Most software agreements are signed by the person who needs the tool, not by someone who reads contracts all day. The terms that cost money later are usually the same handful: an auto-renewal with a 60- or 90-day notice window, an uncapped price increase at renewal, a minimum seat count that cannot go down, termination only "for cause," and vague language about what happens to your data when you leave. This review finds those terms in your agreement and explains them in plain language, so you can negotiate or plan before the signature, not after.
What’s included
- A one- to two-page summary of the business terms: term length, auto-renewal, notice period and the actual notice deadline, price and price-increase terms, seat or usage minimums, payment terms, termination rights, data ownership, export and deletion, security commitments, and service levels with their credits.
- The risks ranked from most to least likely to cost you money or flexibility, each with the clause reference.
- Suggested asks for the vendor: specific changes to request, such as a price cap, a shorter notice period, seat flexibility or a data export commitment, written so you can paste them into an email.
- Anything missing that you would normally expect to see, such as no data deletion clause or no SLA at all.
What we need from you
- The agreement as PDF or Word, up to 20 pages. That can be an order form plus the terms it refers to, as long as the total fits. If the terms are a web link, send the link and the date you accepted them.
- The renewal or signature date, and the annual cost if it is not in the document.
- What matters most to you: cost, the ability to leave, data, uptime, or something else.
- Redact anything you do not want us to see. Pricing can stay if you want comments on it.
Turnaround
3 business days from confirmed scope and payment, including one business day for Emilio’s review. If your signature date is sooner, tell us when you order and we will say honestly whether we can meet it.
Scope
Included
- One agreement (or one order form plus its referenced terms) up to 20 pages.
- Business terms: money, time, exit, data and service levels.
- One round of follow-up questions by email about the review.
Not included
- Legal advice, legal drafting or an opinion on enforceability. We are not lawyers.
- Negotiating with the vendor or contacting them on your behalf.
- Agreements longer than 20 pages, or several unrelated agreements. Email us for a fixed quote.
- Employment, real estate, M&A, or other non-software contracts.
Who does the work
Emilio Santos does the work, with AI assistance. He uses general-purpose AI tools to help sort, draft and check, which means parts of what you send are processed by those tools. He reads every line of what you send and every line of the deliverable before it goes to you.
Your data
- Send files by email to circuits50capital@circuits.fit. They arrive and are stored in that mailbox.
- Please remove passwords, keys, account numbers, payment card numbers and protected health information before sending. We never ask for system access or credentials.
- Parts of your material are processed by AI tools as part of the work. Where a tool’s settings let us turn off the use of our inputs for model training, we turn it off, and we do not use your files to train models.
- We delete your files and our working copies within 30 days of delivery. Copies kept by email or AI providers under their own retention or backup schedules may last longer, and we do not control those.
- We do not sell or share your material except with the email and AI services used to receive and process it. See the privacy policy. If you would rather your material not be processed by AI tools, say so when you order and we will tell you whether we can do the work without them.
How to order
- Email circuits50capital@circuits.fit with the subject "Contract & Renewal Terms Review" and a short description. You can attach files now or after we reply.
- We confirm the scope with you by email.
- Payment is arranged after the scope is confirmed. The turnaround starts once payment is in.
After the scope is confirmed by email, you’ll be sent a secure Stripe card payment link.
FAQ
How is this different from a lawyer’s review?
A lawyer can advise on enforceability, liability, indemnities and governing law, and can redline the contract. We look at the business terms that drive cost and flexibility and explain them plainly. For a contract with real legal exposure, use a lawyer; this review can help you decide what to ask them.
Can you review a renewal quote instead of a full contract?
Yes. A renewal quote plus the master terms it points to is a common order.
What if I have a lot of renewals?
The Renewal Audit covers up to 25 renewals at the list level for $199. This review goes deep on one agreement.
Can I do this myself?
Yes. The free software renewal scorecard and the SaaS renewal checklist walk through the same terms.
Disclaimer
A business-terms review, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review anything you’re unsure of before you sign.
Circuit & Capital services are research, writing and advisory deliverables prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by Emilio Santos before delivery. They are not legal, tax, accounting, audit or compliance-certification services, and no attorney-client, auditor or fiduciary relationship is created. You decide what to act on and remain responsible for your contracts, deadlines, security controls, filings and submissions. Our total liability for any order is limited to the fee paid for that order. If a deliverable doesn’t match its published scope, tell us within 14 days and we’ll fix it or refund it.