Fix and Deep tier work runs under a short written engagement, signed by both sides before any money moves. This is the standard template, published in full so you can read the terms before we ever talk price. Check tier does not need it: the guarantee and the confidentiality terms on the main page govern a Check.
Between Ayan Jain ("the auditor") and [client name] ("the client"), dated [date].
1. Scope. The work is exactly what Annex A lists: the named deliverables, the named data, the named deadline. Anything not in Annex A is a new engagement. The scope was written after a completed Check and reflects its findings.
2. Price and payment. [amount], fixed. [50% on signing, 50% on delivery / 100% on signing]. No revenue share, no success fees, no equity. Extra work requested mid-engagement is quoted separately in writing before it starts.
3. Delivery. [N] days from the later of signing and complete data handover. A missing-data request pauses the clock until the client replies. Delays on the auditor's side beyond 7 days past the deadline entitle the client to a 25% refund per further week, capped at the full fee.
4. Custody and confidentiality. Client material stays on the auditor's machines only, is never shared, published, or reused in the auditor's own research or trading, and is deleted within 90 days of the engagement closing, or immediately on request. The auditor runs his own systematic book in Indian markets; nothing the client sends informs it.
5. Deliverable ownership. The written report belongs to the client, who may share or publish it freely. The auditor's methods, checklists, and tooling remain the auditor's. The auditor may state publicly that an engagement of this tier occurred, without naming the client, unless the client agrees in writing to be named.
6. Not investment advice. The work is an audit of software and data quality. It is not investment advice, not a trading signal, and not a prediction that any strategy will make money. No SEBI-registered advisory service is being provided, and the report will contain no buy or sell recommendation.
7. Liability. The auditor's total liability under this engagement, on any theory, is capped at the fees actually paid. Neither side is liable for the other's trading results.
8. Dispute. If the client believes the deliverable does not match Annex A, they say so in writing within 14 days of delivery. The auditor gets one remedy round of up to 7 days. If it still does not match, the fee for the unmatched portion is refunded and the engagement ends. No lawyers needed for a refund to happen.
9. Ending early. Either side may end the engagement in writing at any time. Work completed to that point is paid for pro rata against Annex A; anything unearned is refunded within 7 days.
Annex A. Deliverables: [list]. Data provided: [list]. Deadline: [date]. Price: [amount].
This template is published for transparency and gets adapted per engagement. If your firm needs its own paper, NDA, or procurement process instead, that works too: send yours and it gets read, not lawyered to death.