Renew Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and IBM on your terms
Imagine a painless contract renewal process for enterprise vendors
If you’ve got a Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, or IBM renewal coming up, you already know how this goes. The vendor knows exactly what they want from the deal. Your side is harder because most teams can’t confidently say what they actually use, what they’ll need next year, or what a fair price looks like.
That’s the gap we close. Livingstone is an independent software licensing and negotiation specialist. We work out what you’re using, forecast what you’ll need, benchmark what you should be paying, and support the negotiation itself, whether that’s a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, an Oracle renewal, a SAP contract or an IBM deal. Because we don’t resell software, our only interest is your outcome. On average, our clients save 38%, and we’ve negotiated more than $4bn of contracts.
Future-proofing your business means managing and optimizing your software investments for the long haul. We’ll work with you to develop a detailed Bill of Materials that tracks your consumption and forecasts future demand, so you can enter into contract negotiations knowing exactly what you need and when you need it.
We know a thing or two about vendor negotiations. Whether that’s for Tier One, Tier Two, or other vendors, our experts have negotiated some of the largest, most complex mega-vendor contracts for businesses spanning the private and public sectors. But don’t just take our word for it: count on us for help with vendor proposals, Best and Final Offer (BAFO) reviews, commercial benchmarks, and negotiation strategies. We’ll steer you toward a deal worth shouting about.
You’ll find contract and entitlement data neatly stored and standardized in Acuity, ready for easy analysis, reporting, and oversight from across IT and procurement teams. You’ll also be able to track current software and cloud usage against projected future demand for a better idea of your business’s consumption needs.
Many of our negotiators used to sit on the other side of the table, structuring these deals for the vendors themselves. So we know how renewal targets are set, where the real flexibility is, and which concessions cost a vendor nothing. We’ve put that knowledge to work for Fortune 500 enterprises and government organizations on some of their largest contracts.
And one promise: if we don’t think we can improve your position, we’ll tell you, and we won’t take the engagement.
How can we reduce the cost of a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal?
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement costs can be reduced by establishing what licenses and features are actually being used, forecasting future requirements, and optimizing the Bill of Materials before commercial negotiations begin. Organizations should also assess Azure, AI, and other planned Microsoft investments together rather than negotiating each requirement in isolation.
Why use an independent software licensing expert for a vendor renewal?
An independent software licensing expert represents the customer’s commercial interests rather than the software publisher’s sales objectives. They can combine licensing knowledge, usage analysis, commercial benchmarking, and negotiation experience to challenge proposals and help organizations avoid purchasing licenses or services they do not need.
What should we do before negotiating an enterprise software renewal?
Before negotiating, organizations should establish their current license position, understand actual usage, forecast future demand, identify unnecessary products and licenses, build an optimized Bill of Materials, and define their commercial objectives. This provides a fact-based position from which to negotiate.
What is software contract benchmarking?
Software contract benchmarking compares a vendor’s commercial proposal, discounts, and terms against relevant market experience and comparable agreements. It gives procurement teams additional evidence to assess whether an offer is competitive and where further negotiation may be possible.
When should we start preparing for a Microsoft, Oracle, SAP or IBM software renewal?
Large enterprise software renewals should ideally be prepared for well in advance of the contract end date. Early preparation gives organizations time to understand current usage, forecast future requirements, optimize the Bill of Materials, assess commercial benchmarks, and establish a negotiation strategy before the vendor controls the timetable.
