are to be present at the Award Ceremony in person in order to receive their prize from the jury. Exceptions can only be made in consultation with the BiD Challenge organisation.

Article 6. Liability and Conflicts

1. The BiD Challenge organisation will not be liable for any claims regarding the procedure or selection of the winning business plans.
2. The organisation of the BiD Challenge will not be responsible or liable for any loss, theft, or non-authorized use of business plans that may occur.
3. All conflicts will be made available for judgement to the BiD Challenge Arbitration Commission. Should the dispute not be resolved by the arbitration board, it will be dealt with according to the Rules of Arbitration of the Netherlands Arbitration Institute. One juror will decide on the case. The place of arbitration will be Amsterdam. The National Commission for international cooperation and sustainable development (NCDO) is responsible for the arbitration process.