Terms of Service

1. Introduction and Acceptance

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Datum website at https://datum.io and any services provided by Datum ("we", "us", or "our"), a data engineering consultancy registered in England and Wales.

By visiting our website, submitting an enquiry, or entering into a service agreement with us, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our website or services.

These Terms apply alongside any separate written service agreement, statement of work, or engagement letter we may enter into with you. In the event of a conflict, the specific written agreement will take precedence.

2. Our Services

Datum provides the following professional services to business clients:

• Data Engineering Consulting — architecture design, data platform builds, pipeline implementation, and lakehouse migrations.
• Engineers for Hire — placement of vetted data engineering professionals into client organisations on a contracted basis.
• Project Squads — fixed-scope, time-bound teams of engineers deployed to solve defined data problems.
• Workshops & Training — hands-on data engineering training programmes, delivered remotely or on-site.

All services are provided to businesses (B2B) only. We do not provide services directly to consumers.

3. Eligibility and Authorisation

Our services and website are intended for professional use by businesses and individuals acting in a business capacity. By using our site or engaging our services, you represent that:

• You are at least 18 years of age.
• You have the legal authority to bind the organisation you represent.
• You will use our services only for lawful business purposes.
• All information you provide to us is accurate and complete.

4. Client Engagements

When you engage us for any service, the terms of that engagement will be documented in a written agreement (statement of work, engagement letter, or equivalent). That document will set out:

• The scope of work, deliverables, and timeline.
• Fees and payment schedule.
• Intellectual property ownership and licensing.
• Confidentiality obligations specific to the engagement.
• Termination provisions applicable to that project.

No services will be commenced until a written agreement is in place. Verbal commitments or informal email exchanges do not constitute a binding service agreement.

5. Fees and Payment

Fees for our services are agreed in writing before work commences. Unless otherwise specified in your service agreement:

• Invoices are issued in GBP and are payable within 14 calendar days of the invoice date.
• Late payments accrue interest at 8% per annum above the Bank of England base rate, pursuant to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
• We reserve the right to suspend work if invoices remain unpaid beyond the agreed payment terms.
• All fees are exclusive of VAT, which will be added where applicable at the prevailing rate.
• Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with your project (travel, accommodation, third-party tools) will be invoiced at cost with supporting receipts.

6. Intellectual Property

Ownership of intellectual property created in the course of an engagement is governed by the written service agreement. In the absence of written terms to the contrary:

• Pre-existing IP — any intellectual property owned by either party prior to the engagement remains with its original owner.
• Deliverables — upon receipt of full payment, we assign to you the intellectual property rights in the deliverables specified in the project scope.
• Our methodologies and tools — any internal frameworks, code libraries, templates, or processes we use to deliver services remain our property. We may grant you a licence to use these where they form part of your deliverables.
• Background IP — we retain all rights to our know-how, trade secrets, and general data engineering expertise.

Nothing in these Terms transfers any rights to our brand, logo, or website content.

7. Confidentiality

Each party agrees to keep confidential all non-public information received from the other party in connection with any engagement. 'Confidential Information' includes technical data, business plans, client lists, pricing, and any information marked as confidential or that ought reasonably to be understood as confidential.

Confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that:

• Is or becomes publicly known through no breach of this agreement.
• Was already in the receiving party's possession before disclosure.
• Is independently developed by the receiving party without use of the confidential information.
• Is required to be disclosed by law, regulation, or court order (with reasonable notice given where permitted).

Confidentiality obligations survive termination of any engagement for a period of 3 years.

8. Data Protection

Both parties agree to comply with applicable data protection laws, including UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, in connection with any personal data processed in the course of an engagement.

Where we process personal data on your behalf as a data processor, we will enter into a Data Processing Agreement with you setting out the terms of that processing. Our Privacy Policy governs how we handle personal data relating to your employees, contractors, or contacts.

For questions about how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy or contact us at legal@datum.io.

9. Warranties and Representations

We warrant that:

• Our services will be performed with reasonable care and skill by appropriately qualified personnel.
• We will comply with all applicable laws in the performance of our services.
• We have the right and authority to enter into agreements with you and to provide the services.

Except as expressly stated in these Terms or a written service agreement, all warranties, conditions, and representations — whether express or implied — are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• Our total aggregate liability to you arising from or related to any engagement shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.
• We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, loss of data, or loss of business, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
• We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control (force majeure), including but not limited to acts of God, strikes, government actions, or infrastructure failures.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be lawfully limited.

11. Termination

Specific termination provisions will be set out in your service agreement. In general:

• Either party may terminate an engagement by giving written notice as specified in the relevant agreement.
• We may immediately suspend or terminate services if you breach a material term of your agreement and fail to remedy that breach within 10 business days of written notice.
• Upon termination, you will pay for all work completed up to the date of termination, including costs already committed.
• Any provisions of these Terms which by their nature should survive termination (including confidentiality, IP, and limitation of liability) will do so.

12. Website Use

Your use of https://datum.io is subject to the following conditions:

• You may not use our website for any unlawful purpose or in a way that infringes the rights of others.
• You may not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of our website or its underlying systems.
• You may not use automated tools to scrape, crawl, or extract content from our website without our express written consent.
• We reserve the right to restrict or terminate access to our website at any time without notice.

Our website is provided 'as is'. We make no warranty that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components.

13. Third-Party Links and Tools

Our website may link to or reference third-party websites, tools, platforms, or services. These are provided for convenience only. We have no control over their content or availability and accept no responsibility for them.

References to specific technologies, tools, or platforms (e.g. dbt, Apache Airflow, Snowflake) are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any commercial affiliation or endorsement.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the 'Last updated' date at the top of this page. If we make material changes, we will give reasonable notice where possible.

Your continued use of our website or services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, please stop using our website and contact us to discuss any active engagements.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms and any disputes arising from or in connection with them — including non-contractual disputes — are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

Any dispute arising from these Terms or any service agreement will first be referred to the senior management of both parties for good-faith resolution. If unresolved within 30 days, the dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

16. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us: