Question 1

Do I have to review every AI output before using it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every output from every RateShield AI tool — bid drafts, RAMS analyses, certification reads, lead scores, accreditation summaries — is a decision-support draft. A competent, suitably qualified person in your organisation must review, verify and approve each output before it is submitted, shared with a client, or acted on. Final responsibility for compliance, tender content and site works remains with you and your duty holders under UK law (CDM 2015, HSWA 1974 and associated regulations).

Question 2

Why is that review clause blanket, and not per-tool?

Accepted Answer

Because the same principle applies to every AI feature we ship, now and in the future. A single blanket clause — accepted on first sign-in and shown inside every tool — means no subscriber can claim they were unaware of the review requirement for a specific feature. It also keeps the responsibility model clear: RateShield drafts, you decide.

Question 3

Is RateShield AI a certification body or a compliance authority?

Accepted Answer

No. RateShield AI is a private software platform. We are not a certifying body, an approved inspector, a chartered surveyor or a legal advisor. Our outputs never replace CHAS/SSIP schemes, HSE guidance, competent-person sign-off or professional advice.

Question 4

What happens if AI output contains a mistake?

Accepted Answer

AI models can misread scanned documents, invent facts (hallucinate) or miss context. That's precisely why every tool routes output through a review workflow before export. You should never submit an AI-drafted bid, RAMS summary or worker credential read without a human check. Our terms explicitly place final responsibility on the subscriber.

Question 5

What does the AI Bid Writer actually do?

Accepted Answer

It reads a selected public-sector lead and your saved company profile, then generates a structured first-draft tender response covering Executive Summary, Understanding of Requirement, Proposed Approach, Relevant Experience, Team & Resources, and Pricing & Commercial Terms. Typical draft time is under 30 seconds versus 3–6 hours by hand.

Question 6

Can I submit the draft directly to a buyer?

Accepted Answer

No. The draft must be reviewed by a competent person, edited for accuracy, and cross-checked against the tender documents. Before export you must complete the pre-export checklist and enter reviewer sign-off (name and role). Exports carry an audit footer showing when the draft was generated and who signed it off.

Question 7

Could the AI invent certifications or past projects we don't hold?

Accepted Answer

Yes, that is a real risk with any generative AI. The Bid Writer only has access to the company profile you provide, but you must still verify every accreditation, project reference and staff claim in the draft before submission. Submitting fabricated credentials in a public tender is fraudulent misrepresentation under the UK Fraud Act 2006.

Question 8

In what formats can I export a bid?

Accepted Answer

PDF, Word (.docx), Markdown (.md), and copy-to-clipboard. Every export appends an audit stamp with the generation date, reviewer name and role, and sign-off timestamp.

Question 9

Which plans include the Bid Writer?

Accepted Answer

The AI Bid Writer is a Pro-tier feature (£450/mo). Starter and Radar plans see it locked with an upgrade prompt.

Question 10

What does the RAMS Analyser do?

Accepted Answer

You upload a Risk Assessment / Method Statement PDF or Word document. The tool extracts text, scores it against common main-contractor pre-qual criteria (hazard coverage, control measures, PPE, emergency procedures, sign-off) and returns a pre-vet report with flagged gaps. It is designed to help you fix a RAMS before a main contractor rejects it.

Question 11

Does a passing score mean the RAMS is legally compliant?

Accepted Answer

No. The analyser highlights common gaps and structural weaknesses. It does not certify legal compliance under HSWA 1974, CDM 2015 or client-specific requirements. A competent H&S person must approve the RAMS before it is issued to a main contractor or used on site. The 'Reviewed' status must be set by that person inside the tool.

Question 12

What does the Workforce tool track?

Accepted Answer

It stores each worker's credential images (CSCS, IPAF, PASMA, First Aid, etc.), extracts card number, name, scheme and expiry via OCR + AI, and warns you 30/60/90 days before expiry. You can invite workers to upload their own via a per-seat invite link.

Question 13

Is the OCR/AI reading 100% accurate?

Accepted Answer

No. Blurry, angled or partially covered cards can produce wrong expiry dates, misspelt names or wrong scheme identification. You must visually verify every extracted record. The card image is retained temporarily for you to check, then deleted from storage; the extracted metadata stays in your account.

Question 14

Does verifying a card here count as legally verifying competence?

Accepted Answer

No. Card verification against the issuing scheme's official register (e.g. CSCS Smart Check) remains your responsibility. Our tracker is a management and expiry-monitoring tool, not an authoritative competence check.

Question 15

What does the Corporate Accreditations tool do?

Accepted Answer

It stores your company-level accreditations (CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, ISO 9001/14001/45001, insurances, etc.) with expiry dates and certificate uploads, so you never miss a renewal or send a bid citing a lapsed accreditation.

Question 16

Where do the leads come from?

Accepted Answer

Public-sector sources including Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and construction-news signals. Leads are scored and hyper-targeted to one trade and one region per subscriber to preserve exclusivity.

Question 17

Is a lead a guarantee of contract award?

Accepted Answer

No. Leads are opportunities identified from public data. We do not guarantee award, project value, timing or fit. You must qualify each lead against your own capacity, insurance and eligibility before bidding.

Question 18

What's the exclusivity model?

Accepted Answer

One subscriber per trade + region combination. If a lead matches your slot, no competing RateShield subscriber in your slot receives it. Exclusivity applies within our platform only — the underlying tender is still public.

Question 19

What happens to files I upload?

Accepted Answer

Uploaded credential images and RAMS documents are processed to extract text and metadata, then deleted from storage. Extracted data (dates, names, scheme numbers, RAMS scores) is retained in your account so you can manage expiry and audit trails. See the Privacy Policy for the full breakdown.

Question 20

Do you train AI models on my data?

Accepted Answer

No. Your company profile, uploaded documents and bid drafts are not used to train third-party models. They are used solely to serve your own account.

Question 21

What do the plans include and can I cancel?

Accepted Answer

Starter, Radar and Pro tiers each unlock different tool sets — see the pricing page for the current split. All subscriptions renew monthly and can be cancelled from billing settings; access continues to the end of the paid period.

Question 22

Do you offer refunds?

Accepted Answer

Fees are non-refundable except where required by law or expressly stated. See the Terms of Service for detail.

Frequently asked questions

Using RateShield safely

AI Bid Writer

RAMS Analyser

Workforce Certification Tracker

Corporate Accreditations

Lead Radar

Data handling

Plans & billing