We take your privacy very
seriously. Our privacy policy describes the information ProposalPortal.com collects,
how we disseminate that information as well as how we safeguard it.
Your Information - ProposalPortal.com understands
the sensitive nature of our users' personal information. We only request
information that is vital to the service in which they are inquiring about. We
do not track or collect personally identifiable date when users browse our
website. When users complete an RFP inquiry for a particular service, they will
find the questions are specifically geared to the specific service they are inquiring
about to ensure we are matching the specific business needs to the most
appropriate ProposalPortal.com partner provider.
Utilizing
the information: ProposalPortal.com uses the
information provided in order to match merchants and preferred ProposalPortal
partners using our RFP quote process. ProposalPortal also utilizes the
information we have gather to provide email communications regarding your RFP
inquiry or for other services categories we believe will directly correlate to
a users business needs.
Securing
the information: ProposalPortal.com adheres to the
current industry standards for data security. We are continually upgrading our data
systems to ensure the most up to security practices.
Information
preferences:
ProposalPortal.com provides options for merchants to manage their personal
information and contact. In our RFP request process they can specify the manner
in which they wish to be contacted. Additionally, after the process of matching
has been complete merchants may opt out of email communications at any time.
Sharing
the information: ProposalPortal.com shares the information we collect
in order to facilitate business transactions between the merchants and our lead
partners. Information provided by the merchants who request RFP in a specific
category is shared with the appropriate partners who match the specific
business needs from the request. Similarly, merchants are provided with the
contact information for each service partner they are matched with.
THE
INFORMATION WE COLLECT
ProposalPortal gathers information for the purpose of matching merchants with
preferred merchant service partners. We recognize and fully understand that
your information is sensitive and restrict our collection of to the critical
data needed to deliver a quality service and appropriate match between our
participants, both to merchants and our preferred partner providers.
As a merchant utilizing
our free RFP quote service, additional information is required in order for
ProposalPortal to accurately deliver our services. This includes contact
information, basic demographic information, and your purchasing and service
requirements. The information collected varies according to the different
purchasing categories and can be viewed by visiting the different forms located
throughout our site. We will also ask you for feedback, which is collected and
stored to allow us to continually improve our service.
As a merchant service
provider utilizing our RFP service, you must provide information that allows us
to deliver our service to you. This includes your contact information,
information about your desired target markets, as well as billing information.
It should be noted that any credit card information we receive is stored
securely via encryption and an SSL connection; our security measures are
reviewed later in this document.
As a visitor signing up
for our newsletters, sample lead service, or other content, you will need to
provide your contact information. Additionally, demographic information may be
requested of you in order to provide a more customized experience. The specific
information requested varies according to the different types of content
requested by you.
As a visitor to our
website, you can browse our pages without having any personally identifiable
information revealed about you. Information we automatically collect via
industry standard web log files includes the URL from which you visited, the
page you are visiting, your computer browser information and your IP address.
We may also track the effectiveness of various promotions through the use of
data collection devices known as "cookies." Cookies contain specific
pieces of information on your computer hard drive, and can be set to store
information during a visit or for a longer period of time. Our cookies are not
tied to personally identifiable information.
UTILIZATION
OF THE INFORMATION
ProposalPortal.com primarily uses the information we gather to put merchants
and preferred service providers into contact with one another and to improve
your experience on our site through analysis and communication.
RFPs: Merchants or
service providers who utilize our RFP service receive emails from us to
facilitate the transaction. You cannot opt out of emails that are necessary to
provide our services. By using ProposalPortal.com's RFP service and accepting
our Terms and Conditions, you agree that we may use your personal information
to contact you and deliver information to you related to your RFP.
Testimonials &
Feedback: We sincerely appreciate the feedback we receive from patrons of our
service. Feedback, whether positive or negative, is forwarded to the
appropriate departments at Proposal Portal.com when necessary so we can
continue to monitor and improve the service we provide. We may also share your
experiences in our marketing materials but will do so without including
personally identifiable information unless we have expressly asked for your
permission.
Newsletters: From time
to time ProposalPortal.com offers valuable content through email newsletters
for both merchants and service providers. If you no longer wish to receive any
newsletter, we encourage you to opt out of these communications by changing
your notification preferences as described below.
Other communications: ProposalPortal.com reserves the right to send you email communications related
to your RFP and the status of your account. In addition, ProposalPortal.com
sends periodic surveys, e-newsletters, and other communications, all of which
you can opt out of receiving by changing your notification preferences as
described below.
Analysis: As we continue
to improve the content and services we offer, we are constantly analyzing the
information we receive to identify trends and patterns in user behavior. Your
personal information, when used in such a manner, is utilized collectively for
such analysis and is not personally identifiable.
SHARING
INFORMATION WITH OTHERS
Customer information is an integral part of our business service. As a result,
we limit the disclosure of this information to the information necessary to
provide our service of matching merchants with our preferred service providers.
Beyond that purpose our sharing of information to outside parties is described
below.
Merchants: To facilitate
our business of matching merchants and service providers, merchants utilizing
our RFP service will be provided information about the suppliers they have been
matched with. This includes supplier contact information, company name, and,
where appropriate, ratings or reviews.
Service Providers: A
specific and limited number of suppliers will be provided with the interested
merchant information in order that the merchants purchasing needs are
fulfilled. The merchant's information contact information can only be used to
communicate with the merchant about their desired purchase.
Agents: There will be
time necessary to involve of third-party company to assist in our business
activities. These include but not limited to bill collection services,
affiliate or incentive program providers, customer service organizations,
e-mail and postal mail brokers, and marketing service providers. These
companies are subject to confidentiality agreements with us and are prohibited
from using the information we provide for any reason except to perform the
functions that ProposalPortal.com has outlined for them.
Affiliates:
ProposalPortal.com has established partnerships to provide our RFP service more
broadly throughout the Internet to both merchants and partner providers. When a
user has utilized these services through an affiliate, we will share
information about these users to the affiliate as necessary.
Advertisers: We collect
our information about our users as a whole to determine the most suitable
methods of advertising to reach our target audience. This information does not
include personally identifiable information. Any promotions sent to you from
the advertiser are done in a blind manner where the advertiser has no access to
your personal contact information.
Business Transfers: It is
possible that our business may be merged with or sold to another business
entity. During such a transaction, business information is typically one of the
assets shared in the combined entity. In the event that this occurs, your
personal information will be protected by the ProposalPortal.com privacy policy
in effect at the time. If your personal information will be used contrary to
this policy, you will receive notice as described in the "Notification of
Changes" section below.
SECURE
INFORMATION
Your information is stored on servers that are protected against unauthorized
access through the use of safeguards such as "firewalls," and
encryption. We utilize many security techniques to protect your personal
information. However, it is impossible to guarantee a perfect security system.
ACCOUNT
INFORMATION AND PREFERENCES
ProposalPortal.com provides a number of ways for you to manage your personal
information.
Account information: If
you need to update your account information, such as your contact email
address, you may do so by contacting our customer support department at support@proposalportal.com.
Notification Preferences:
You have the ability to "opt out" or unsubscribe from e-mail
communications, such as periodic surveys and our monthly enewsletter, that are
not directly related to the ProposalPortal Request for Quotes service and/or
the status of your account. To update your communication preferences contact
our Customer Care department at support@proposalportal.com or select unsubscribe once you
have received one of our correspondences.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Although we have attempted to address the various privacy-related issues you
are likely to encounter, we cannot ensure that all of your private
communications and other personal information will never be disclosed in ways
not otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. Therefore, although we use
industry standard practices to protect your privacy, we do not promise, and you
should not expect, that your personal information or private communications
will always remain private from unauthorized access.
MINORS
Minors (persons under the age of 18) are not eligible to use
ProposalPortal.com's services.
NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES
We may amend this Privacy Policy for minor changes at any time by posting the
amended terms on the Site. All minor amended terms shall be effective upon
posting. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you by
email or by posting a prominent notice for 30 days prior to the change taking
effect.
CONTACTING US
If you have questions or concerns regarding ProposalPortal.com's privacy
policy, please contact us by email at support@proposalportal.com.
or
Write to:
Proposal Portal
118 N Clinton Street, Ste 205
Chicago, IL 60661
Use
of the site indicates agreement with our Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy
was last updated on July 1st, 2007.
