Terms

1. Structure of SKS

SKS International operates as a private umbrella entity for administrative, legal, and financial purposes.

Client-facing work is delivered through its operating divisions:

• SEA Optimisation
• Shared Knowledge

SEA Optimisation focuses on website delivery, optimisation, and digital infrastructure.

Shared Knowledge focuses on governed AI systems and operational intelligence.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all proposals, communication, and delivery relate to the relevant operating division rather than SKS International directly.

2. Scope & Written Agreement

No work begins without a defined written scope.

Scope documents may include:

• objectives
• deliverables or capabilities
• assumptions
• exclusions
• constraints
• delivery model
• commercial terms

Only what is explicitly defined within the agreed scope is included.

Requests outside the agreed scope may require reassessment, change control, revised timelines, or additional agreement.

Verbal assumptions, informal discussions, or implied expectations do not override written scope.

3. Intake & Discovery

Initial intake is informational only and does not constitute advice, acceptance, or authorisation.

Where scope, access, dependencies, operational conditions, or risk cannot be safely established during intake, SKS may require a separate discovery phase before quoting or delivery proceeds.

Discovery is:

• bounded
• investigative
• clarification-focused
• non-delivery work

Discovery may result in:

• a proposal to proceed
• a revised or reduced scope
• a recommendation not to proceed
• refusal of the work

Discovery does not guarantee ongoing engagement.

4. Right to Refuse

SKS reserves the right to decline, pause, or discontinue work where:

• scope remains unclear
• required access is unavailable
• ownership or authority is disputed
• operational risk becomes excessive
• communication becomes unmanageable
• requests conflict with operational or ethical boundaries
• deadlines or expectations become incompatible with safe delivery

Urgency does not override operational, governance, or safety requirements.

5. Payment & Authorisation

Work begins only once agreed payment conditions have been satisfied.

Payment authorises:

• validation
• stabilisation
• delivery of the agreed scope

Unless explicitly stated otherwise:

• work pauses automatically for non-payment
• ownership does not transfer before final payment
• review access does not constitute production or commercial rights

6. Delivery Models

The applicable delivery model is defined within the relevant proposal or agreement.

Build-and-Hand-Over

A defined website, system, or deliverable is transferred to the client following completion and final payment.

Managed Environment

SKS continues to host, manage, maintain, or govern the delivered system under an active agreement.

Ongoing Retainer

Continuous optimisation, operational support, or advisory work is delivered within a recurring billing structure.

Shared Knowledge Deployment Models

AI agent systems may be evaluation-only, licensed, or managed directly by SKS.

7. Client Responsibilities

Clients remain responsible for:

• providing accurate information
• maintaining lawful authority over submitted systems or assets
• providing required access where applicable
• reviewing deliverables within agreed windows
• maintaining backups unless explicitly included
• ensuring legal compliance of their own operations, content, and data

8. Timelines & Dependencies

Any timelines provided are estimates unless explicitly defined otherwise.

Delivery timing may be affected by:

• access delays
• third-party providers
• dependency failures
• hosting environments
• approval delays
• scope changes
• operational interruptions outside SKS control

9. Intellectual Property & Ownership

Upon full payment, clients receive rights only to the final agreed deliverables defined within the applicable scope or agreement.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, SKS retains ownership of internal systems, reusable frameworks, methodologies, governance models, templates, prompts, tooling, and operational procedures.

10. Suspension & Managed Systems

For managed systems, hosted environments, or governed deployments, SKS may suspend or restrict access where payment obligations are not met, agreements are breached, or continued operation becomes unsafe or commercially non-viable.

11. Change Control

Where scope, assumptions, or operational conditions materially change:

• work may pause
• scope may be reassessed
• revised commercial terms may be required

No additional work is assumed or absorbed automatically.

12. Close-Out & Support Boundaries

All work concludes with a defined close-out stage.

Unless explicitly agreed otherwise, ongoing support, maintenance, monitoring, optimisation, or advisory work is not included beyond close-out.

13. Privacy & Data Handling

Clients should not submit:

• passwords
• API keys
• payment card details
• highly sensitive information

through intake forms or initial enquiries.

14. Acceptance

Acceptance of a proposal, payment of an invoice, continued use of managed systems, or engagement with SKS services constitutes acceptance of these Terms.

15. Operational Availability

SKS operates as a controlled-capacity environment.

Availability, response cadence, scheduling, and delivery sequencing may vary depending on workload, complexity, operational capacity, and commissioning periods.

16. Limitation of Responsibility

SKS is responsible only for the specific scope explicitly agreed within the relevant proposal or agreement.

Clients remain responsible for their own business operations, legal compliance, backups, and deployment decisions unless explicitly included within the agreed scope.

17. Updates to These Terms

These Terms may be updated periodically to reflect operational, legal, or commercial changes.

18. Governing Principle

SKS operates using structured scope, explicit boundaries, written agreement, and controlled delivery practices.

These Terms exist to support clear expectations, stable delivery, and responsible operational behaviour for both parties.