Acceptable use policy

VERSION 2.0 · EFFECTIVE 2026-04-01

The marketplace works because both sides trust the firewall. This policy is what we enforce on top of the Terms — the conduct rules that keep sealed bidding sealed, and the rest of the platform fair.

The one-sentence version.Bid honestly, honor awarded contracts, don't try to peek at sealed values, and don't coordinate with peers. Everything else is detail.

Do and don't

✓ Encouraged

  • Bid your actual cost-plus-margin floor
  • Withdraw a bid if your situation changes — use the flow, give a reason
  • Ask the buyer clarifying questions in the RFQ thread
  • Use decision-aid panels (your own historical data) freely
  • Build internal pricing tools that consume your own data
  • Report suspicious activity to abuse@vulmont.com

✗ Prohibited

  • Coordinating bids with other suppliers (price-fixing)
  • Posting RFQs you have no intent to award
  • Sharing sealed bid information with peers, by any channel
  • Submitting bids you cannot or will not honor (phantom bids)
  • Using multiple accounts to submit multiple bids on one RFQ
  • Scraping or programmatic extraction outside the public API
  • Misrepresenting certifications, insurance, or capacity
  • Pressuring buyers or suppliers to reveal sealed information off-platform

Specific conduct rules

Bid integrity. A bid you submit is an offer to perform at the stated terms. Suppliers who repeatedly withdraw post-award, fail to fulfill, or substitute materially different terms at delivery will lose marketplace access. Buyers who repeatedly award and then refuse to honor will be removed from the platform.

Information firewall.The whole point of sealed bidding is that suppliers price against the buyer's need, not against each other. Any conduct that breaks this — sharing sealed values, coordinating timing, signaling bid amounts in side channels — is a fundamental breach. We will and have terminated accounts for this.

Identity & certifications. Your business license, insurance, mill certs, AISC, Buy America, and other credentials must be current and accurate. We re-verify on a sampling basis and on dispute. Forged or expired credentials are grounds for immediate termination and reporting to relevant licensing authorities.

Off-platform settlement. You may settle and contract off-platform after award (most parties do — Vulmont issues a draft PO but the underlying agreement is between you). What you may not do: use Vulmont to source counterparties, then attempt to bypass the platform fee structure on the actual transaction (for paid tiers).

Communications. Use of the in-app messaging system to harass, defame, or solicit bribes is grounds for termination. The system is monitored for these patterns; messages are not read by humans absent a flag.

Reporting

If you suspect another user is violating this policy, email abuse@vulmont.com with specifics. We acknowledge within 24 hours and investigate within 5 business days. Reporters are kept confidential to the maximum extent compatible with the investigation.

Enforcement tiers

Severity-scaled. The guiding principle: minor first-time issues get a warning; deliberate firewall breaches don't.

Tier 1Warning. Notice via email + in-app banner. No action on the account. Used for minor, ambiguous, or first-time issues.
Tier 2Suspension. Account is suspended pending response. Open RFQs/bids are paused. Cure period: 14 days.
Tier 3Termination. Account closed. Open RFQs/bids resolved per published process. Reserved for deliberate firewall breaches, fraud, or repeated tier-2 issues.
Tier 4Reporting. For conduct that may constitute illegal anti-competitive behavior (price-fixing, bid-rigging), we report to relevant authorities and cooperate with investigations. We will tell you we're doing so unless legally restricted.

Appeals

If your account is suspended or terminated and you believe it's in error, email appeals@vulmont.com within 30 days with your account ID and reason. A different team than the one that made the original decision will review.