Confidentiality and ethics before any engagement.

1. Purpose and scope. This protocol describes how the Practitioner handles prospective clients for extended engagements (ongoing advice and support), from first contact until a signed engagement letter, Master Services Agreement (MSA) or statement of work (SOW) takes effect. Single paid sessions booked through the Website are governed by the Booking & Engagement Terms. The protocol also binds any independent consultant (“Associate”) who works on an engagement. “The Practitioner”, “we” or “us” means Khaled Abdulrazaq Hussain Felimban, a freelance practitioner registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Freelance Document No. FL-277586721). He is the contracting party for every engagement, unless the signed agreement names another party. T’ASEES and Khaled Felimban Consultants are his brand names and are not separate entities.

2. Engagement stages. Extended engagements follow these stages:

1. Inquiry. We record the prospect’s name, organisation and general need only, and ask prospects not to send confidential material at this stage.

2. Conflict check. Before discussing the substance of a matter, we check for conflicts with current and recent clients and with our own interests. For this check we need only the names of the parties and the general nature of the matter; please do not send documents, figures or confidential details at this stage.

3. Mutual NDA. Before you share confidential information, both parties sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

4. Discovery. We request only the information needed to scope the work and keep a record of what we receive.

5. Proposal. We issue a written proposal stating scope, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, timeline and fees. Proposals are non-binding and valid for 30 days.

6. Contracting. Work starts only after an engagement letter, MSA or SOW is signed by both parties and any agreed advance payment is received.

7. Closure if no engagement. If no agreement is signed, we return or destroy your confidential material on request and confirm this in writing.

3. Confidentiality. Confidential information you share after the NDA is signed is used only to evaluate and scope the potential engagement, is seen only by those who need it, and is not disclosed to any third party without your written consent. The NDA sets how long these obligations last. Information shared before an NDA is signed is not treated as confidential, except personal data, which is handled under the Privacy Policy. Disclosures required by law or a competent authority are permitted, with prior notice to you where lawful.

4. Conflicts of interest. A conflict exists where we, or an Associate, have a financial, personal or professional interest that could reasonably affect objectivity: for example, advising a direct competitor on the same matter, holding an interest in a counterparty, or a family relationship with a decision-maker. We check for conflicts before accepting an engagement and before adding an Associate to it. Where a conflict can be managed, we disclose it and proceed only with the written consent of the affected parties. Where it cannot, or consent is refused, we decline or withdraw.

5. Ethical boundaries. The Practitioner will not:

• offer, give, request or accept any bribe, commission or improper benefit, in compliance with the Anti-Bribery Law and the Anti-Money Laundering Law;

• accept an engagement whose purpose or funding appears unlawful; we may carry out know-your-client checks before engaging;

• use or solicit insider information, or confidential information belonging to a third party;

• guarantee outcomes, approvals or funding, or misrepresent our qualifications, licences or past results;

• present the confidential work of one client to another, including as a case study, without written consent;

• enter client data into public artificial intelligence tools, or any tool that uses it to train its models, without the client’s written approval.

6. Handling of client data.

At the end of an engagement, or on request, we return or securely destroy client data. We may retain one archival copy where the law requires it, under continuing confidentiality.

7. Obligations of the prospective client. The prospect warrants that it has the right to share the information it provides, including any personal data under the PDPL. The prospect keeps our proposals, pricing and methodologies confidential and does not use them to brief another provider.

8. Breaches. If we become aware of a breach of confidentiality affecting you, we tell you promptly, investigate it, and, where personal data is involved, follow the breach procedure in the Privacy Policy.

Issued in Arabic and English. In case of conflict, the Arabic text prevails. النسخة العربية