Terms of Service

1. Introduction

These terms govern your use of costandprofitability.com and the services provided by Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. By accessing this website or engaging our services, you agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, please do not use our website or services.

2. Services

Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. provides the following services:

• Management consulting focused on cost engineering, profitability analysis, and Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) methodology.
• ProfitAudit 360 - a fixed-fee profitability audit engagement delivering a fully operational TDABC model and Whale Curve analysis.
• CostCtrl - a proprietary cloud platform for ongoing profitability monitoring and cost allocation.
• Workshops and professional training on costing methodology, delivered in-person and online.
• The Profit Check - a free online self-assessment diagnostic tool.

Service scope, deliverables, and timelines are defined in individual engagement proposals and are subject to mutual agreement prior to commencement.

3. Intellectual Property

All content on this website - including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, methodologies, frameworks, models, software, tools, assessments, and training materials - is the intellectual property of Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda., or its licensors, and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

Client-specific deliverables produced during an engagement become the property of the client upon full payment, unless otherwise specified in the engagement agreement. However, the underlying methodologies, frameworks, and generic models remain the intellectual property of Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any content on this website without prior written consent.

4. Confidentiality

All client data shared during engagements is treated as strictly confidential. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect client information.

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are available upon request and are standard for all active consulting engagements.

Anonymised and aggregated data may be used for benchmarking and research purposes, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

5. Fees and Payment

Engagement fees are quoted after a scoping call and documented in a formal proposal. Fees vary based on scope, complexity, and duration of the engagement.

Payment terms are net 30 days from invoice date, unless otherwise agreed in writing. Late payments may incur interest at the rate permitted by Portuguese law.

Workshop registration fees are payable upon booking confirmation. Cancellation policies are specified in the individual workshop terms provided at registration.

6. Limitation of Liability

Our consulting services, reports, and recommendations are based on information provided by the client, industry benchmarks, and professional judgement. They are provided for informational and advisory purposes and do not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice.

Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the use of our services, tools, or website, except in cases of wilful misconduct or gross negligence.

Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from an engagement shall not exceed the total fees paid by the client for that specific engagement.

7. Data Protection (GDPR/RGPD)

Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. processes personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR/RGPD) and applicable Portuguese data protection legislation (Lei n.\u00ba 58/2019).

The lawful bases for processing your personal data include: performance of a contract, legitimate interest in providing and improving our services, and explicit consent where required.

You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, and port your personal data, as well as the right to object to processing and to withdraw consent at any time. For full details, please consult our Privacy Policy.

For data protection inquiries, contact our Data Protection Officer at info@costandprofitability.com.

If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Portuguese Data Protection Authority (CNPD - www.cnpd.pt).

8. Workshop Cancellation & Refund Policy

The following cancellation policy applies to all workshops and training events organised by Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda.:

• More than 14 days before the event: full refund of the registration fee.
• Between 7 and 14 days before the event: 50% refund, or full credit applicable to a future workshop of equal or greater value.
• Less than 7 days before the event: no refund, however, the registration is transferable to a colleague at no additional cost.
• No-show: no refund is issued for non-attendance without prior notice.

Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any workshop due to insufficient enrolment, force majeure, or other circumstances beyond our control. In such cases, registered participants will receive a full refund and priority rebooking for the next available date.

Substitution of the registered attendee is permitted free of charge, provided we receive written notice at least 48 hours before the event.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to info@costandprofitability.com. Refunds are processed within 14 business days to the original payment method.

9. Software Licence (CostCtrl)

CostCtrl is licensed to the client on a subscription basis and is not sold. The licence grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the platform for the duration of the subscription term.

CostCtrl operates as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Client data is hosted on secure cloud infrastructure within the European Union, with appropriate technical and organisational safeguards in place.

The client retains full ownership of all data uploaded to or generated within the CostCtrl platform. Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. does not access, use, or share client data except as strictly necessary to provide support services and only with the client's explicit consent.

Licence duration is as agreed between the parties, which may include a 30-day free trial period followed by an annual subscription. Either party may terminate the licence by providing 30 days' written notice before the end of the current term.

Upon termination of the licence, the client may export all data from the platform for a period of 30 calendar days. After this period, client data will be permanently deleted from our systems in accordance with our data retention policy.

We target 99.5% platform availability on a monthly basis, excluding scheduled maintenance windows communicated in advance. Support is available via email during business hours (Monday to Friday, 9:00-18:00 WET/WEST).

10. Artificial Intelligence & Automated Processing

Certain features of our services and tools, including but not limited to the Profit Check, CostCtrl analytics, and ProfitAudit 360 deliverables, may use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies for data analysis, pattern recognition, reporting, and generating recommendations.

AI-generated outputs are provided for informational and analytical purposes only. They do not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. The client bears sole responsibility for any business decisions made on the basis of AI-generated insights.

Client data used for AI-powered processing is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is not shared with third parties. AI models do not retain or learn from individual client data after processing is complete.

Clients may opt out of AI-enhanced features at any time by contacting us at info@costandprofitability.com. Opting out may limit the functionality of certain tools and reports.

In accordance with Article 22 of the GDPR, no solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects are made without human review and oversight.

11. Website Terms of Use

The content published on costandprofitability.com, including blog articles, case studies, tools, and diagnostic results, is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

You may not use automated systems (including bots, scrapers, or crawlers) to access, copy, or redistribute content from this website without our prior written consent. Unauthorised reproduction or redistribution of any content may result in legal action.

The Profit Check and other online tools provide indicative results based on the data you enter. These results are not binding and should not be treated as a substitute for a professional profitability analysis.

This website uses cookies and similar technologies for essential functionality, analytics, and to improve your experience. For detailed information on the cookies we use and your choices, please see our Privacy Policy.

This website may contain links to third-party websites. Cost and Profitability Consulting, Lda. is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or availability of any third-party sites.

12. Governing Law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Portugal.

Any disputes arising from or in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Porto, Portugal.

13. Contact

For any questions regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us at: