Who we are, and are not
Aeternus Dynamics, LLC is a compliance and advisory firm. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice; we are not a certified public accounting firm and do not provide tax advice or prepare income-tax returns; we are not an insurance producer and do not sell, negotiate, or advise on insurance coverage; we are not a licensed contractor or engineer and do not perform, supervise, or direct construction or engineering work. Where a matter requires a licensed professional, we say so and refer you to one.
How we use AI
Aeternus Dynamics uses artificial-intelligence-assisted software to help prepare, extract, and cross-check data in compliance documents and deliverables. All AI-assisted work product is reviewed by a qualified human before submission or use, and Aeternus Dynamics remains fully responsible for the accuracy of its deliverables regardless of the tools used to produce them. The chat assistant on this website is automated and identifies itself as automated at the start of every conversation; it answers general questions about our services and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.
Scope of services
Each engagement's scope is defined in a written engagement agreement. Certain services carry specific, plainly stated limits:
- Certified payroll: wage-compliance records only; no income-tax return preparation.
- SWPPP/stormwater: we administer SMARTS filings and documentation; SWPPP development and inspections requiring a QSD/QSP are performed by credentialed personnel.
- Preliminary notices and lien deadlines: ministerial preparation from information you supply; no advice on lien rights or strategy; disputes go to counsel.
- Insurance/COI tracking: verification and tracking only; coverage questions go to your broker.
- Government contracting: we are a private firm with no government affiliation; SAM.gov registration is free directly from the government; our fees are for advisory time, never contingent on awards or certifications.
- Owner's representation and consulting: oversight and advisory only; no construction means-and-methods, no engineering.
Compliance Desk engagement terms
The Compliance Desk is four services (Sub Roster Check, Roster Monitoring, Certified Payroll Review, and Bid & Prequalification Packages), each described on its own page, which points here for the terms below.
- Minimum term and termination for convenience: Roster Monitoring and Certified Payroll Review are recurring, subscription-billed services. Roster Monitoring carries a three-month initial minimum term. Certified Payroll Review carries a minimum of one full project cycle or three months, whichever is longer. After the applicable minimum, either service continues month-to-month and either party may terminate for convenience on thirty (30) days' written notice, no reason required, as stated in the engagement letter.
- Sub Roster Check: priced per subcontractor, three-sub minimum, at the current published rate card: $175 per sub commercial scope, $425 per sub public-works scope.
Where a signed engagement letter for a specific client states different terms than this section, the signed engagement letter governs. Current pricing for the Compliance Desk and every other service is published on each service's own page and supersedes any older figure listed elsewhere on this site.
Payment terms
Work begins on a signed engagement letter. Quoted fees are held for 30 days.
- Standard term: Net 30. Every invoice is due thirty (30) days from the invoice date.
- Recurring services (Roster Monitoring, Certified Payroll Review): the first month's fee is due on signature, before work begins. After that we invoice on the first business day of each month for that month's service, payable net 30.
- One-time services (Sub Roster Check, Bid & Prequalification Packages): packages of $1,500 or more are billed half on countersignature and the balance on delivery; anything under $1,500 is billed in full on delivery. Net 30 either way.
- Deposits and termination. Either party may end an engagement on written notice. Fees are earned as work is performed through the termination date; any deposit amount not yet earned at termination is refunded within fifteen (15) business days, and any earned but unbilled work is invoiced on normal terms.
- Government and agency fees (filing fees, DIR registration fees, and agency portal fees) are the client's and are passed through at documented cost with the receipt attached. We never mark them up. Expenses are not billed without the client's written approval first.
- How to pay: ACH transfer or check. We do not accept credit or debit cards, and there is no processing surcharge on anything paid to us.
- Questions about an invoice: tell us within fifteen (15) days of the invoice date and say specifically what is wrong, and we will work it out promptly. The portion not in dispute remains due on time.
- Late payment: an undisputed amount not paid within thirty (30) days of the invoice date carries interest at 1.5% per month (18% per year) from the due date until paid, or the highest rate the law allows if that is lower. Where an undisputed amount is more than thirty (30) days past due, we may suspend service on ten (10) days' written notice and resume once the account is current; we tell you before monitoring stops, so nothing lapses without your knowing it.
- Rate changes: fees are fixed for the initial term. After that we may change them on sixty (60) days' written notice, and a client who does not want the new rate may end the affected service before it takes effect at no charge.
- Enforcement: if either party goes to court to enforce an engagement, the prevailing party is entitled to its reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
Accuracy of the records you give us
Every deliverable is a computed comparison of the records, data, and documents you supply against the applicable statute or regulation. We do not independently verify your records against outside evidence, and we do not audit your underlying books or accounting; we work from what you give us. You are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the records you provide, and a deliverable is only as good as the records behind it. Aeternus Dynamics is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and nothing we deliver is a legal opinion or a substitute for one.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, and regardless of the legal theory asserted (contract, tort, strict liability, statute, or indemnity), Aeternus Dynamics' total liability arising out of or relating to a Service is capped at the fees the client actually paid for the affected Service in the twelve (12) months preceding accrual of the claim, with a floor equal to the greater of (a) those trailing-twelve-month fees or (b) one month's fee at the then-current published rate card. For claims arising from a breach of confidentiality or of the Data Processing Addendum (including a compromise of client personal information), liability is capped at the greater of (a) those trailing-twelve-month fees or (b) US $50,000, which applies in place of (not in addition to) the general cap for such claims and may be raised by written amendment to track Aeternus Dynamics' cyber/E&O insurance limits. Only liability that California law prohibits limiting — fraud, willful injury, or violation of law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1668) — is uncapped. Neither party is liable to the other for consequential, incidental, special, or punitive damages. This is the one liability-cap formula that governs every engagement; where a signed engagement letter restates it, the two are meant to say the same thing, and neither is meant to be read alone against the other.
Electronic records and signatures
When you sign an engagement electronically on this site, you will first be asked to consent to transact electronically. You may withdraw that consent, or request paper copies of any record, at any time by writing to hello@aeternusdynamics.com; a reasonable copying fee may apply to paper requests. To sign electronically you need a device able to open PDF and HTML documents. Your signed records are retained by us and a copy is delivered to the email address you provide.
Website
Content on this site is educational and general; it is not advice for your specific situation and statutes and agency requirements change. Verify current requirements with the relevant agency (DIR, DOL, IRS, State Water Board) or qualified counsel before relying on them. We never share information you submit through this site except as needed to deliver services you request.
Contact
Aeternus Dynamics, LLC · hello@aeternusdynamics.com