1. These terms and conditions apply to any work contracted on behalf of the Client (you) to us (Ultimate Proof Ltd).
2. We will provide proofreading/editing/project management services agreed upon (in writing) by Kelly Owen, Managing Director of Ultimate Proof Ltd and you.
3. You are under no obligation to offer us work; neither are we under any obligation to accept work offered by you.
4. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by us, using our own equipment.
5. The work will be carried out by Kelly Owen or a professional freelance proofreader/editor as selected by Kelly Owen.  
6. Ultimate Proof is a Limited company Registered in England: 07720107. Kelly Owen is employed by Ultimate Proof Ltd and is responsible for her own Income Tax and National Insurance contributions.
7. Ultimate Proof Ltd is not VAT-registered.
8. The contract of service requires that you acknowledge, in writing (including email), that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.

Prior to commencement of the proofreading/editing work, you and Ultimate Proof Ltd will agree, in writing (including email), the terms of the project: 

• the medium in which the proofreading/editing service will be carried out (e.g. in Word, on PDF, on paper); 
• how the material will be annotated (e.g. Track Changes in Word, PDF markups);
• the length of time required to complete the project, as advised by us; 
• a fee for the project, based on a quotation supplied by us, in writing (including email), following our evaluation of the material to be proofread/edited and the timeframe required to complete the job; 
• the date by which the material will be delivered by you to us; 
• the latest date by which the completed project will be returned, following our advice to you.

Note that if, on receipt of the project to be worked on (or at an early stage), it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief or from the sample supplied, we may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline, or decline to carry out the work.

1. A quotation for the work will be provided by us to you following our evaluation of a representative sample of the materials to be worked on, and a discussion with you as to what is required.
2. Once we have agreed the full fee, it is non-negotiable unless you extend the word count of the job or request additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job-completion date will be negotiated. 
3. Unless otherwise agreed, we will supply you with an invoice immediately upon completion of the proofreading/editing project. Regular clients are able to agree monthly invoices.
4. Payment should be received within 30 days.
5. Unless otherwise agreed, the fee quoted is for one pass of a document. Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which will be agreed separately. For example, if we proofread the Word document and then you would like us to proofread the designed PDF version, this will be charged as two projects, unless this has been agreed in advance.

1. Both you and we have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.
2. You are free to cancel a service for any reason by providing us with written notice (including email); we  must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (including email) for this to be valid.
3. We may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to you. In the unlikely event that we cancel a service, we will provide a prorated refund of any overages of fees paid.
4. If, in the unlikely event that you are touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), you should contact us to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. We aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
5. If we are touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), we will contact you in writing at the earliest opportunity and do our best to renegotiate the timeframe of the project or find an alternative supplier of proofreading/editing services. 

1. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than you and your contractors without prior written permission.
2. We will not, under any circumstances, upload your files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorised to do so, in writing, by you. We do, however, use Dropbox as a secure cloud storage system. See our Privacy Policy for how your data is protected.
3. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, you and we may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other's records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.

As an online business, we take cybersecurity seriously and aim to adhere to the key principles of the Cyber Essentials standard.

• Devices such as laptops and mobile phones have sophisticated internet and hard drive protection with ESET business cybersecurity software. 
• Emails are encrypted through Microsoft Exchange.
• Laptops have encryption and anti-theft enabled.
• Internet routers are protected via a built-in firewall.
• Multi-factor authentication is used for all cloud systems.
• VPN is used when working remotely.
• OneDrive Business Account is used soley for storage/upload of files related to the business.
• Passwords are changed periodically.
• We use safe file storage and transfer through OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive. We can also work through your VPN server or on your own company hardware if you prefer.
• Any printed copies we have used to proofread your files are shredded onsite as soon as the work is complete.
• We delete any digital files within a reasonable time after the work is completed and the invoice paid. 
• We are happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement with our clients if required.
• We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
• Also see our Privacy Policy relating to how we handle any data through this website.
• Our cybersecurity systems are checked routinely and were last reviewed by a Cyper Essentials  IT specialist on 17th March 2025.

1. All content delivered to us by you for the proofreading/editing project is owned by you.
2. In this respect, you agree to hold us (Kelly Owen, Ultimate Proof Ltd and its subcontractors) harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against them.
3. Following payment of our invoice, any content created or edited by us as part of the proofreading/editing process will become the copyright of you unless otherwise agreed.

1. Each editor/proofreader working for Ultimate Proof Ltd aims to achieve perfection for every client, no matter how small or large the project; however, there are some limitations to this which you should be aware of, such as the complexity of the project, the number of tasks required, the number of proof passes allowed, the schedule available, and your budget.
2. It is your responsibility to check and approve your project prior to it going to print (the print proofs) or being published online – to put it into context, a self-employed proofreader, being paid, for example, £100 to proofread a £10,000 project that has involved various writers, managers, designers and printers, cannot accept any financial liability for the client’s project. We urge clients who are working on high-profile or large print-run projects to allow for sufficient editing and proofreading passes before going to print.
3. As a small business, we always strive to do the right thing; each client and each job is important to us. But, as we are human, it is inevitable there will be times when we fall short of our own high standards. When this happens, it is important that we learn from this and recognise where we can do things better and respond to queries appropriately and in a timely manner. This transparent attitude has enabled Ultimate Proof to become a leading provider of editing and proofreading services, where clients can rely on us to deliver to the highest possible standards.

LIABILITY

1. Final responsibility for proofreading errors in completed work lies with you (the Client) in every case. While we put measures in place to avoid error, it is conceivable that on occasion we might miss something or not amend in the way that you expect.
2. We will do our utmost to pick up every error in a document, but ultimately your text will be read by a human, as well as sophisticated spell checkers, who will be using their expertise to check numerous aspects of your text. While we can guarantee that we will add value to your project by eliminating the majority of errors, it is impossible for any proofreader or spellchecker to guarantee they will pick up 100% of errors.
3. Should errors be found in the files after we have completed the work, we will respond quickly to your concerns and reproof the text free of charge if possible, but no further liability is acknowledged or accepted, including financial. Ultimate Proof Ltd will not be liable to you for any loss of profits, loss of business or depletion of goodwill which arises out of or in connection with the commissioned work. 

1. This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both you and we agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
2. The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Gloucestershire, England.

Please read our Privacy Policy, which explains the data we collect, how we use it and store it, and our compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).