Legal

Terms

Last updated: 1 August 2026

These terms cover two things: using this website, and working with me on a software project. Where a signed quote or agreement for your project says something different, that document wins — these terms fill the gaps.

Using this website

Everything on this site is information, not an offer. Descriptions of what I build, the case studies, and any indication of what projects typically cost are illustrative. Nothing here forms a contract until I've sent you a written quote and you've accepted it.

The shipped work shown on this site is real, in production, and described accurately. Screenshots may be cropped or have client details removed.

The text, design, code and images of this site are mine. Please don't copy the site wholesale. Quoting a line with a link back is fine and welcome.

How a project works

• The conversation. We talk about the manual process you want removed. There's no charge for this and no obligation on either side.
• The quote. I send a fixed price in writing for a defined scope. Unless the quote says otherwise, it's open for 30 days. A project starts when you accept it in writing — email or WhatsApp is fine.
• Scope. The quote lists what's included. Anything outside it is a new quote, not a surprise on the invoice. If you want a change mid-project, I'll price it before building it.
• Timeline. I build outside office hours, so projects run in weeks rather than days. I'll give you an estimate and show progress on a live link, but estimates are estimates — they're not deadlines I'm contractually bound to unless the quote says so explicitly.

Payment

Payment terms are set out in the quote. Unless it says otherwise, invoices are payable within 14 days of the date of issue, in Singapore dollars. I may pause work on overdue invoices, and I'll tell you before I do rather than going quiet.

Any third-party costs — hosting, domains, database plans, paid APIs — are yours and are billed by those providers directly to your own accounts, not marked up through me.

Your code and your data

The site says you own it, and this is where that becomes binding.

• Custom code written specifically for your project transfers to you on receipt of final payment for that project.
• Your data and accounts are yours throughout, without exception. They're set up in your name where practical. I don't hold your data hostage, and there's no lock-in.
• Pre-existing and general components — my own reusable helpers, patterns and libraries, plus any open-source dependencies — stay under their own ownership and licences. You get a perpetual, irrevocable licence to use them as part of your project, so nothing stops working if we part ways.
• I may describe the work in general terms as a case study. I won't publish your confidential information, and if you'd rather I didn't mention you at all, say so and I won't.

What you're responsible for

• Giving me accurate information about how your process actually works
• Providing access to the accounts and systems the project needs
• Reviewing what I show you and telling me when something's wrong, within a reasonable time
• Making sure you have the right to give me any data you hand over, and that it's lawful for me to process it

Third-party services

Most projects run on services I don't control — hosting, databases, payment providers, messaging platforms. Their terms and their uptime apply, and I'm not responsible for their outages, pricing changes or decisions. I'll tell you which ones a project depends on before we commit to them.

What I warrant, and what I don't

I warrant that I'll carry out the work with reasonable skill and care, and that the software will do what the accepted quote says it does. If something I built doesn't work as specified, tell me within 30 days of delivery and I'll fix it at no charge.

Beyond that, the work is provided as is. I don't warrant that software will be uninterrupted or error-free, that it will meet requirements we never discussed, or that it will keep working unchanged when a third-party service you rely on changes underneath it.

Limitation of liability

This section matters, so it's in plain words rather than buried.

My total liability is capped at the fees you paid me for that project in the six months before whatever gave rise to the claim. That's an aggregate cap across all claims, not a fresh cap for each one, and it applies however the claim is framed — contract, negligence, or anything else.

I'm not liable for indirect or consequential loss. That includes lost profits, lost revenue, lost business, lost goodwill, business interruption, loss of anticipated savings, loss or corruption of data, or claims made against you by someone else — even if the possibility was raised beforehand.

Any claim has to be brought within 12 months of the event that caused it. After that it's out of time.

Nothing here limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation. If you're dealing with me as a consumer rather than a business, your statutory rights are unaffected.

If that cap is too low for what you're building, say so before we start. I'd rather scope the project down, or tell you to hire a firm with the insurance to carry the risk, than take on exposure I can't cover.

Confidentiality

I'll keep your business information confidential and use it only for your project. That obligation continues after the project ends. Where a separate NDA is in place, it takes precedence over this section. The same applies in reverse to anything I share with you about how I work.

After delivery

You choose what happens next. I can maintain the system for an agreed monthly fee, or hand it over completely — accounts, code, documentation and whatever else you need to run it or give it to someone else. Handover is part of the deal, not an upsell.

Ending a project early

Either of us can end an engagement in writing. If you end it, you pay for work completed up to that point and I'll hand over what exists. If I end it — because the project turns out to need a team, or because I can't deliver what I quoted — I'll say so plainly, hand over the work, and refund anything paid for work I haven't done.

Changes to these terms

I may update this page. The version in force when you accepted a quote governs that project; later changes don't apply retrospectively.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Singapore, and the courts of Singapore have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute — though I'd much rather sort out a problem in a conversation than in a courtroom.

Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@shiftmalam.com. Anything about personal data: dpo@shiftmalam.com, and see the privacy page.