What We Do / Contract Negotiation
Technology contract negotiationThe vendor knows what your contract should cost. Now you will too.
MALA brings pricing data from its own deal history to your renewal, so the conversation starts from what comparable organizations actually pay rather than from last year's invoice plus an escalator. No fee to you.
Most contracts renew on autopilot, at pricing nobody has checked in years.
Two reasons, and neither is negligence. Nobody has the bandwidth to benchmark every contract against current market rates, and nobody has the pricing data to do it properly even if they did. So the renewal arrives, the increase looks survivable, and signing is the path of least resistance.
The vendor's account team has none of those constraints. They know what comparable organizations pay, what you paid last time, what your realistic alternatives are, and how long until the auto-renewal clause removes your leverage. They are not being dishonest. They are simply the only party with the information.
From "how much increase will we accept" to "what is this worth".
You learn the real price
What organizations of comparable size and profile are actually paying now. Not list, not your own history.
The terms get read
Escalators, auto-renewal windows, notice periods, true-ups. Usually where the money is.
Alternatives become real
A credible alternative is what changes a vendor's position, and it has to survive being tested.
Someone else runs it
Advisors who negotiate these contracts continuously, with no relationship of their own to protect.
Audit, benchmark, negotiate, document.
A four-step process, not a phone call the week before renewal.
- 01
Audit
Every term, tier and auto-renewal date compiled into one view.
- 02
Benchmark
Each material contract against MALA's deal data for equivalent service.
- 03
Negotiate
Advisors work the conversation directly, or prepare your team to.
- 04
Document
New terms recorded with renewal dates and escalators flagged.
Any advisor who quotes a percentage before reading your agreement is guessing.
One engagement, not an average, and your portfolio is not theirs. The useful question is usually where: escalators nobody negotiated, tiers sized for a headcount you no longer have. Read the case study →
Three related engagements. They are not interchangeable.
Contract Negotiation
A specific contract or set of contracts you want negotiated properly, whenever they renew.
Renewal Review
One renewal with a date already bearing down. Narrower and faster, because leverage expires first.
Start here →Whole estateSpend Optimization
Every vendor at once: finds the overlaps a single contract cannot show, then installs governance.
Look across the estate →Not sure which fits? Describe the situation and we will tell you, including when the answer is the smaller engagement.
Built for the people who own the decision.
- CFOA benchmarked number you can defend, not a feeling about fairness.
- CIO / IT leadershipRenewals negotiated without pulling your team off the estate.
- ProcurementMarket data and a documented rationale for every term.
- Owner / CEOLeverage on the contracts that quietly grow every year.
No fee to you.
MALA is compensated by the provider you select, only if you move forward with a change. If the negotiation ends with you staying where you are on better terms, there is no transaction and no fee, and that is a common outcome.
- Similar pay within each categoryProviders in each category have similar compensation models, so nothing steers the recommendation.
- Staying put is a good outcomeBetter terms with your incumbent is common, and there is no transaction behind it.
- No obligationYou are never required to select a participating provider.
What clients ask first.
Why do most technology contracts end up overpriced?
Nobody has the bandwidth to benchmark every contract, and nobody has the pricing data to do it properly. The vendor's account team has both. That asymmetry, not bad faith, produces the gap.
How much overpayment do you usually find?
Across MALA engagements, an average of 23% against market rates for equivalent service. What we find in your contracts depends on your contracts.
Do we have to switch vendors?
No, and often the best outcome switches nobody. A benchmarked renewal with the incumbent is usually faster and less disruptive.
When should we start?
Ninety days before the renewal date at the latest. Once the notice period passes, leverage is largely gone. If a date is already close, start with the Renewal Review.
What does it cost?
No fee to you. MALA is compensated by the provider you select, only if you proceed with a change.
Thirty minutes on your upcoming renewals. A direct read on real leverage.
If a contract is already competitively priced, we will tell you that and there will be nothing to sell.
No fee to you. No obligation. An advisor responds within one business day.