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Terms and Conditions

By using any of our services, you agree to all our Terms and Conditions as set out below.
Please note that these Terms and Conditions may be subject to change. If you are a contracted client, we will actively notify you of any relevant changes specific to your contract. They are always available at directionforward.com/terms-and-conditions, you can also request a copy from us at any time, and they are sent out with all invoices and contracts.

Direction Forward Ltd is a registered company in England and Wales. Company number 09432418.
Office address: 1st Floor Unit F, Damsel House, Dragonfly Place, London SE4 2FN, United Kingdom.
Registered address: Slate Hall, Middle Green, Wakes Colne, Essex CO6 2BJ, United Kingdom.

  1. Definitions
  2. Infrastructure & Business Support
  3. Hosting Services
  4. Terms
  5. Cancellations
  6. Rights
  7. VAT
  8. Making Payments
  9. Late and non-payments
  10. Accreditations

1. Definitions

  • The client or customer is the party seeking services from Direction Forward Ltd.
  • Direction Forward Ltd is the services, solutions, and support provider.
  • This document refers to that/those being supplied by Direction Forward Ltd to the client/customer.
  • A Support Agreement refers to any pre-existing contract or retainer between Direction Forward Ltd and
    the client/customer to provider support and/or infrastructure and/or further professional services.

2. Infrastructure and Business Support

  1. Response time for ‘Infrastructure Support’, ‘Business Support’, and ‘Business Support Plus’ services is same business day and response time for ‘Business Support Plus One’ services is within one hour.
  2. Support is available on any working day – which means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or
    public holiday in England.
  3. Support on the above working days is available during our opening and support hours – our office is open 0900–
    1800 and support is rendered 0900–2100.
  4. Response times are guaranteed with a Support Agreement and in response to a support ticket, via directionforward.com/support and/or support[at]directionforward.com.
  5. Support outside of these days and times is available by prior arrangement only and will be subject to additional fees.
  6. With a Support Agreement, support that is not included in your service fee will be charged at:
    1. Your in-contract hourly rate in 15-minute increments at a 15-minute minimum for remote, design and development.
    2. Your in-contract day rate in 1-hour increments at a 1-hour minimum for onsite and M&E.
  7. Without a Support Agreement, support will be charged at the Unmanaged Support and Ad Hoc Projects rates listed at directionforward.com/services-rates.
  8. Please direct any comments, considerations, or complaints to info[at]directionforward.com with an appropriate subject.
  9. Please direct any queries concerning contracts, recurring services, or payments to billing[at]directionforward.com with an appropriate subject.
  10. Larger business customers may have a dedicated email address for specialised contact, which will follow the format [yourbusinessname][at]directionforward.net (please note the .net domain suffix here).
  11. Full and up to date contact details are always available on our website at directionforward.com/contact.
  12. Where necessary, please send physical items and documents to our office address, however please coordinate with us for mailing/shipping of any items larger than letterbox post and/or items of value.
  13.  Hardware that is not under warranty is not covered by our service level guarantee, however we will still endeavour to support it as far as possible. Hardware includes endpoints (such as desktops, laptops, tablets, mobiles), servers, imaging devices (such as printers, scanners), and networking equipment (such as routers, switches, access points).
  14. Software that is obsolete is not covered by our service level guarantee, and typically we do not support it for security reasons. Obsolete means unmaintained and/or unsupported and/or deprecated by the developer, for example no further security updates being provided. Software includes operating systems, desktop applications, mobile apps, and line of business applications/apps.

3. Hosting Services

  1. The term ‘hosting services’ can include but is not limited to the following: domain names, web hosting, server hosting, database hosting, application hosting, DNS hosting, Nameserver hosting, cloud Backup hosting, cloud Shared Drive hosting, Computer Backup hosting, SharePoint hosting, IMAP email hosting, Microsoft 365 licenses, Google Workspace licenses, Azure usage costs, Google Cloud Platform usage costs, and AWS usage costs.
  2. Such services may be provided Direction Forward Ltd directly but, depending on your requirements, may also be taken out with top tier providers, with Direction Forward Ltd partnering and/or managing.
  3. In all cases described above, Direction Forward Ltd will ensure that the client is in possession of all relevant access details for all systems.
  4. If any hosting services are found to be being abused by the client, Direction Forward Ltd may take action to deactivate these services without prior notice. Abuse can include but is not limited to: spamming, hacking, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, cryptocurrency mining, malware distribution, and distribution and/or resale of pirated software and/or subscriptions.
  5. Client access to hosting services systems and data will only be restricted by Direction Forward Ltd on late and/or non-payment of invoice(s) by the client and/or if hosting services are abused by the client.
  6. All hosting services always renew by default in order to maintain continuity of your services and preservation of your data. This is industry standard practice. Thus, in short, any and all hosting services automatically renew, rather than require any specific instruction to renew.
  7. Hosting services are provided unmanaged by default, and thus management of all hosting services is the client’s responsibility. Unless the client has a Support Agreement with Direction Forward Ltd specifying management of such services. Direction Forward Ltd cannot be held liable for any data loss and/or services faults, and any resulting impact, caused by incorrect management and/or incorrect usage by the client of hosting services supplied.
  8. Some hosting services require applications to be installed and working/active on client servers and/or client workstations, for example for Computer Backup service. Management of all applications is the client’s responsibility unless the client has a Support Agreement with Direction Forward Ltd specifying management of any such applications. Direction Forward Ltd cannot be held liable for any data loss and/or faults, and any resulting impact, caused by failure to install and/or run and/or maintain said applications, and/or by incorrect management and/or incorrect usage of said applications.
  9. For all Microsoft 365 licensing:
    1. Licenses are committed for the full subscription term and will automatically renew (cross refer point 3.6), unless amended or cancelled in advance of the renewal date.
    2. Any grace period for Microsoft 365 subscriptions is discontinued by Microsoft effective from 4 May 2026, which impacts all transactions from this date onwards. We are implementing requirements for this from 1 April 2026 to allow for 30 day invoices plus a few additional days to cover a weekend, in advance of Microsoft’s enforcement date.
    3. Any changes to Microsoft 365 subscriptions – including but not limited to cancellations, non-renewals, or reductions in license/user quantities – must be requested by the client to Direction Forward Ltd in advance of the subscription renewal date. The client remains fully responsible for all associated charges unless notification of changes is made no later than seven days prior to the applicable subscription renewal date. Failure to provide notice within this timeframe will result in automatic renewal as is, and the client will be liable for payment for the full renewed subscription term.
    4. If a subscription is required to continue beyond its renewal date but without its full-term commitment, Microsoft introduces the Extended Service Term (EST) from 4 May 2026, which is billed monthly at the +20% monthly uplift rate plus a 3% surcharge, or a 23% surcharge if no monthly plan is available. An EST can be cancelled or upgraded to a new subscription at any time. Note that license changes, e.g. reductions in license/user quantities, cannot be made to an EST; changes can only be made when an EST is converted to a new subscription.
    5. Moving a subscription to an EST will not happen automatically nor without client instruction. If the client requires an EST, this must be requested by the client to Direction Forward Ltd in advance of the subscription renewal date. The client remains fully responsible for all associated charges unless notification of changes is made no later than seven days prior to the applicable subscription renewal date. Failure to provide notice within this timeframe will result in automatic renewal as is, and the client will be liable for payment for the full renewed subscription term. The client must also have an automated billing profile set up with Direction Forward Ltd including at least one valid and active method of payment in order to qualify for EST.
    6. Any subscription that remains unpaid or is cancelled or is not transitioned to an EST at the subscription’s renewal date will be terminated immediately and irrecoverably at the end of its current term, and cannot be recovered, reactivated, or reinstated – in accordance with Microsoft’s policy. Direction Forward cannot be held liable for any damages whatsoever related to such terminations by Microsoft, including but not limited to loss of service, loss of data, loss of revenue, loss of intellectual property, loss of business, loss of business opportunity, loss of anticipated savings, loss of goodwill, business interruption, or any indirect, consequential, or special losses howsoever arising.
    7. In light of the above, we strongly recommend that all Microsoft 365 clients maintain our Cloud Backup service, or their own equivalent, of any data held within Microsoft 365 tenants in order to mitigate the above risk of immediate and irrecoverable termination.

Full Terms of Use for web hosting services are available at: directionforward.com/terms-of-use.

4. Terms

  1. Business support services are provided on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. The term will be mutually agreed and specified in your Support Agreement.
  2. Domain name registrations are available on an annual basis only. Domain name registrations must be paid in advance or at the start of the annual term.
  3. Web hosting is available on an annual or monthly basis, which can vary by plan/specification. Web hosting must be paid in advance or at the start of the annual or monthly term.
  4. Infrastructure hosting1 is available on an annual or monthly basis, which can vary by plan/specification. Infrastructure hosting must be paid in advance or at the start of the annual or monthly term.
  5. Email hosting2 is available on an annual or monthly basis, which can vary by platform/specification. Email hosting must be paid in advance at the start of the annual or monthly term.

5. Cancellations

  1. Domain names:
    1. To cancel domain name(s), you must let us know at least one week (seven calendar days) before the annual renewal date3.
  2. Hosting services:
    1. If your web services are on a monthly basis and you do not wish to continue, you may cancel at any time with one month’s notice.
    2. If your web services are on an annual term, cancellations are available towards the end of your current term, as these are pre-paid services. You must let us know at least one week (seven calendar days) before your renewal date4. Otherwise, your service(s) will be automatically renewed, and you will be charged accordingly.
  3. Business support – a request to cancel a Business Support service can be made at any time, with the following conditions:
    1. The minimum term stipulated in your Support Agreement must be completed and paid before the service can be considered ceased. If you do not wish to complete the minimum term you can exit early by paying all service charges that apply to complete the minimum term.
    2. The notice period stipulated in your Support Agreement must be given. If your notice period is one month or there is no notice period stipulated, you can cancel with one month’s notice. If your notice period is one quarter (three months), you can cancel with one quarter’s (three months) notice.
    3. Business Support services on an annual term may be cancelled with the negotiated agreement of both parties without the need to complete the full period if more than six months remains of the term; this is for the mutual benefit of both parties. Additional cancellation fees may also be applied if Direction Forward have incurred costs which must be recouped.
  4. Following a cancellation request, any outstanding invoices and charges must be paid before a service(s) can be considered fully ceased and settled. Outstanding amounts may include but are not limited to: service charges for the remainder of a minimum term, service charges to complete a notice period, previously unpaid invoices, and previously missed scheduled payments.

6. Rights

  1. Trademarks:
    All trademarks are and will remain the properties and likenesses of their registered owners. They will be displayed with kind permission and/or under terms of partner agreements and/or under general fair-usage.
  2. Intellectual Property:
    Existing assets are and will remain the property of the client. Any and all assets created by Direction Forward Ltd will initially be the property of Direction Forward Ltd, until receipt of payment, whereupon they will pass to the client, unless otherwise specified.
  3. Use of Assets:
    Direction Forward Ltd reserves the right to use any and all assets created and/or worked by us for our own marketing purposes. We will only use such assets for positive promotional purposes and will attribute ownership to the client where applicable. If you would like to opt out of this either for a specific project or entirely, please let us know.
  4. Client Lists:
    Direction Forward Ltd reserves the right to publicly list any client on our website, on social media, and in our other marketing materials. Listings will only be used for positive promotional purposes with no intention of defamation. If you would like to opt out of this either for a specific project or entirely, please let us know.

7. VAT

  1. All prices (on our website, in our correspondence, on social media, and in our other marketing materials) are listed without VAT unless otherwise indicated.
  2. All prices are subject to VAT at the current UK standard rate unless otherwise indicated. If a service is VAT-exempt or zero-rated under HMRC rules, this will be clearly stated on the relevant invoice.
  3. If you are based outside the UK, you may fall outside the scope of UK VAT. In such cases, no UK VAT will be charged and this will be clearly stated on the relevant invoice. You may be required to account for tax in your own jurisdiction under the reverse charge mechanism. We may request your VAT registration number to confirm the correct VAT treatment.
  4. If the UK VAT rate changes, the updated rate will apply from the date as set by HMRC.
  5. Our UK VAT registration number is GB 281034037.

8. Making Payments

  1. Always provide your ‘Invoice Reference’ number from your Invoice as the payment reference when making any payment to us, via any method. Failure to provide a payment reference will result in issues with your payment being received and/or reconciled against your account.
  2. All clients using services with additional and/or metered usage charges – including storage services with data charges, phone services with call charges, and ads services with ads budgets – are required to set up automated payments for billing; either via card payment or Direct Debit.
  3. If you are unable to provide a payment reference when making a payment, please email billing[at]directionforward.com with details of your payment in order for it to be reconciled.
  4. Please read and utilise the details of the payment methods on your invoice(s) carefully. We cannot accept any liability for or guarantee any refunds or any assistance in recovering payments made using incorrect payment details or methods.
  5. Our banking details can be validated to prove our identity and confirm you are making a payment to Direction Forward Ltd (e.g. using Open Banking). Please check with us at billing[at]directionforward.com if you are unsure about any payment details.
  6. Payments can be made:
    1. By bank transfer including FPS, BACS, and CHAPS.
    2. Securely online using a debit/credit card.
    3. Via protected Direct Debit mandate.
  7. Details for making payments:
    1. FPS/BACS: Direction Forward Ltd, 60-02-63 (Sort Code), 10195645 (Account)
      CHAPS: Direction Forward Ltd, GB40NWBK60026310195645 (IBAN), NWBKGB2L (BIC/SWIFT)
      National Westminster Bank plc, Black Lion House, 45 Whitechapel Road London E1 1DU, UK
    2. Debit/Credit Card: Pay securely online at directionforward.com/payment
    3. Direct Debit: Set up a Direct Debit at directionforward.com/directdebit
  8. Please note that we cannot accept payment via PayPal or by cheque.

9. Late and non-payments

  1. We reserve the right to suspend any and/or all your services if any invoice becomes overdue. Once the balance has been settled, services will be resumed same working day, usually in less than one hour wherever possible. We cannot be held liable in any way for any data loss or loss of service(s), or resulting impact(s), which may occur as a result of such suspensions.
  2. We reserve the right to cancel any and/or all your services if any invoice becomes more than one quarter and/or three months overdue. We cannot be held liable in any way for any data loss or loss of service(s), or any resulting impact, which may occur as a result of such cancellations.
  3. In the event of any late payments and/or non-payments, if you have a payment method saved with us (such as a debit/credit card or Direct Debit), we reserve the right to automatically process payment for any outstanding balances using any of these methods.
  4. Any overdue or unpaid balances after 30 days (or as specified on an invoice, if there is a different payment term) will be subject to interest at 8% plus Bank of England base rate and penalty fees – in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. You can use our late payment calculator available here to calculate interest and fees that may or will apply.
  5. We reserve the right to require clients who make frequent late payments (that is more than one quarter and/or three months of late payments) to set up automated payments (such as debit/credit card or Direct Debit) for all billing for mutual protection and convenience.
  6. Please be advised that all hosting services cannot be cancelled once an invoice becomes overdue and/or if your payment is late, as the services will have already automatically renewed, for continuity of service and retention of data – as per industry standard practice (cross refer point 3.6)
  7. Notwithstanding points 9.1, 9.2, and 9.6, some services — including but not limited to Microsoft 365 subscriptions — are subject to the top tier provider’s own termination policies, which may result in permanent and irrecoverable termination of the service in the event of non-payment. In such cases, Direction Forward Ltd cannot extend, suspend, resume, or recover these services. The client accepts that late or non-payment may result in immediate and permanent loss of the subscription and all associated data. Please refer to point 3.9 for Microsoft 365 specific terms.

10. Accreditations

  • Microsoft Partner – 4564568
  • Google Partner – 8322787851
  • Apple Partner – G4V737YJJ8
  • Dropbox Partner – U2ZH2N9G0D
  • Dell Premier Partner – UK
  • Stripe Partner – Direction Forward Ltd
  • ESET Partner – DIRECTIO
  • Ontrack Partner – 1150184
  • DUNS company number – 220646816
  • Information Commissioners Office (ICO) data controller – ZA422411


1 Includes Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Amazon Web Services (AWS) services.
2 Includes Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and IMAP services.
3 Confirmation of all domain name renewal dates is available on request.
4 Confirmation of all hosting services renewal dates is available on request.

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