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4. Applicability:

This section applies to:
  1. independent contractors,
  2. consultants,
  3. external service providers,
  4. freelancers engaged under contractual arrangements.
Interns, trainees, and apprentices are excluded from this section and are governed by separate training or engagement frameworks. 4.1 Nature of Engagement Contractors and consultants are not employees of the Company. Accordingly:
  • they are not subject to employee working-hour requirements,
  • they are not required to meet the Company’s 48-hour workweek standard,
  • they are not governed by employee attendance or disciplinary frameworks.
  • Their engagement is governed by the terms of their contract, including scope, deliverables, timelines, and compensation structure.
4.2 Work Logging & Certification Requirements: All contractors and consultants must maintain work records aligned to their engagement terms, which may include:
  • task-based logs,
  • milestone completion records,
  • time-based work logs (where billing is hourly or daily),
  • deliverable summaries or progress reports.
The format and frequency of such records will be determined by:
  • the engagement contract, or
  • instructions issued by the responsible manager.
4.3 Manager Responsibility & Certification All contractor work records and invoices must be reviewed and certified by the designated Company manager before approval for payment. Manager certification confirms that:
  • the work claimed was actually performed,
  • deliverables meet agreed quality and scope,
  • billed hours (if applicable) reasonably correspond to work delivered,
  • the work aligns with contractual terms.
Managers must exercise due diligence and must not approve contractor records or invoices without verification. 4.4 Billing, Invoicing & Payment Controls Payment to contractors is subject to successful certification of work performed. The Company reserves the right to:
  • reject or partially approve invoices,
  • request clarification or supporting evidence,
  • withhold payment for unsupported or disputed claims.
  • False, inflated, or misleading billing may constitute a material breach of contract.
4.5 Audits & Verification The Company may, at its discretion:
  • audit contractor work records,
  • review deliverables against billing claims,
  • compare records with project management tools, repositories, or outputs.
Contractors are expected to cooperate with reasonable verification requests as part of their engagement. 4.6 Misrepresentation & Consequences Any of the following may result in corrective action, including contract termination:
  • submission of false or misleading work records,
  • billing for work not performed,
  • collusion with Company personnel to approve inaccurate records,
  • repeated failure to meet deliverable expectations.
Such actions may also result in recovery of overpayments or other remedies available under the contract or law. 4.7 No Employment Relationship Nothing in this policy:
  • creates an employment relationship,
  • grants employee benefits,
  • alters the independent contractor status of such individuals.
Contractors and consultants remain responsible for their own statutory, tax, and regulatory obligations, as defined in their engagement agreements. 4.8 Integration With Other Policies Contractors and consultants remain subject to:
  • confidentiality obligations,
  • intellectual property and inventions policy,
  • information security requirements,
  • social media and external communications restrictions,
as applicable under their contracts and Company policies.