Terms & Conditions Form

Below you can find the terms and conditions for being a member of CECOP USA.

1. CECOP USA is authorized to act as a purchasing agent for Member. Member will use its personal CECOP USA "ship-to" numbers to order directly from the vendor, with supplies to be shipped directly to Member's office. Member will arrange all shipping and handling directly with the vendor, and CECOP USA will not serve any role whatsoever with respect to shipping and handling. Any dispute, which the client may have with any bill from CECOP USA in regards to vendor charges must be reported to our accounting department within 30 days from the billing date.

2. Except as otherwise provided herein, CECOP USA agrees to pay vendors for any products ordered on a CECOP USA “ship-to” number by a CECOP USA Member in good standing. Member agrees that if its account has an unpaid balance after the last day of the month that billing is received, CECOP USA reserves the right to place the Member’s account on credit hold and no further shipments will be made to Member until such unpaid balance is paid in full. To reopen the account, an advance fee or open letter of credit may be required from Member.

3. CECOP USA will bill Member on or about the tenth (10th) day of each month for all purchases made by such Member for the previous month. All discounts are based on cash/check payments. All other payment methods will be subject to a 2.75% reduction in total discount given. To obtain published discounts, Member’s payment to CECOP USA must be postmarked net 10 days from the statement date. Failure to submit full payment by such date will result in the loss of the available discount, and Member will be required to pay the full list price for all such merchandise relating to the
late payment. Finance charges will accrue on all outstanding balances at a rate of 1.50% monthly. Your account will be charged a $30.00 for NSF checks or declined payment via credit card.

4. For merchandise purchased as a Member of CECOP USA, CECOP USA agrees to credit Member for any returned merchandise approved by vendor; CECOP USA shall apply such credit in the same billing period that the vendor issues such credit to CECOP USA. Member understands that partial payment to CECOP USA in expectation of further credits will result in loss of that month’s discount. CECOP USA does not accept responsibility for unauthorized or improperly returned items.

5. In the event CECOP USA refers this account to a collection agency or attorney for collection of any unpaid amounts, Member agrees to pay all costs of collection including court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

6. In the event of a change of ownership of Member, Member is required to deliver to CECOP USA prior written notice of such change, at which time the existing account of Member will be closed and new ownership must apply for membership. Failure to comply with this provision will result in Member being responsible for any purchases made through the account after the effective date of the change of ownership.

7. To the extent Member participates in CECOP USA's Medical/Surgical Products purchasing programs, then the Member is hereby notified that, the fees paid by vendors to CECOP USA are as described in the applicable participation agreement signed by the Member. CECOP USA will notify Member of any changes to the Administrative Fee Exception Schedule. On an annual basis, CECOP USA shall provide Customer written notice of the amount of administrative fees which CECOP USA has received from vendors with respect to purchases made by or on behalf of Customer.

8. Each principal owner of a Member, which is a proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company or corporation, shall similarly abide by the terms and conditions of this Agreement and, by signing below, shall personally guarantee payment of all charges billed by CECOP USA. Upon signing this application, the undersigned authorizes CECOP USA to obtain a written or oral report from any credit-reporting agency and supplier reference to enable CECOP USA to have access to any and all necessary information needed to process this application. The undersigned, as the principal owner(s) and/or executive officer(s) of Member, hereby personally guarantees all of Member’s obligations hereunder as set forth in this agreement. ADMINISTRATIVE FEE EXCEPTION SCHEDULE (Updated as of August 10, 2010)

9. Member Transparency Notification: CECOP USA (The Alliance & Combine Buying Groups & Much More) is a purchasing alliance designed to help independent purchasers compete with larger entities who have significant purchasing power. CECOP USA is affiliated with the CECOP Group, which began in 1996 and is now the leading global association of Independent Opticians and Optometrists, delivering collective buying power, operational best practices, strategic solutions and other services to more than 8000 Members across Europe, Latin America and North America.

CECOP USA does not require Members to pay any fees for their membership. CECOP USA supports its Members by providing a number of services, including vendor contract negotiations, negotiations for promotions and discounts to help its members, consolidated billing services to help reduce the number of invoices needing to be processed, and the creation of additional member service offerings such as continuing education/training, practice marketing, consulting and more. CECOP USA is committed to making running a practice easier for its Members while at the same time seeking to drive more profit to the Member practices' bottom lines. All of these efforts require funding and CECOP USA funds this in different ways depending on the vendor.

In certain cases, CECOP USA acts as a purchasing agent for Members who furnish goods or services for which payment may be made in whole or in part by Medicare, Medicaid or other Federal health care programs. In this event, our GPO services, as well as any rebates or discounts provided by a vendor, are intended to comply with the Anti-Kickback statute and regulations. Thus, a vendor such as Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (JJVC) will pay CECOP USA administrative fees for its consolidated billing and other support services of up to 3% and in JJVC's case that amount is 1.5% based on the purchase price of the products provided by JJVC. Each year, CECOP USA will disclose in writing to its Members the amount received from a vendor like JJVC with respect to purchases made or on behalf on each Member. In addition, if CECOP USA negotiates a discount or rebate on a Member's behalf, we will report such discount or rebate on each invoice or statement notifying the Member that the Member will have an obligation to report such discount or rebate and provide additional information upon request of the Secretary of HHS or a state agency. Other than CECOP USA acting as a purchasing agent for its Members, neither CECOP USA nor CECOP Group has any other relationship with its Members.

CECOP USA's funding mechanisms are utilized with the positive intent of providing the best value possible to CECOP USA Members while avoiding having to require Members to pay fees just to be Members.

Each year, CECOP USA will disclose in writing to its Members the amount received from a vendor like JJVC with respect to purchases made or on behalf on each Member. In addition, if CECOP USA negotiates a discount or rebate on a Member's behalf, we will report such discount or rebate on each invoice or statement notifying the Member that the Member will have an obligation to report such discount or rebate and provide additional information upon request of the Secretary of HHS or a state agency. Other than CECOP USA acting as a purchasing agent for its Members, neither CECOP USA nor CECOP Group has any other relationship with its Members.

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