Terms and Conditions — GroundTruth

1. Who Operates This Service

By creating an account, running an estimate, or subscribing to Advanced/Pro Mode on GroundTruth (the "Service"), you ("you," "User") enter into a binding agreement with FESMC on the terms set out below.

2. What This Service Is — And Is Not

GroundTruth (PROF-FE — Pacific Ring of Fire Foundation Estimator) is a conceptual, screening-level calculator. Given site geometry, an assumed soil classification, seismic parameters, and building characteristics you enter, it produces an indicative foundation type recommendation, approximate reinforcement and concrete quantities, and a rough-order-of-magnitude cost range. Quick Estimate mode is free; Advanced/Pro Mode unlocks the full 18-tab workbench, model export, and unlimited saved snapshots under a paid subscription.

This Service is not a structural or geotechnical design tool, is not a substitute for a licensed Professional Engineer's independent analysis, and its output must never be used as the sole or primary basis for permitting, design, or construction of any real structure. The specific technical scope and boundaries of what the calculator does and does not check are set out in the Engineering Disclaimer on the Privacy Policy page and are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

3. Eligibility and User Representations

By using this Service, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into this agreement.
• If you intend to use any output from this Service in connection with an actual construction project, you are either a licensed Professional Engineer exercising your own independent professional judgment, or you are working under the direct supervision of one — and you will not present, submit, or rely on this Service's output as a licensed or code-compliant design in any permitting, procurement, or construction process.
• You will not remove, obscure, or misrepresent the Engineering Disclaimer or the screening-level nature of any output when sharing it with a third party (e.g., a client, contractor, or permitting authority).

4. Accounts and Subscriptions

• Sign-in uses a passwordless magic link sent to your email; no password is stored by this app.
• Advanced/Pro Mode is a recurring subscription billed via PayMongo (PHP) or Stripe (international cards, USD), depending on your region. Pricing and billing interval are disclosed at checkout before you subscribe.
• You are responsible for all activity under your account and for keeping your email account (used for sign-in) secure.
• You may delete your account and all associated saved snapshots at any time; see the Privacy Policy for exactly what is deleted and how.

5. Your Project Data

You retain ownership of the project data you enter and any snapshots you save. You grant FESMC a limited license to store, process, and display that data back to you for the purpose of operating the Service, and to use aggregated, de-identified data (not tied to your identity or a specific project) to improve the Service's estimation logic. FESMC will not sell your project data or share it with other users.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Represent output from this Service as a sealed, certified, or code-compliant structural or geotechnical design, or as the work product of a licensed Professional Engineer, unless a licensed engineer has independently verified it as such using real subsurface data and full code-compliant analysis.
• Use the Service, or any output from it, as the basis for construction, permitting submission, or any decision materially affecting the safety of any structure or the people in or around it, without the independent review described in Section 2 and the Engineering Disclaimer.
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or extract the Service's underlying calculation logic for use in a competing commercial product.
• Interfere with, disrupt, or attempt unauthorized access to the Service, its backend (Supabase), or any other user's account or data.
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose under Philippine or applicable local law.

FESMC reserves the right to suspend or terminate any account that violates this section, including without prior notice where the violation poses a safety, legal, or security risk.

7. No Professional Relationship Created

Use of this Service does not create an engineer-client, consultant-client, or any other professional services relationship between you and FESMC, Ferdinand Santiago, or any individual associated with the Service. No engineering advice specific to your project is provided through this Service; it is a self-service calculation tool operating on the inputs you supply.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, FESMC AND FERDINAND SANTIAGO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY DAMAGES RELATED TO PROJECT DELAYS, CONSTRUCTION COSTS, STRUCTURAL FAILURE, PROPERTY DAMAGE, PERSONAL INJURY, OR DEATH, EVEN IF FESMC HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Where liability cannot be fully excluded under applicable law, FESMC's total aggregate liability to you arising out of or relating to the Service shall not exceed the total subscription fees you actually paid to FESMC in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or PHP 5,000, whichever is greater.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or willful misconduct, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under Philippine law.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless FESMC, Ferdinand Santiago, and their respective officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your use of the Service in violation of Section 6 (Acceptable Use); (b) your use of any output from the Service as the basis for actual construction, design, or permitting without the independent professional review required by these Terms; or (c) your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party.

11. Termination

You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time. FESMC may suspend or terminate your access to the Service, with or without notice, for violation of these Terms, for non-payment of a subscription fee, or where continued provision of the Service to you would expose FESMC to legal or safety risk. Sections 7 through 10 and 13 through 15 survive termination.

12. Changes to the Service and These Terms

FESMC may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time. FESMC may update these Terms from time to time; continued use of the Service after an update takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. Material changes will be reflected by an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall first be addressed through good-faith informal negotiation between the parties by contacting projects@fesmc.com.ph. If not resolved within thirty (30) days, the dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the proper courts of Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer-protection venue rights you may have under the Consumer Act (RA 7394).

14. Severability and Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and the Refund and Cancellation Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and FESMC regarding the Service.

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