Terms of Service
Last updated: September 2026
1. Services
The Respect Engineers provides productized freight automation integration services (“Builds”) delivered as fixed-price engagements across three architecture tiers (Tier 1: $3,000 / Tier 2: $5,500 / Tier 3: $8,500). Each Build is scoped by a stack-specific engineering brief and subject to a 48-hour compatibility audit prior to commencement.
2. Payment Terms
A 50% deposit is required to initiate the compatibility audit. Deposits are secured via Stripe Authorization Hold or ACH and are captured only upon successful completion of the 48-hour compatibility audit. The remaining 50% is due upon client sign-off of the staging demo. No funds are captured prior to audit completion.
3. Compatibility Audit
If the 48-hour compatibility audit determines that the client’s TMS stack is technically incompatible with the prescribed integration, the deposit hold is released in full at no cost to the client. A free Readiness Roadmap will be issued. No partial fees are charged for failed audits.
4. Delivery SLA
Subject to successful audit completion and deposit capture, The Respect Engineers commits to delivery of a tested integration to a staging environment within 14 business days. If this SLA is not met, work continues at no additional cost to the client until delivery is complete.
5. Accuracy Benchmark
All integrations are validated against a minimum 98% data extraction accuracy benchmark prior to staging demo. Documentation of validation results will be provided to the client.
6. Client Responsibilities
The client is responsible for: (a) providing accurate operational information during the diagnostic, (b) granting least-privilege API access required for integration development, (c) owning and directly paying all third-party API, LLM token, and platform credentials used by the integration, and (d) providing timely staging demo feedback within 5 business days of delivery.
7. Maintenance Care
Month 1 of maintenance care is included at no charge following staging sign-off. From Day 31, care continues at $555/month (Tier 1/2) or $955/month (Tier 3) and is cancellable before the billing date with no penalty. Care includes endpoint monitoring, failure alerting, schema drift checks, and monthly uptime reporting.
8. Intellectual Property
Upon receipt of final payment, the client owns the delivered integration code. The Respect Engineers retains the right to use non-client-specific architectural patterns and methodologies in future engagements.
9. Limitation of Liability
The Respect Engineers’ liability is limited to the total fees paid for the specific Build in question. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising from integration use or downtime.
10. Confidentiality
All client operational data, stack configurations, and API credentials are treated as strictly confidential. Developers engaged on client Builds operate under white-label NDAs and are isolated from direct client contact.
11. Governing Law
These terms are governed by applicable commercial law. Any disputes will be resolved through good-faith negotiation prior to formal proceedings.
12. Amendments
We reserve the right to update these terms. Existing engagements are governed by the terms in effect at the time of deposit capture.