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Mentor and Specialized Mentor Services Agreement

Last Updated: November 15, 2023

By accessing Udacity, Inc.’s (“Company”) online reviewer and mentor marketplace, you agree to be bound by these terms (referred to herein as the "Agreement"), the Company Privacy Policy, and the Company Terms of Use, and you hereby represent and warrant to us that you have read each of them. Individuals participating in the Company Mentor or Specialized Mentors marketplace are independent contractors of the Company, and they are collectively referred to herein each as a "Consultant." Each Specialized Mentor shall be considered initially a Company Mentor and all such terms herein shall apply to designated Specialized Mentors who may also have additional duties or obligations as described herein. The company retains the right to amend the terms of this Agreement (together with any applicable Service levels or guidelines, Project, review, or other rules, or standards, such as, but not limited to, the Honor Code and Community Code of Conduct that are incorporated by this reference) at any time, and for any reason, with or without any prior notice to Consultant, at its sole discretion. Terms not defined herein, are defined in the Terms of Use.

PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW THIS AGREEMENT WHICH CONTAINS A DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND AGREEMENT TO BINDING ARBITRATION AS WELL AS A CLASS ACTION AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 11 BELOW. THIS DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION SECTION REQUIRES THAT YOU RESOLVE DISPUTES WITH UDACITY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS THROUGH FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION. BY ENTERING THIS AGREEMENT, YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

(1) Eligibility

To be eligible to provide Mentor Services (defined below) to Company’s Students (as defined in the Terms of Use), in addition to any other requirements set forth herein, the Consultant must (1) be at least 18 years of age, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction; (2) demonstrate knowledge of the topic by successfully completing a Project (defined below) or an assessment in the relevant Online Course and/or demonstrating proficiency in the applicable Mentor Service (e.g., resume reviews) that Consultant is interested in providing Mentor Services for; and (3) not be in violation of, or adjudicated in any court of competent jurisdiction to have violated, any law, act, regulation, or government order. Additionally, Specialized Mentors shall go through the steps outlined in the Mentor Guidelines.

(2) Mentor Services

a. Company Mentoring and Specialized Mentoring Services. For certain Company coursework and other Udacity offerings, authorized Company users ("Users") have access to various Mentor Services, which are supported by the Company mentor marketplace. Subject to Company's discretion, and Consultant’s continuing compliance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, from time to time, Company will provide Consultant access to the mentor marketplace whereby Consultant may select (i) User projects or other materials to review that have been created by Users participating in Online Courses; (ii) User interactions, forum posts or other communications to perform as part of the Mentor Services provided to Users participating in Online Courses; and/or (iii) career-related services, including, without limitation, GitHub, LinkedIn, resume, interview preparation or other similar reviews projects. All such assessments, interactions, and/or reviews under (i), (ii), and (iii) above are individually referred to each as a “Project” and collectively referred to herein as "Projects". If Mentor qualifies for Specialized Mentor Services, Company may make available to you assignments to liaise between Company clients and Users on a project basis, (individually referred to as an “Assignment” and collectively referred to as “Assignments”).

b. Website Access. Company provides Users access to the Company websites and its online courses subject to the terms and conditions described in the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. To the extent that Consultant uses the Company websites in the capacity of a User, Consultant agrees to abide by the Company terms and conditions applicable to such Users. Further, Consultant shall not encourage or facilitate the contravention or violation of the terms and conditions applicable to Users nor any other guidelines, honor codes, rules, or licenses posted in connection with the online courses.

c. Performance of Services. Consultant understands that Company is interested only in the results to be obtained. Consultant agrees to utilize Consultant’s best efforts to perform each Project/Assignment in accordance with the Agreement and any terms, conditions, or other criteria set forth by Udacity for Projects/Assignments, including using best efforts to support, grade, evaluate, assess, review, and/or communicate and interact for each such Project/Assignment in accordance with highest industry standards, any Service level guidelines, our Honor Code, Community Code of Conduct, and any criteria set forth for Projects/Assignments resulting from the Online Courses or other Udacity Service offering (the "Mentor Services"). The Consultant also agrees to use the Consultant’s best efforts to complete Mentor Services for each Project/Assignment within the time suggested for each such Project/Assignment or Online Course component and as set forth in any service levels or guidelines. To the extent that Consultant fails to initiate or complete Mentor Services for a particular project within the time specified by Company for that Project/Assignment, Company reserves the right to assign the Project/Assignment to another Consultant and, in such an event, Consultant shall receive no fees for that Project/Assignment.

d. Delivery. Consultants will deliver the deliverables, designs, modules, software, products, documentation, and other materials specified for Mentor Services (individually or collectively, "Deliverables") in accordance with the delivery schedule and other terms and conditions set forth by Company from time to time.

e. Publicity Release. Consultant hereby permits, authorizes, and licenses Company and its affiliates, successors, and assigns, and their respective licensees, and fulfillment agencies, service providers, and the employees, officers, directors, and agents of each and all of them ("Authorized Persons"), to display, publicly perform, exhibit, transmit, broadcast, reproduce, record, photograph, digitize, modify, alter, edit, adapt, create derivative works, exploit, sell, rent, license, otherwise use and permit others to use my name, image, likeness, and appearance, voice, professional and personal biographical information, and other personal characteristics and all materials ("Materials") in connection with the sale, exploitation, promotion, advertisement, and marketing of Udacity’s mentor, reviewer, or career products throughout the world and in any medium or format whatsoever now existing or hereafter created without further consent from or royalty, payment or other compensation to Consultant. Consultant hereby irrevocably transfers and assigns to the Company its entire right, title and interest, if any, in and to the Materials and all copyrights in the Materials incorporated in the Udacity services arising in any jurisdiction throughout the world, including the right to register and sue to enforce such copyrights against infringers. Consultant acknowledges and agrees that s/he has no right to review or approve Materials before they are used by the Company and that the Company has no liability to Consultant for any editing or alteration of the Materials or for any distortion or other effects resulting from the Company's editing, alteration or use of the Materials. The Company has no obligation to use the Materials or to exercise any rights given by this Agreement.

f. Restrictions. Consultants are strictly prohibited from interacting with Users for personal purposes, and/or outside of the Udacity Platform, and shall act professionally at all times.

(3) Payment

a. Fees. Subject at all times to Sections 1 and 2 and any applicable service level requirements, statement of work or guidelines for a particular Project/Assignment that are set forth by Company at the time that Project/Assignment is offered to Consultant, Consultant shall receive the fees stated for such Project/Assignment review offer in accordance with the terms set forth in this Agreement. Consultant shall not be entitled to, and Company shall not be liable for, any other fees, expenses, or costs. The Company reserves the right to adjust fees at its discretion. The pricing of the fees will be dynamic, which means that fees will be flexible among Projects based on current market demands. Market demands may include, but are not limited to, Student volume resulting in variable Project demand, the current supply of Mentors for Projects requiring special expertise, surge or time-sensitive pricing in order to accommodate high demand increases at peak times. The dynamic pricing fee model means that fees for Projects will regularly change as a result of changing market demands. By accepting the Project, you are agreeing to the fees relating to the Project that are posted at the time of acceptance and to not make a claim relating to the adequacy of the fee pricing or your compensation at a later time.

b. Payment Terms. All fees and other amounts payable to Consultant under this Agreement, if any, are stated in and are payable in the currency which shall be specified on a per Project/per Assignment basis and Consultant shall be responsible for the costs associated with any exchange rate applicable to converting the specified currency into Consultant’s local currency. Unless otherwise specified by Udacity in writing, Consultant will be paid by Company on a monthly basis for all fees payable to Consultant through the third-party payment processor of Company’s choosing. Presently, Company utilizes third-party payment processing services (e.g., Payoneer), but reserves the right to add or otherwise use a different payment processing service in the future. All payments made to Consultant by Company hereunder will be made through such a payment processor and are subject to and exclusive of any fees or other charges that such payment processor may charge either Company or Consultant. To the extent that Consultant resides in or is otherwise situated in a location which is not served by Company’s third-party payment processor, Consultant shall not provide Mentor Services hereunder and Company shall have no obligations to Consultant hereunder. The Consultant acknowledges and agrees that it is the Consultant's sole and exclusive responsibility to establish an account with the third-party payment processor and to maintain such account in good standing. The consultant also agrees that the location associated with his or her payment processing account shall be accurate and consistent with the Consultant’s application information. Company shall have no liability to Consultant for any payments due under this Agreement that are denied by the payment processor, that remain unclaimed for a period of thirty (30) or more days, or otherwise are rejected by PayPal, Payoneer, or other Company provided third-party payment processing service for any reason.

(4) Relationship of the Parties

a. Independent Contractor. The consultant is an independent contractor and nothing in this Agreement will be construed as establishing an employment or agency relationship between Company and Consultant. The Consultant has no authority to bind Company by contract or otherwise. The Consultant will perform the Mentor Services under the general direction of the Company, but the Consultant will determine, in the Consultant's sole discretion, the manner, and means by which Services are accomplished, subject to the requirement that the Consultant will at all times comply with applicable law, this Agreement, the Terms of Use, special terms, statements of work, or guidelines as a Specialized Mentor if applicable and Company quality standards.

b. Equipment and Schedule. Consultant understands and agrees that Udacity does not direct or control Consultant, that Udacity does not set work hours, work schedules, or location of work; (or to the extent Udacity needs to set work hours, work schedules, or location of work, Udacity will do so based on Consultant’s availability and Company’s needs); that Company will not provide Consultant with any equipment, Internet connections, tools, labor, training, or materials needed for Consultant to provide the Mentor Services under this Agreement; and Company does not provide the premises at which the Consultants will perform the work.

c. Taxes and Employee Benefits. The Consultant will report to all applicable government agencies as income for all compensation received by the Consultant pursuant to this Agreement. The Consultant will be solely responsible for payment of all withholding taxes, social security, workers' compensation, unemployment, and disability insurance, or similar items required by any government agency. The Consultant will not be entitled to any benefits paid or made available by Company to its employees, including, without limitation, any vacation or illness payments, or to participate in any plans, arrangements, or distributions made by Company pertaining to any bonus, stock option, profit sharing, insurance or similar benefits. The Consultant will indemnify and hold Company harmless from and against all damages, liabilities, losses, penalties, fines, expenses, and costs (including reasonable fees and expenses of attorneys and other professionals) arising out of or relating to any obligation imposed by law on Company to pay any withholding taxes, social security, unemployment or disability insurance or similar items in connection with compensation received by Consultant pursuant to this Agreement.

d. Liability Insurance. Consultant acknowledges that Company will not carry any liability insurance on behalf of Consultant. The Consultant will maintain in force adequate liability insurance to protect the Consultant from claims of personal injury (or death) or tangible or intangible property damage (including loss of use) that arise out of any act or omission of the Consultant.

(5) Ownership

a. Disclosure of Work Product. The Consultant will, as an integral part of the performance of Mentor Services, disclose in writing to Company all inventions, products, designs, drawings, notes, documents, information, documentation, improvements, works of authorship, processes, techniques, know-how, algorithms, specifications, biological or chemical specimens or samples, hardware, circuits, computer programs, databases, user interfaces, encoding techniques, and other materials of any kind that Consultant may make, conceive, develop or reduce to practice, alone or jointly with others, in connection with performing Mentor Services, or that result from or that are related to such Mentor Services, whether or not they are eligible for a patent, copyright, mask work, trade secret, trademark or other legal protection (collectively, "Consultant Work Product"). Consultant Work Product includes without limitation any Deliverables that Consultant delivers to Company pursuant to Section 2(c).

b. Ownership of Consultant Work Product. Consultant and Company agree that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each item of Consultant Work Product will be the sole and exclusive property of Company. Consultant hereby irrevocably transfers and assigns to Company, and agrees to irrevocably transfer and assign to Company, all right, title, and interest in and to the Consultant Work Product, including all worldwide patent rights (including patent applications and disclosures), copyright rights, mask work rights, trade secret rights, know-how, and any and all other intellectual property or proprietary rights (collectively, "Intellectual Property Rights") therein. At Company's request and expense, during and after the term of this Agreement, Consultant will assist and cooperate with Company in all respects, will execute documents, and will take such further acts reasonably requested by Udacity to enable Company to acquire, transfer, maintain, perfect and enforce its Intellectual Property Rights and other legal protections for the Consultant Work Product. Consultant hereby appoints the officers of Company as Consultant's attorney-in-fact, to execute documents on behalf of Consultant for this limited purpose.

c. Moral Rights. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Consultant also hereby irrevocably transfers and assigns to Company, and agrees to irrevocably transfer and assign to Company, and waives and agrees never to assert, any and all Moral Rights (as defined below) that Consultant may have in or with respect to any Consultant Work Product and/or Materials during and after the term of this Agreement. "Moral Rights" mean any rights to claim authorship of a work, to object to or prevent the modification or destruction of work, to withdraw from circulation or control the publication or distribution of a work, and any similar right, existing under the judicial or statutory law of any country in the world, or under any treaty, regardless of whether or not such right as called or generally referred to as a "moral right."

d. Related Rights. To the extent that the Consultant owns or controls (presently or in the future) any patent rights, copyright rights, mask work rights, trade secret rights, or any other intellectual property or proprietary rights that may block or interfere with, or may otherwise be required for, the exercise by Company of the rights assigned to Udacity under this Agreement (collectively, "Related Rights"), Consultant hereby grants or will cause to be granted to Company a non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, transferable, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, import, copy, modify, create derivative works based upon, distribute, sublicense, display, perform and transmit any products, software, hardware, methods or materials of any kind that are covered by such Related Rights, to the extent necessary to enable Company to exercise all of the rights assigned to Company under this Agreement.

(6) Consultant Representations and Warranties

a. No Pre-existing Obligations. Consultant represents and warrants that Consultant has no pre-existing obligations or commitments (and will not assume or otherwise undertake any obligations or commitments) that would be in conflict or inconsistent with or that would hinder Consultant's performance of its obligations under this Agreement.

b. Performance Standard. Consultant represents and warrants that Mentor Services will be performed in (i) compliance with all applicable laws and regulations; and (ii) a thorough and professional manner, consistent with high professional and industry standards by individuals with the requisite training, background, experience, technical knowledge, and skills to perform Mentor Services. Consultant acknowledges that Company may (but is not obligated) to conduct quality assurance audits of the Mentor Services, and may provide notice of failure to perform Mentor Services consistent with this Agreement, the Terms of Use, Project Standards, or rules and instructions relating thereto, and/or terminate the Mentor Services with Consultant.

c. Non-infringement. Consultant represents and warrants that the Consultant Work Product or the Materials will not infringe, misappropriate, or violate the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, any Intellectual Property Rights or any rights of privacy or rights of publicity, except to the extent any portion of the Consultant Work Product or Materials is created, developed or supplied by Company or by a third party on behalf of Udacity.

d. Non-Solicitation of Personnel. During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one (1) year thereafter, Consultant will not directly or indirectly solicit the services of any Company User, employee, or consultant for Consultant's own benefit or for the benefit of any other person or entity.

e. Accurate and Updated Information. Consultant represents and warrants that he or she will provide truthful, accurate, and updated information relating to the Consultant’s application, registration, and other information relating to the provision of the Mentor Services.

(7) Confidentiality

Consultant and its agents and/or subcontractors, if any, will not use or disclose to any party any Confidential Information of Company that is obtained from Company through any means. “Confidential Information” means any information designated by the Company as confidential or proprietary, all information or data concerning or related to the Company’s offerings (including the research, improvement, development, or sale thereof), processes, or business operations, including any information related to Company’s customers, Users or suppliers, and any other information that is of such a nature that a reasonable person would believe it to be confidential or proprietary. The Deliverables constitute Company’s Confidential Information. Consultant understands that, in connection with the Mentor Services provided for any Online Course, third-party licensors may also provide data and other information solely for use in the Online Course and/or the related student projects and such information is also considered Confidential Information for the purposes of this Agreement. The provisions of this Section do not apply to any information that: (i) is rightfully known to Consultant prior to disclosure by Company, (ii) is rightfully obtained by Consultant from any third party without restrictions on disclosure, (iii) is or becomes available to the public without restrictions, or (iv) is disclosed by Consultant with the prior written approval of Company.

7.1 All right, title, and interest in the Confidential Information will remain the property of Company or its respective Users. Consultant shall immediately notify Company of the release or suspected release of Confidential Information in violation of this section, whether intentional or inadvertent, and cooperate with Company in any remediation efforts undertaken to mitigate any detrimental impact of such release.

7.2 Udacity Systems. Consultant will have access to various Company systems (e.g., community and hiring platforms; collectively “Udacity Systems”). Consultant agrees that he or she will limit their access to and use of the Udacity Systems to the purposes necessary to provide services under the Agreement and for Assignment-related activities; that he or she will comply with systems policies or guidelines provided by Company; and that he or she will not engage in activities that could introduce or infect the Udacity Systems with any viruses, worms, time bombs, Trojan horses, or other harmful or malicious software or code. Consultant agrees that any Udacity System credentials or passwords shall be considered Confidential Information, and that he or she will safeguard them accordingly.

7.3 Feedback. Consultant may provide Company feedback, comments, or suggestions about the Udacity platform, educational content, or other Udacity services or offerings (“Feedback”). Consultant agrees that any Feedback provided is entirely voluntary and Company will be free to use such Feedback as it sees fit without any obligation to Consultant.

(8) Indemnity

The Consultant will defend, indemnify, and hold Company harmless from and against all claims, damages, liabilities, losses, expenses, and costs (including reasonable fees and expenses of attorneys and other professionals) arising out of or resulting from:

  1. any action by a third party against Company that is based on a claim that any Mentor Services performed under this Agreement, or the results of such Mentor Services (including any Consultant Work Product), or Company's use thereof, (a) violates any applicable law or regulation, and/or (b) infringe, misappropriate or violate such third party's Intellectual Property Rights; and

  2. any action by a third party against the Company that is based on any act or omission of Consultant and that results in: (a) personal injury (or death) or tangible or intangible property damage (including loss of use); or (b) the violation of any statute, ordinance, or regulation.

(9) Term and Termination

a. Term. This Agreement will commence on the Effective Date and, unless terminated earlier in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will remain in force and effect for as long as the Consultant is performing Mentor Services or terminated by either party.

b. Termination for Breach. Either party may terminate this Agreement (including all Projects in the process) if the other party breaches any material term of this Agreement and fails to cure such breach within thirty (30) days following written notice thereof from the non-breaching party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Company reserves the right to terminate this Agreement immediately upon any breach of this Agreement, without any cure period.

c. Termination for Convenience. The company may terminate this Agreement (including all Projects in the process) at any time, for any reason or no reason, immediately upon written notice to the Consultant. The company may also terminate an individual Project at any time, for any reason or no reason, immediately upon written notice to the Consultant.

d. Effect of Termination. Upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason: (i) Consultant will promptly deliver to Company all Consultant Work Product, including all work in progress on any Consultant Work Product not previously delivered to Company, if any; (ii) Consultant will promptly deliver to Company all Confidential Information in Consultant's possession or control; and (iii) Company will pay Consultant any accrued but unpaid fees due and payable to Consultant pursuant to Section 3.

e. Survival. The rights and obligations of the parties under Sections 2(d), 3, 4(c), 4(d), 5, 6 (c)-(e), 7, 8, 9(d) and(e), 10, 11, and 12, will survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

(10) Limitation of Liability

In no event will Udacity be liable for any special, incidental, punitive, exemplary, or consequential damages of any kind in connection with this agreement, even if Udacity has been informed in advance of the possibility of such damages. Further, Consultant acknowledges and agrees Udacity makes no warranties relating to the volume or availability of Projects for Consultant or the ability to provide Services, at any time, now or in the future.

(11) Dispute Resolution, ARBITRATION, CLASS ACTION WAIVER; JURY TRIAL WAIVER

Dispute Resolution. Consultant agrees that any dispute between Consultant and Company arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Mentor Services, or any other Company Services (collectively, "Disputes") will be governed by the arbitration procedure outlined below.

a. Governing Law: The resolution of any Disputes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

b. Informal Dispute Resolution: Company and Consultant agree that they prefer to try to resolve any concerns and/or Disputes without needing a formal legal case. Before filing a claim against Company, the Consultant agrees to try to resolve the Dispute informally by contacting support@Udacity.com. We'll try to resolve the Dispute informally by contacting you through email. If a dispute is not resolved within 15 days after submission, you or Company may bring a formal proceeding.

c. We Both Agree to Arbitrate: Consultant and Company agree to resolve any Disputes through final and binding arbitration, except as set forth under Exceptions to Agreement to Arbitrate below.

d. Arbitration Procedures: The American Arbitration Association (AAA) will administer the arbitration under its Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplementary Procedures for Consumer-Related Disputes. The arbitration will be held in the United States county where the Consultant lives or works, San Francisco, California, or any other location Company agrees to.

e. Arbitration Fees: The AAA rules will govern the payment of all arbitration fees. The company will pay all arbitration fees for claims less than $10,000.

f. Exceptions to Agreement to Arbitrate: Either Consultant or Company may assert claims, if they qualify, in small claims court in San Francisco (CA) or any United States county where Consultant lives or works. Either party may bring a lawsuit solely for injunctive relief to stop unauthorized use or abuse of the Company Services, or infringement of intellectual property rights (for example, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or patent rights) without first engaging in arbitration or the informal dispute- resolution process described above.

g. No Class Actions: Consultant may only resolve Disputes with Company on an individual basis, and may not bring a claim as a plaintiff or a class member in a class, consolidated, or representative action. Class arbitrations, class actions, private attorney general actions, and consolidation with other arbitrations aren't allowed under this Agreement.

h. Judicial Forum for Disputes: In the event that the agreement to arbitrate is found not to apply to the Consultant or Consultant’s claim, Consultant and Company agree that any judicial proceeding (other than small claims actions) will be brought in the federal or state courts of San Francisco County, California. Both Consultant and Company consent to venue and personal jurisdiction there. Company and Consultant each agree to waive our right to a jury trial.

i. Limitation on Claims: Regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to Consultant’s use of the Company mentor marketplace, and/or Company Services, must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose, or else that claim or cause of action will be barred forever.

(12) General

This Agreement is governed and controlled by the laws of the State of California, disregarding its conflict of laws provisions. Consultant may not assign or transfer this Agreement, in whole or in part, without Company's express prior written consent. Any attempt to assign this Agreement, without such consent, will be void. Because the Mentor Services are personal and unique and because Consultant will have access to Confidential Information of Company, Company will have the right to enforce this Agreement and any of its provisions by injunction, specific performance, or other equitable relief, without having to post a bond or other consideration, in addition to all other remedies that Company may have for a breach of this Agreement at law or otherwise. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions of this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, and the provision affected will be construed so as to be enforceable to the maximum extent permissible by law. The failure by the Company to enforce any provision of this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of future enforcement of that or any other provision. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the exercise by the Company of any of its remedies under this Agreement will not be deemed an election of remedies and will be without prejudice to its other remedies under this Agreement or available at law or in equity or otherwise. All notices required or permitted under this Agreement will be in writing, provided that the Company may send such written notice by Email, Company dashboard, or other similar electronic communication. This Agreement, together with any Projects, statements of work, Terms of Use, Honor Code, Community Code of Conduct and Privacy Policy constitutes the complete and exclusive understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings and agreements, whether written or oral, with respect to its subject matter. The company retains the right to amend the terms of this Agreement (together with the Terms of Use, Project standards, instructions, rules, or guidance) at any time, and for any reason, with or without any notice to the Consultant, at its sole discretion.