Policy · Workflow

Correction and Dispute Policy

Last reviewed · 2026-08-03
Any published fact on Bearings Network can be corrected or disputed. The right channel depends on the kind of fact and who you are: a public-source fact mirrored from SAM.gov is corrected differently from a capability statement authored by a claimant. This page describes each channel, what happens after you file, and how long it takes.

The four channels

  • Correct a public-source fact — you spotted a wrong address, NAICS code, registration status, or award on your record.
  • Dispute a derived fact — you disagree with a mission classification, ecosystem category, or connectivity edge that Bearings Network computed.
  • Dispute an organization-provided fact — content the claimant of an organization has authored appears inaccurate, out of date, or crosses the editorial standard.
  • Contest ownership — the wrong party has claimed an organization, or someone should not be representing it any longer.

Correcting a public-source fact

Bearings Network mirrors authoritative public sources (SAM.gov, USAspending, USPTO, SBIR, federal grant feeds) with provenance. It does not override those sources — the correct remedy is to correct the source, then request re-ingestion.

How to file

  • Update the record at the source of truth (SAM.gov entity management, USPTO patent record, etc.).
  • Wait for the source to re-publish (typically 1–3 business days for SAM.gov; longer for USPTO).
  • Trigger a refresh via your Organization Record's "Refresh public sources" action if claimed, or email hello@bearings.network with the UEI or org slug if not.

Timeline

Automatic re-ingestion runs nightly. Requested refreshes typically complete within 1 business day after the source has itself refreshed.

Disputing a derived fact

Some fields on an Organization Record are computed — mission classifications from NAICS codes, ecosystem categorization from the mix of public-source facts, connectivity edges to missions, programs, and technologies. These are derivations with visible inputs.

How to file

  • Use the "Dispute this classification" action on the derived field. Public users see this action on the public record; claimants see it in their Review Queue.
  • State which output you disagree with and what the correct derivation should produce. If you can, point to the input fact that's wrong or missing.

What happens next

  • The dispute enters an internal review queue with the derivation's inputs attached.
  • Reviewers either accept the derivation (with a note appended), re-derive after fixing an input, or apply a manual override with recorded justification.
  • While a dispute is open, the affected field displays an in-line note that a dispute has been filed.

Timeline

Typically resolved within 5 business days. Complex derivations that require classifier tuning may take longer; the dispute filer is notified of any delay.

Disputing an organization-provided fact

If a claimed organization has published a capability, facility, evidence link, or narrative that appears inaccurate — either factually or against the content posture — anyone can file a public dispute.

How to file

  • Use the "Report this fact" action on the affected field of the public Organization Record.
  • Choose a category (Inaccurate · Out of date · Editorial standard · Evidence link broken · Suspected fabrication) and describe the issue.
  • Optionally provide contact information for follow-up. Reports may be filed anonymously.

What happens next

  • The dispute routes to the claimed organization's Review Queue.
  • The organization can accept the correction (edit the field), reject with an explanation, or escalate to admin review if the report itself appears abusive.
  • Public disputes that accumulate against a single record (multiple independent reports on multiple fields) auto- escalate to the admin review queue regardless of the organization's handling.

Timeline

Organizations are expected to respond within 10 business days. Unresponded disputes surface a visible "Disputed" badge on the field and, if the pattern continues, contribute to a lower verification freshness score for the record.

Contesting ownership

An ownership dispute asserts that the wrong party has claimed an Organization Record, or that the current claimant should not be representing the organization any longer (departed employees, ownership transfer, corporate dissolution).

How to file

  • Email disputes@bearings.network with the organization slug or UEI, your claim to authority (title, company registry role, signed delegation letter), and any supporting documentation.
  • If you are also planning to claim the record yourself, say so and begin a claim workflow in parallel — it will route through the admin review queue automatically.

What happens next

  • Both parties (the current claimant and the challenger) are notified. The current claimant is given the opportunity to respond with counter-documentation.
  • If the claim was based on a domain-mismatch auto-pass or a SAM POC email that turns out to be stale, ownership reversal is straightforward.
  • Contested cases are decided by admin review with the heavier-documented party prevailing. Preference goes to the party with an active SAM.gov POC email match, an on-domain email address, and current registry authority.
  • When ownership is reversed, the record's organization-provided fields are locked in a read-only audit archive; the new claimant may not silently overwrite them.

Timeline

Straightforward reversals resolve within 5 business days. Contested cases take up to 20 business days depending on the documentation involved.

What we will not do

  • Silently delete an unclaimed public record. Public-source facts belong to the sources; the correct remedy is to update the source. We will archive a record on request from an authorized representative.
  • Override a public source without new authority. Even a legitimate claimant cannot rewrite a SAM.gov field on Bearings Network; provenance is the property that makes the record trustworthy.
  • Handle disputes about content that is not on Bearings Network. If the concern is with a third-party site that indexed our public data, contact that site directly.
  • Reveal the identity of a dispute filer to the organization the dispute is about, unless the filer opts in.

Appeals

A dispute decision — whether an admin review resolution or an ownership reversal — can be appealed once by emailing disputes@bearings.network with the case reference and additional documentation. A different reviewer handles the appeal.

Records

Every filed dispute, every review action, and every resolution is recorded in the record's audit history. Provenance is preserved across corrections, and prior values remain available to authorized reviewers even after a field is edited.

Changes to this policy

Changes are dated in the "Last reviewed" line at the top of this page. Material workflow changes are announced to claimants via the in-app notification matrix.

Editorial standard · Bearings Network public pages present factual reference only. No opinions, forecasts, or recommendations. Corrections: Correction and Dispute Policy.