Standard Terms of Engagement
Last updated: 15.05.2026
1. About These Terms
These Terms of Engagement govern the professional relationship between 821BRIDGE EOOD ("821BRIDGE") and any organization or individual ("the Client") that engages 821BRIDGE for services.
Every engagement begins with a written proposal prepared specifically for the Client. That proposal describes the scope of work, deliverables, delivery model, payment schedule, and any engagement-specific conditions. When the Client signs the proposal, both parties accept it together with these Terms. The two documents form the complete agreement.
In the event of a conflict between the proposal and these Terms, the proposal takes precedence on matters specific to the engagement. These Terms govern everything else.
821BRIDGE does not accept modifications to these Terms on a per-engagement basis. If a Client requires materially different contractual terms, 821BRIDGE reserves the right to decline the engagement.
2. Scope of Work
The scope of each engagement is defined in the signed proposal. It describes what 821BRIDGE will deliver, how the work is structured, and what the Client is expected to provide or make available during the engagement.
821BRIDGE will perform the work described in the proposal. Nothing beyond that scope is included unless agreed in writing through a separate proposal or written addendum.
If the Client requests work that falls outside the agreed scope, 821BRIDGE will assess it and, if appropriate, submit a separate proposal covering the additional scope, timeline, and investment. No additional work will begin until that proposal is signed and the applicable payment received.
821BRIDGE does not treat verbal agreements, email exchanges, or meeting notes as scope modifications. Changes to scope are only valid when confirmed in a signed document.
3. How Payment Works
821BRIDGE operates on a milestone-based payment model. Each engagement is divided into stages, with payment due before each stage begins. The specific milestones, amounts, and payment triggers are set out in the proposal.
Advance payment.
Each milestone payment is due before the corresponding stage commences. 821BRIDGE will not begin a stage until the applicable payment has been received and confirmed.
Invoicing.
821BRIDGE issues an invoice for each milestone payment. Payment is due within 10 working days of the invoice date. Consequences of non-payment are governed by Section 6.
Currency and method.
Payments are made in EUR by bank transfer to the account specified on the invoice, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Value Added Tax.
821BRIDGE issues invoices in accordance with Bulgarian tax law. VAT is applied where required. All amounts stated in proposals are exclusive of VAT unless explicitly noted otherwise.
4. Expenses
Expenses – including travel, accommodation, and any materials procured specifically for the Client – are not included in the engagement fee unless the proposal explicitly states otherwise.
Where on-site presence is required, estimated expenses are discussed and agreed in writing before they are incurred. Expenses are invoiced at actual cost, with supporting documentation provided upon request.
821BRIDGE does not mark up expenses.
5. Deliverables and Intellectual Property
821BRIDGE produces deliverables – documents, models, frameworks, standards, workshop materials, and similar outputs – as described in each proposal.
Ownership upon payment.
Once full payment has been received for the milestone to which a deliverable belongs, ownership of that deliverable transfers to the Client. The Client may use it internally without restriction.
821BRIDGE's retained rights.
821BRIDGE retains the right to use the methodologies, frameworks, structures, and approaches applied during the engagement – including the 821BRIDGE Architecture and its components – in future work with other clients. What transfers to the Client is the specific output produced for them, not the underlying intellectual property of 821BRIDGE.
If payment is not completed.
Deliverables for which full payment has not been received remain the property of 821BRIDGE. The Client does not acquire the right to use, reproduce, or distribute them until payment is complete.
6. Delays, Suspension, and Termination
Client-caused delays and suspension.
Timely delivery depends on both parties. The Client is expected to make milestone payments on time and to provide information, access, decisions, and organized activities required to progress the engagement as agreed.
If the Client fails to meet a payment deadline or does not provide required inputs within 10 working days of the invoice date or agreed deadline, 821BRIDGE will notify the Client in writing that work is suspended. The engagement timeline extends by the equivalent delay period. Delays caused by the Client do not constitute a breach by 821BRIDGE, and the Client may not cite them as grounds for claiming late delivery.
821BRIDGE will notify the Client in writing when suspension commences and when it lifts.
If the delay continues beyond 30 working days without resolution, 821BRIDGE may treat the engagement as terminated. Fees paid for completed or commenced milestones are non-refundable. Deliverables produced up to the point of termination will be provided to the Client.
Termination by the Client.
The Client may terminate the engagement at any time by written notice. Fees already paid are non-refundable. Work stops at the boundary of the last paid milestone. Deliverables produced up to that point will be provided to the Client.
Termination by 821BRIDGE on ethical grounds.
If, during the course of an engagement, 821BRIDGE becomes aware of facts that contradict sound business ethics – including but not limited to misrepresentation, illegality, or conduct that 821BRIDGE reasonably determines it cannot be professionally associated with – 821BRIDGE may terminate the engagement immediately by written notification to the Client. No cure period applies.
In such cases, 821BRIDGE will refund fees paid for activities not yet rendered at the time of termination. Fees for work already completed or in progress at the point of termination are non-refundable. The determination of what constitutes rendered activity will be documented by 821BRIDGE in the termination notification.
7. Confidentiality
821BRIDGE treats all client-specific information – organizational details, business challenges, strategic priorities, internal dynamics, and anything shared in the course of an engagement – as confidential. This obligation applies during and after the engagement, without a defined expiry.
821BRIDGE will not disclose client-specific information to third parties, use it for purposes other than the engagement, or reference it in a way that allows identification of the Client.
Business development use.
821BRIDGE may reference the general nature of its work – the type of engagement, the domain addressed, or the outcomes achieved – in conversations with prospective clients, on its website, or in other business development contexts. This may include describing the engagement at a level of abstraction that does not identify the Client. 821BRIDGE will not publicly identify the Client by name – including in case studies, testimonials, speaker presentations, or website content – without the Client's prior written consent. That consent may be given or withdrawn at any time and applies only to the specific use agreed.
Client's obligations.
The Client agrees to treat any frameworks, methodologies, tools, and proprietary content provided by 821BRIDGE as confidential and not to share them externally without prior written consent from 821BRIDGE.
8. Liability
821BRIDGE delivers professional services based on direct experience, structured methodology, and sound judgment. Results depend in part on how the Client applies the work internally. 821BRIDGE does not guarantee specific business outcomes.
Liability cap.
821BRIDGE's total liability to the Client – for any cause, whether arising from contract, negligence, or otherwise – is limited to the total fees paid by the Client under the relevant engagement.
Exclusions.
821BRIDGE is not liable for indirect, consequential, or reputational losses, or for outcomes that result from the Client's own decisions or actions following the engagement.
9. Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms and any engagement governed by them are subject to Bulgarian law.
In the event of a dispute, both parties will first attempt to resolve it through direct discussion. If no resolution is reached within 30 days, the dispute will be referred to the competent Bulgarian court, unless the signed proposal specifies a different jurisdiction agreed between the parties.
10. General
Entire agreement.
The signed proposal and these Terms constitute the entire agreement between the parties. They supersede any prior conversations, correspondence, or understandings on the same subject.
No waiver.
If 821BRIDGE does not enforce a right under these Terms on one occasion, that does not mean it waives that right in future.
Severability.
If any clause in these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining clauses continue in full effect.
Amendments.
821BRIDGE may update these Terms from time to time. The version in effect at the time a proposal is signed governs that engagement. Updated Terms apply to new engagements only.
Language.
These Terms are written in English. In the event of any dispute as to interpretation, the English text is authoritative.