Get a better Microsoft deal and keep it

Every three to five years, Microsoft lets you rebuild your whole agreement. Most organizations get one attempt at it. Our team negotiates hundreds of Microsoft agreements every year.
Talk to a Microsoft specialist
Talk to a Microsoft specialist

Why your Microsoft renewal matters more than any other

Most software publishers sell you a licence, then charge maintenance on it. Microsoft is different. Almost everything is a subscription, so at each renewal you can change what you buy, how you buy it and what you pay.

That makes the renewal the best chance you will get to fix what is not working. It is also where the risk sits:

  • Microsoft is less flexible on contract terms and discounts than it used to be.
  • Prices are rising faster than inflation, and discounts erode over the term.
  • Delaying tactics at the negotiating table push customers into rushed decisions.
  • Microsoft sells agreements every day. Your team negotiates one every few years.

Microsoft optimization and negotiation

For organizations with a renewal in the next 12 to 18 months. We work out what you have, what you really need and how to buy it, then help you negotiate it.

Explore the service

Microsoft continuous management

For mid-term organizational needs. We keep your agreement optimized between renewals, through audits, true-ups, acquisitions and mid-term negotiations.

See how it works

Verified BOM pulse check (public sector)

A quick, independent check of your Microsoft bill of materials against what public sector peers are buying.

Take the pulse check

Is your agreement about to get more complicated?

The moments that change your business also change your Microsoft agreement. If one of these is happening to you, your next renewal will look very different from your last.

  • Mergers, acquisitions and divestments: two agreements, two price books and two sets of entitlements to bring together. Link: M&A and your Microsoft agreement
  • Copilot and AI roll-outs: new products, new commitments and a fresh push towards premium suites. Link: Copilot and AI in your next agreement
  • A cost reduction mandate: your Microsoft agreement is one of the few cost lines big enough to move the needle. Link: Microsoft cost reduction

Why Livingstone

$4.1bn saved

for our customers, with average savings of 38% per customer.

Specialists

who focus only on Microsoft licensing and negotiation, with current visibility of what good looks like.

Independent.

We do not sell software or licences. We sell savings.

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How often can you renegotiate a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement?

At each renewal, which for most organizations is every three years, and for some every five. Because Microsoft licensing is mostly subscription-based, you can change the products, quantities, structure and pricing of your whole agreement at that point.

When should we start preparing for a Microsoft EA renewal?

Around 12 to 18 months before the agreement ends. That leaves time to understand current spend and future demand, build an optimized bill of materials, and plan a negotiation that does not get squeezed by Microsoft’s timetable.

Why do large organizations overpay for Microsoft?

Most buy one suite, such as E3 or E5, for everyone because working out what each user needs are hard. A chief executive and a frontline worker rarely need the same license. Microsoft encourages these simple agreements, and customers negotiate them only once every few years.

What is a Microsoft licensing bill of materials?

It is the list of products, quantities, and user profiles you commit to in your agreement. Building it from real business demand, rather than rolling last term forward, is where most savings come from.

What does an independent Microsoft licensing adviser do?

They help you work out what you need, how to buy it and what a good price looks like, then support the negotiation with Microsoft. An independent adviser does not resell licenses, so their only interest is your outcome.

How much can a Microsoft EA negotiation save?

Across our customers, the average saving is 38%. The result depends on the size and shape of your estate, how your current agreement was built and how early you start.