What are 'source restricted goods and services' for a Dryer Vent Squad business?
Dryer_Vent_Squad Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
be in the Manuals.
Source Restricted Purchases and Leases – Generally
We require that you purchase or lease certain source restricted goods and services for the development and operation of your Dryer Vent Squad Business. Source restricted goods and services are goods and services that must meet our specifications and/or must be purchased from an approved or designated supplier. We may designate a supplier (which may include us or our affiliates) as the exclusive supplier for the System. Our specifications and list of approved and designated suppliers is contained in our Manuals. We will notify you of any changes to our specifications or list of approved or designated suppliers. We may notify you of these changes in various ways, including written or electronic correspondence, amendments and updates to our Manuals, verbal and other forms of communication. We formulate and modify our standards and specifications for products and services based on our industry experience and our management decisions as to the overall operation and expansion of the System.
Suppliers and Supplier Criteria
We may designate ourselves and our affiliates as exclusive suppliers of source restricted goods and services. We may designate ourselves or a third party as exclusive supplier irrespective of the existence of competing suppliers. If, in the Manuals, we do not designate a supplier for a particular item, you will purchase all such products, supplies and services from suppliers who meet our specifications and standards.
If you want to purchase or lease a source restricted item from a supplier that has not been previously approved or designated by us in writing, you must send us a written request for approval and submit additional information that we may request. We may charge you a supplier review and testing fee and we may request that you send us samples from the supplier for testing and documentation from the supplier for evaluation. We may also require, subject to our discretion, that we be allowed to inspect the supplier's facilities. We will notify you of our approval or disapproval within a reasonable time, not to exceed 60 days, after we receive your written request for approval and all additional information and samples that we may request. We may, in our discretion, withhold our approval. When evaluating the approval of a particular supplier, among other things, we consider: whether the supplier can demonstrate to our reasonable satisfaction the ability to meet our standards, specifications and production requirements, the suppliers quality control, whether or not we are the exclusive supplier of the particular item, whether or not our affiliate or affiliates are the exclusive supplier of the particular item, and whether or not the suppliers approval, in our sole determination, will allow us to advance the overall interests of the System. If we
have previously approved a supplier, and their standards fall below our designated standards, we will revoke our approval. We will notify you in writing of us revoking our approval.
We estimate that your purchase of goods and services from suppliers according to our specifications, including your purchase of goods or services from our designated exclusive suppliers to represent approximately 75% of your total purchases and leases in establishing the Franchised Business and approximately 40% of the on-going operating expenses of the Franchised Business. Currently, neither us nor our affiliates are approved suppliers of the source restricted goods and services identified below. Currently no officer of ours owns an interest in any of our designated suppliers.
We currently require that you purchase or lease the following source restricted goods and services from either us or our designated supplier:
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- System Supplies You must maintain an initial and ongoing inventory of System Supplies. You must purchase the System Supplies, as designated by us, from us, our affiliates, and/or our designated suppliers.
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- Branded Items and Marketing Materials All materials bearing the Licensed Marks including, but not limited to, stationary, business cards, brochures, apparel, signs and displays, must meet our standards and specifications and must be purchased from us directly or our designated suppliers. All of your marketing materials must comply with our standards and specifications and must be approved by us before you use them. You may market your Dryer Vent Squad Business through approved digital media and social media platforms provided that you do so in accordance with our digital media and social media policies. You must purchase all branded marketing materials from either us or our designated exclusive supplier. We may require that you exclusively use, at your cost, our designated supplier for social and digital media marketing services and exclusively use, at your cost, our social media platforms, vendors and marketing channels.
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- Point of Sale System, Business Management System, and Computer Equipment Currently you are required to purchase, license and utilize a Vonigo point of sale and business management system with one configured hardware terminal. You must purchase and maintain a computer system at your Administrative Office. In general, you will be required to obtain a computer system that will consist of certain hardware, software, and peripheral devices such as printers. You will be required to meet our requirements involving back office and point of sale systems, security systems, printers, back-up systems, and high-speed internet access.
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- Computer System You must purchase and maintain a desktop computer system at your administrative office and an iPad that maintains cellular internet access for each dispatched user / service vehicle that you operate. In general, you will be required to obtain a computer system that will consist of certain hardware, software, and peripheral devices such as printers. You will be required to meet our requirements involving back office and point of sale systems, security systems, printers, back-up systems, and high-speed internet access.
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- Contact Center Services Presently we do not offer or provide Contact Center Services but reserve the right to do so in the future.
Source: Item 8 — RESTRICTIONS ON SOURCES OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (FDD pages 24–28)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Dryer Vent Squad's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, source restricted goods and services are those that must meet the franchisor's specifications and/or be purchased from an approved or designated supplier. Dryer Vent Squad may designate itself or its affiliates as the exclusive suppliers for these items. The specific list of approved and designated suppliers is detailed in the Dryer Vent Squad manuals, and franchisees will be notified of any changes to these specifications or supplier lists through written or electronic correspondence, manual updates, or other forms of communication. Currently, neither Dryer Vent Squad nor its affiliates are approved suppliers of the source restricted goods and services. As of December 31, 2021, Dryer Vent Squad has not received revenue from suppliers of franchisee purchases of source restricted products or services.
For a Dryer Vent Squad franchisee, this means they are obligated to purchase or lease certain goods and services from approved sources to maintain the brand's standards. These source-restricted items include system supplies, branded items and marketing materials, a point-of-sale system, a business management system, computer equipment, service vehicles, credit card processing services, and insurance coverage. All materials bearing the licensed marks must meet Dryer Vent Squad's standards and be purchased from them or their designated suppliers. The franchisee's service vehicles must also meet specific standards, be designated and insured for commercial use, and be wrapped with approved branding.
Dryer Vent Squad estimates that purchases from approved suppliers will constitute approximately 75% of the franchisee's total initial purchases and leases and about 40% of ongoing operating expenses. If a franchisee wishes to use a non-approved supplier, they must submit a written request for approval, which may include a supplier review and testing fee, samples for testing, and potentially an inspection of the supplier's facilities. Dryer Vent Squad will then notify the franchisee of their decision within 60 days, retaining the discretion to withhold approval based on factors such as the supplier's ability to meet standards, quality control, and the overall interests of the Dryer Vent Squad system.
The FDD also outlines specific insurance requirements that franchisees must meet, including coverage for property damage, general liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate), workers' compensation ($1,000,000 limit), employer's liability ($500,000 to $1,000,000 limits), business automobile insurance ($1,000,000 limit), business interruption insurance, commercial umbrella liability insurance ($2,500,000 limit), cyber insurance ($1,000,000 limit), and employment practices liability insurance ($1,000,000 limit). These policies must name Dryer Vent Squad as an additional insured and provide them with 30 days' notice of any material changes or cancellations.