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Last updated: February 27, 2026
Contents
The provisions of this General Terms and Conditions of Service (GTCS) shall govern all services provided by the Tetra Inspection group of companies, including Tetra Inspection Limited, Hong Kong, Tetra Inspection Canada Incorporated and their subsidiaries (hereafter collectively referred to as "Tetra Inspection") unless otherwise expressly agreed to, in writing and signed by Tetra Inspection and the beneficiary of the services provided (hereafter the "Client"). By accepting the services of Tetra Inspection, Client agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions set out herein.
Tetra Inspection reserves the right to make changes to these GTCS at any time. Such changes shall be valid and binding from the time they are posted on this website at tetrainspection.com/terms-and-conditions, which shall be considered the only valid source of the GTCS.
The GTCS were originally drafted in English. Clients engaging Tetra Inspection for the provision of services agree to be bound by the English version. In the event of any uncertainty regarding the meaning of a translation, or discrepancy between the English and a translated version, the English version shall prevail.
Tetra Inspection reserves the right to refuse any request for service provision on any grounds. No agreement for services between Tetra Inspection and a Client shall create any obligation on the part of Tetra Inspection to provide a particular service unless this obligation is expressly created under such an agreement for service provision and signed by both parties. Where such an obligation is considered to have been created, Tetra Inspection shall be held to such an obligation, only to a reasonable extent given its available resources. Tetra Inspection shall at no time, unless otherwise separately and expressly agreed to, accept any terms and conditions of service other than those herein contained.
The overall Service Cost for any service, due to Tetra Inspection upon completion, consists of a Service Fee and Expenses.
The Service Fee is the base fee for service provision. Service Fees may vary by service, location, and over time. Tetra Inspection may, but is not required to, provide a schedule of standard Service Fees. Any provision of Service Fee estimates, such as a schedule of standard Service Fees, shall not be deemed a quotation, and is subject to change without notice. Client is advised to request from Tetra Inspection the most up-to-date Service Fee for the particular service and respective service location.
Service Fees may be defined and quoted in terms of Man-days ("Man-day Rate"), Man-hours ("Hourly Rate"), or for the entire service package ("Package Rate"). A Man-day shall consist of eight Man-hours inclusive of travel time, time-on-site and reporting. For Quotations providing a Man-day Rate, the minimum out of office charge shall be for one Man-day.
Additional to the Service Fee are any Expenses incurred by Tetra Inspection in the performance of the service, including but not limited to travel expenses and/or any other expenses which may necessarily arise in the course of service provision. Where such expenses may be incurred, Tetra Inspection shall, prior to performance and where possible, inform Client. Client hereby agrees to reimburse Tetra Inspection for any and all reasonable Expenses Tetra Inspection may incur, unless an All-inclusive Service Fee has been quoted. All-inclusive Service Fees are inclusive of Expenses and no further service-related charges shall be payable by Client.
Service Costs, Service Fees, All-inclusive Service Fees and Expenses are exclusive of any Taxes which may be applicable and vary by service location. Applicable Taxes shall be indicated on Quotations and payable by Client.
Upon request for a particular service ("Service Request") and once Client has provided sufficient detail of the project required for service performance ("Client Requirements"), Tetra Inspection shall provide Client with a Quotation indicating the Service Fee, Expenses for the performance of a service and applicable Taxes. Quotations may be in email format, a separate document or may, for Long Term Services, be included in a "Project Proposal".
Quotations are valid for services performed on the date(s), at the location(s) quoted for ("Service Details"), and according to Client Requirements for the respective Quotation and, prior to acceptance of the Quotation by Client, subject to change without notice due to any scheduling or resource changes experienced by Tetra Inspection. Any changes to Client Requirements or Service Details may invalidate a Quotation and result in the issue of a new one.
Tetra Inspection may for certain projects, particularly Long-Term Services, issue a Project Proposal listing information with regard to the nature of individual services including project goals and objectives, deliverables, schedules, timelines, man-days required, Service Costs or other information ("Project Details"). Such information shall, unless otherwise stated in writing, be deemed non-binding and subject to change throughout the project lifecycle.
Acceptance of a Quotation and booking of the service by Tetra Inspection ("Service Booking") occurs upon receipt of a signed Quotation from Client by Tetra Inspection or email confirmation from Client that the Quotation has been accepted and that the service should proceed as quoted, providing the quotation remains valid, as determined by Tetra Inspection. Once Service Booking has occurred, confirmation of the Service Booking shall be communicated to Client.
In the event of a cancellation of any service, including the cancellation of an entire Project or single service provided as part thereof, due to cancellation by Client or the supplier of Client whose facility or product is the subject of the Service ("Supplier"), due in no part to any fault of Tetra Inspection, Client shall be invoiced only for Expenses already incurred and not redeemable by Tetra Inspection, such as non-refundable transportation or accommodation costs.
For cancellations by Client within 24 hours of performance ("Late Cancellation"), a Late Cancellation Fee equal to the base Service Fee shall apply in addition to any Expenses already incurred. Cancellations shall also include a change in Client Requirements or Service Details, or failure on the part of Client or Supplier to provide necessary information, documentation or samples, requiring a change in the Quotation or Service Booking.
In the event that Tetra Inspection personnel arrive at a Client or Supplier facility to perform a service and the facility or products are deemed unprepared, as determined by Tetra Inspection, for the performance of the Service according to Client Requirements, the service shall be deemed canceled by the Supplier for which a Late Cancellation Fee shall apply. Tetra Inspection reserves the right to cancel any Service Booking, at any time. No Service Costs shall be payable by Client for cancellation by Tetra Inspection.
Tetra Inspection may issue invoices for services rendered on a per-service basis for "Short Term Services" requiring one or more man-days performed within one calendar month or monthly for "Long Term Services" forming part of a project or program, requiring multiple man-days spread over two or more, consecutive months.
Where not otherwise specified on the Quotation: For Short Term Services, invoices shall be issued within 5 days of completion of the service; For Long Term Services, invoices shall be issued on or before the 10th day of each month for services rendered in the preceding calendar month. All invoices are payable upon receipt.
Notwithstanding the above, Tetra Inspection may require prepayment of Service Costs. If prepayment is required, Client shall provide proof of payment in the form of a bank slip. Service scheduling shall commence upon receipt of satisfactory proof of payment; however, Service Reports may not be released until payment has been received in full.
The amount invoiced is the net amount due to Tetra Inspection. Any transaction, exchange and other charges levied by either bank or any intermediary shall be borne by Client.
A 10% Late Payment Fee may be applied to all payments not completed within 30 days of issue of the respective invoice. A 30% Late Payment Fee may be applied to all payments not completed within 90 days of issue of the respective invoice. Tetra Inspection reserves the right to withhold service provision or the products of service provision to any Client with Outstanding Payments. In the event of a failure to complete any Outstanding Payments, Tetra Inspection may without notice, place the Client's account with a collection agency.
Payment methods accepted by Tetra Inspection vary by region but may include payment by wire transfer, cheque, credit card or PayPal. Clients should refer to the payment details provided on Invoices. All international payments should be made with the "details of charges" of OUR.
For purposes of these GTCS, "confidential information" shall mean any and all non-public information, including, without limitation, technical, developmental, marketing, sales, operating, performance, cost, pricing, know-how, business plans, business methods, and process information, disclosed to the Receiving Party. For convenience, the Disclosing Party may, but is not required to, mark written confidential information with the legend "confidential" or an equivalent designation.
All confidential information disclosed to the Receiving Party will be used solely for the business purpose foreseen in relation to these GTCS and for no other purpose whatsoever. The Receiving Party agrees to keep the Disclosing Party's confidential information confidential and to protect the confidentiality of such confidential information with the same degree of care with which it protects the confidentiality of its own confidential information, but in no event with less than a reasonable degree of care.
The Receiving Party may disclose confidential information only to its employees, agents, consultants and contractors on a need-to-know basis, and only if such employees, agents, consultants and contractors have appropriate agreements sufficient to enable the Receiving Party to enforce all the provisions of this agreement.
All right, title and interest in and to the confidential information shall remain with the Disclosing Party or its licensors. Nothing in this agreement is intended to grant any rights to the Receiving Party under any patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets of the Disclosing Party.
All Service Reports shall be deemed the property of Tetra Inspection subject to the requirements on confidentiality listed in these GTCS.
The obligations and limitations set forth herein regarding confidential information shall not apply to information which is: (a) at any time in the public domain, other than by a breach on the part of the Receiving Party; or (b) at any time rightfully received from a third party which had the right to and transmits it to the Receiving Party without any obligation of confidentiality.
Obligations of the parties with regard to non-disclosure of confidential and proprietary information as outlined in this agreement shall continue to remain in force following the termination of the business relationship between Disclosing and Receiving Party.
Client agrees that at no time during the term of this Agreement, and for a period of 2 years following the termination date of this agreement, will Client or any employee, officer, director, shareholder, agent or affiliate of Client attempt to circumvent Tetra Inspection and solicit, as an employee, subcontractor or otherwise, the services of current employees or subcontractors of Tetra Inspection without prior approval, or otherwise entice employees of Tetra Inspection to terminate their employment in order to enter into an employment or subcontractor relationship with Client.
Tetra Inspection hereby warrants that it shall make every reasonable effort to exercise due care and diligence in the performance of services and that the Services shall be performed in a good and workmanlike manner, consistent with that level of care and skill ordinarily exercised by other companies providing like services under similar circumstances. In this regard, Tetra Inspection represents and warrants that it and its employees assigned to perform services retain the requisite skills, experience, qualifications, permits and licenses necessary to perform the service outlined in this agreement.
Tetra Inspection shall not be held liable with respect to any claim for loss or damage of whatever nature arising from any circumstance or event not within the reasonable control of Tetra Inspection, if and to the extent that (i) such circumstance or event materially and adversely affects the ability of Tetra Inspection to perform any Service subject to these GTCS, (ii) Tetra Inspection has exercised all reasonable diligence and taken all reasonable precautions, due care and reasonable alternative measures in order to avoid the effect of such circumstance, and (iii) despite the exercise of reasonable diligence the circumstance or event cannot be prevented, avoided or removed.
Where the products of a service performed by Tetra Inspection are relied upon in the pursuit of certification and/or verification by authorized third-party auditors to local or international standards or for legal compliance, the accuracy of the information supplied to Client is Tetra Inspection's responsibility but the overall success of Client's pursuit of such certification and/or verification is the responsibility of Client. Tetra Inspection cannot be held liable for the failure of Client, its employees, agents or other third parties on whom Client relies, to properly and accurately implement the system designed, recommendations, including Corrective Actions, proposed, follow any training provided, or generally make use, in the manner intended, of any of the products of the Service(s) performed by Tetra Inspection.
Client hereby accepts that inspections of goods based on Acceptable Quality Limits (AQLs) and involving sampling may, by definition, result in non-conforming products forming part of the shipment of goods delivered to Client from Supplier. While Tetra Inspection may make recommendations to Client on the appropriate Acceptable Quality Tolerance Level and thus sample size, the final decision rests with Client. Tetra Inspection accepts no liability for negative effects resulting from Client's selection of a sample size smaller than that recommended by Tetra Inspection based on AQLs, nor actual conformity of any products supplied by Supplier other than the conformity of those goods actually inspected by Tetra Inspection, found to be conforming at the time of inspection and labeled as such.
Client accepts that ultimate responsibility for any business decisions made by Client lies with Client and any services performed and certificates/reports issued by Tetra Inspection do not relieve Suppliers from their contractual and legal responsibilities to deliver conforming products. Tetra Inspection is not a guarantor nor a provider of insurance and does not guarantee or indemnify Client against any liability for costs, damages, or otherwise, arising from reliance by Client on Service Reports or the information and recommendations contained therein, unless it is sufficiently evidenced that such damages are a direct result of gross negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of Tetra Inspection or its employees.
The liability of Tetra Inspection shall in no case be greater than that portion attributable to the evidenced negligence or misconduct on the part of Tetra Inspection nor shall such liability exceed a total aggregate sum equal to ten (10) times the amount of the Service Fee for the particular service giving rise to such claim.
Where such a claim arises, Client must file said claim with Tetra Inspection within 60 days of receipt, by Client, of the shipment of goods inspected by Tetra Inspection in the case of a claim in relation to inspection services or, in relation to services not related to the inspection of goods, within 60 days of Client becoming aware of the negligence or misconduct of Tetra Inspection or its employees resulting in the claim. Tetra Inspection reserves the right to re-inspect any products subject to the claim and to conduct a root cause investigation. Client and its Suppliers shall not refuse Tetra Inspection or its elected representative access to any information or physical location necessary for the investigation. Any unreasonable refusal shall result in the forfeit of any claim made by Client. Tetra Inspection shall in no case be liable if the Client has outstanding payments due to Tetra Inspection.
Client shall indemnify, defend, and hold Tetra Inspection (and any other relation including but not limited to agents, affiliates, employees, directors or shareholders) harmless from any and all Client or third-party claims, demands, costs, liabilities, losses, expenses, and damages arising out of or in connection with (i) misrepresentation, default, misconduct, failure to perform or any other act or omission relating to Client's obligations and responsibilities under these GTCS or breach thereof, and (ii) Tetra Inspection's performance of its duties under these GTCS unless negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of Tetra Inspection with respect to its duties hereunder is sufficiently evidenced. Where a dispute arises between the parties, the non-prevailing party shall indemnify the prevailing party against any and all attorneys, legal or other fees arising from the dispute.
All content on the Tetra Inspection website, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, software, inspection report templates, and proprietary methodologies, is the property of Tetra Inspection and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from our content without prior written permission.
Inspection reports and deliverables created during the provision of services are the intellectual property of Tetra Inspection, licensed to the Client for the purpose for which they were commissioned. Redistribution to third parties requires prior written consent.
Tetra Inspection is committed to protecting the personal data of its Clients in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable. Personal data collected in connection with service provision shall be processed only for the purposes outlined in our Privacy Policy.
Tetra Inspection implements appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. For full details on how we collect, use, and protect your personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Tetra Inspection shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, government actions or restrictions, labor disputes, transportation disruptions, factory closures, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, or any other event that could not have been reasonably foreseen or prevented. In such circumstances, Tetra Inspection shall notify the Client as soon as practicable and make reasonable efforts to resume services when conditions permit.
No forbearance, indulgence or relaxation or inaction by Tetra Inspection at any time to require performance of any of the provisions of these GTCS shall in any way affect, diminish or prejudice the right of that party to require performance of that provision, and any waiver or acquiescence by either party of any breach of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver or acquiescence of any continuing or succeeding breach of such provisions.
If any part of these GTCS is unenforceable because of any rule of law, public policy or for any other reason, such unenforceable provision shall be severed and the remaining provisions of the GTCS shall remain in full force and effect.
These GTCS, together with any signed Quotation or Project Proposal, constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the services provided by Tetra Inspection. No modification, amendment, or waiver of any provision shall be effective unless in writing and signed by both parties.
These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The courts of Hong Kong shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any and all disputes or differences of any kind whatsoever between the parties in connection with or arising out of the Services provided by Tetra Inspection to Client and subject to these GTCS.
For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:
