more insight from Jerry on contract negotiations August 12, 2026

KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ
ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE
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more insight from Jerry on contract negotiations
August 12, 2026

more insight from Jerry on contract negotiations

Ken
   I sent you a note a month ago about this new "Trustlayer" agreement I was confronted with and the lack of anyone to negotiate with.
   Trustlayer claims to manage your risk - while they announce
"Compliance Made Simple — TrustLayer uses AI to analyze COIs, flag risks, and simplify compliance tasks. More than COIs: Manage risk, track vendors, and streamline workflows."
   What they really do attempt to cause the contractor to change his own contract and put a manipulative Trustlayer agreement in its place.
   Two days after I had sent to them the request that me attorney be able to discuss this I received an email stating:
   "Your email was escalated to me. Please give a few days to review your account and I will be in touch."
   That was 36 days ago and nothing more has ever been heard from anyone on the subject. Could it be that my refusing to sign it simply made it go away and the AI bot is not smart enough to think on its feet and accept a request to negotiate??     Is simply refusing to accept anything as it is written a viable tactic to disable AI? Once you say "I would like to have my council negotiate this", it doesn't know what to do?
   BUT Ken, you misread me - This is NOT a new client and I am not "Going to pass on the subcontracting opportunity".
   I am not subcontracting here - I have many Kenny Kontracts with the property owner. We have contracts for fire alarm - CCTV - Access Control - Carbon Monoxide - intercoms and more for many years on several dozen sites.
   The point is that after doing hundreds of thousands in business with contracts in place they hire some AI "Tracker" that believes the Kenny Kontracts will be invalid because it has suggested it as so and if I were to sign what it offered, the Kenny Kontracts would become void.
   Actually, I think it is time for me to send them renewal agreement which brings a question.
   We presently have many agreements with this client signed and "In force". - IF I send them a renewal with a new term period and they DO NOT sign it, is the present Kenny Kontract still effective, will it still auto renew and will all the protective verbiage still be 100% effective.??
   Meanwhile we are still working with the Kenny Kontracts that the owners signed, and they are still sending me checks and we wonder if the Trustlayer issue was simply given up on easily.
   This is not the first of these AI created contracts that are so 100% one sided an attorney would feel guilty writing it that I have come across. I have learned to ask - Did your fire insurance vendor sign your AI contract? I tell them that as a requirement of their mortgage, they must have fire insurance and to have fire insurance they must have a fire alarm system and to have a certificate of occupancy then must have an approved fire alarm system. (we are not a residential contractor). They start to see the relationship is not a like that of a painter or a landscaper. I say if your fire insurance vendor will not sign your AI contract, I will not sign your AI contract and neither will any other properly licensed and insured fire alarm vendor. Then they sign Kenny's Kontract.
   I have been using Kenny Kontracts for over 10 years and only once has a buyer hesitated to sign it. This was over the Limitation of Liability Clause. I explained to him that this was standard and that without it no central station will monitor his alarm. I walked away and he did not sign it, a couple of days later he did sign it.
Jersey Jerry
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Response
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   I never heard of Trustlayer; here's what google had to say:
   "TrustLayer is a collaborative risk management and insurance verification platform that automates the tracking, collection, and analysis of Certificates of Insurance (COIs), licenses, and compliance documents from third-party vendors and subcontractors."
   Further explanation is:
   "Core FeaturesAI Document Verification: Automatically reads and checks insurance data against standard industry benchmarks and specific contract requirements.Automated Workflows: Handles reminder emails, tracks document expirations, and follows up with vendors without manual effort.Gaps and Errors Flagging: Identifies missing coverage or mistakes before they turn into operational or legal risks. Target Industries: Construction: Used to verify subcontractor compliance and insurance limits.Property Management & Real Estate: Tracks tenant and vendor insurance compliance.General Enterprise: Helps businesses onboard and manage third-party risk safely.If you would like to know more, let me know if you are looking into pricing details, software integrations, or how to set up an account on the TrustLayer Platform."
   Staying on top of contract requirements, license requirements and insurance requirements is taunting for businesses that execute multiple contracts on a regular basis, like an active thriving alarm company does. Compliance personal on staff is a great idea; they can decide which AI is worth engaging to assist with their arduous responsibilities.    As far as the Kirschenbaum Contracts TM you need to be very leary making changes. These contracts are well thought out, reviewed and revised frequently and withstand the scrutiny of astute alarm clients as well as subscribers' counsel. I have found AI to be helpful with spelling errors, sometimes grammar errors and a quick way to find information, it's not ready to replace the K&K Contracts, not by a long shot. Your company and livelihood is not worth gambling with over the modest cost of keeping your contracts updated and using best practices.

STANDARD FORMS Alarm / Security / Fire and related Agreements.   click here: www.alarmcontracts.com
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Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Attorneys at Law
200 Garden City Plaza
Garden City, NY 11530
516 747 6700 x 301
ken@kirschenbaumesq.com
www.KirschenbaumEsq.com