Moderation occurs when the Client and Service Provider are unable to come to an agreement over whether a project deliverable has been successfully completed. As the Category Manager can usually resolve misunderstandings, Moderation will only be used when all other attempts to settle the disagreement between Client and Service Provider have been exhausted.

An unbiased and independent Moderator, assigned by the Smarterwork team, will be brought in to review the original brief, final product, and any communication found on the project posting board. The Moderator will then make a fair, unbiased and final ruling as to what amount (if any) the Service Provider should receive, and what amount (if any) the Client should be refunded. The Moderator will also decide on the feedback ratings for both parties.

In using Smarterwork to source or deliver projects, all Clients and Service Providers agree to use this process as the final and binding means of Moderation. When one side decides to invoke Moderation, the project is frozen. The Category Manager will ask for feedback from both parties, and in limited cases may try to mediate a solution. If unable to do so, the Category Manager will appoint a Moderator to review the evidence and make a ruling. The length of time required depends on the type an complexity of the project, but most cases will be decided within one week.

The Moderator has four different 'Possible Findings' options:

 100% for the Client and 0% for the Service Provider.
 75% for the Client and 25% for the Service Provider.
 50% for the Client and 50% for the Service Provider.
 25% for the Client and 75% for the Service Provider.
 0% for the Client and 100% for the Service Provider.

 Moderator services are available at no charge on all projects with a value over $400.
 Moderation will be carried out by a third party with expertise in the relevant category.
 For projects with a value less than $400 a standard fee of $80 will be charged.
 Please note that Smarterwork will work with the customer and service provider to avoid moderation at no cost for all projects.
 If required by the moderator translation of any correspondence into English costs 10 cents per word.
 If a formal written report is required, the charge is $40.
 please view the moderation page for the latest details
 The Moderator's ruling is final.