Service one
Plan Weigh-up Bays
A weigh-up bay is a structured comparison session in which every candidate system is placed
on a single sheet and scored against your actual workload. We start by collecting the
quotes, the demo notes and the internal requirements list, then we separate marketing
claims from measurable facts. Seat counts, processing volumes, storage expectations and the
depth of each integration are given numeric weight, and the weights are agreed with you
before the scoring begins so the result cannot be steered after the fact.
The bay produces three outputs. The first is a ranked table that shows where each option
gains and loses ground. The second is a short narrative explaining the result in language a
non technical director can follow. The third is a risk register listing the assumptions
that would need to change for the ranking to flip. Clients frequently find that two options
are separated by less than the margin of error, which is itself a valuable finding because
it tells the buyer to negotiate on price and migration support rather than on features.
A typical weigh-up runs two to three weeks and covers between two and six candidate
platforms. We can sit inside an existing procurement process or run independently alongside
an internal team. Either way the scoring record is stored with the paper so the decision can
be audited a year later when the renewal arrives.
Service two
Rate Card Runs
A rate card run rebuilds the vendor price list line by line and applies your real usage so
the monthly invoice can be predicted before it is issued. Published rate cards are rarely
wrong in an obvious way. They are simply long, and the important conditions sit in
footnotes, in tier boundaries and in support addenda that are easy to skip. We translate the
whole page into a worksheet where every seat band, storage step, message allowance and
support premium appears with a formula attached.
Once the worksheet exists we run three scenarios: a normal month, a peak month and a season
of slow trading. The three scenarios expose step charges that only appear at volume, which
is where budget surprises usually originate. A client who believes the platform costs a flat
monthly fee will discover that the reporting module steps up at a specific row count, and
that the support tier they were offered during the sales cycle becomes expensive after the
first year.
The deliverable is a rebuilt rate card in your own terminology, a scenario table and a
sensitivity note showing which single input moves the annual figure most. That sensitivity
note is the tool we use later during negotiation, because it shows exactly where a vendor
has room to move without touching the headline price.
Service three
Switch Guide Desks
A switch guide desk turns a decision into an executable sequence. Once the comparison
points toward a move, the difficult part begins: retiring one system while another comes
online without a gap in service. We write the migration order, the cutover window, the
rollback path and the communication plan in plain language, with a named owner against each
task. Nothing is left to a vague instruction to coordinate with the vendor.
The guide desk also handles the quiet dependencies that sink migrations. A reporting
spreadsheet nobody documents, a single sign on link that only one person knows how to
rebuild, a scheduled export that feeds a partner portal. We list these in a pre cutover
checklist and mark which ones must be tested in advance. On the day of the switch the guide
becomes a running sheet with time stamps, so the team always knows whether the process is on
plan or behind.
The output is a switch guide document of ten to twenty pages, a one page day of cutover
sheet and a rollback statement accepted by your own technical lead. We stay available
through the cutover window itself and for one week afterwards to review the first reports
against the expected shape.
Service four
Term Compare Windows
Term compare windows place contracts of different lengths against the same forecast so the
trade off between commitment and monthly price becomes visible. A twelve month offer almost
always costs more per month than a thirty six month offer, but it protects the buyer from
changing needs and from vendor price increases after the first anniversary. Whether that
protection is worth the premium depends on how stable your operation is and how quickly the
product market is moving.
We build the window with your own growth assumptions, then show the total cost of each term
alongside the flexibility surrendered. Where a long term includes a step increase in year
two or a support fee that activates automatically, those amounts are pulled forward into the
comparison so the apparent discount is measured honestly. We also model the realistic early
exit figure for each term, because a contract you cannot leave is worth less than its
headline saving.
The result is a term matrix with a recommended length and a list of clauses worth changing
before signature. Clients often use the matrix to ask for a shorter initial term with an
optional extension, which frequently captures most of the discount while keeping the exit
door unlocked.
Service five
Renewal Savings Reviews
A renewal savings review reads the last twelve months of usage and identifies the services
that were paid for but never used. It is common for an account to carry extra seats from a
departed team, a storage tier that outgrew its need and an add on module that was trialled
then forgotten. Each of these is a line on the invoice and a small leak in the budget.
The review quantifies the available saving and prepares the negotiation points for the
renewal meeting. We produce a one page brief listing the changes to request, the evidence
behind each request and the concession we believe is realistic. Where the vendor offers a
loyalty discount in place of removal, we model both routes so the cheaper option is clear.
The brief is written to be used by someone who has never negotiated a software contract
before.
Reviews are best booked four to eight weeks before the anniversary, which leaves room for a
counter offer. A late review is still useful, but the leverage is smaller and the advice has
to account for the fact that renewal has already been agreed. We will tell you plainly which
situation you are in.
Service six
Exit Fee Audits
An exit fee audit maps every cost attached to leaving a contract before the departure is
planned. Termination charges, notice periods, data handover duties, minimum term shortfalls
and the cost of retaining historic records are all read from the master agreement and the
order forms. These documents are usually long, and the clauses that matter are rarely
labelled clearly.
We build a departure schedule that shows what leaving at each possible date would cost, so a
move can be timed to fall after a penalty window rather than before it. Where the agreement
allows negotiation on an early exit, the audit suggests the argument most likely to reduce
the figure. Where the agreement is rigid we say so, and we help plan around the date instead
of paying a fee that could have been avoided.
The audit output includes a departure cost table, a notice checklist with the calendar dates
already calculated, and a data handover list covering everything that must be exported
before access ends. This last item is often underestimated, and losing access to historic
records is a permanent cost that never appears on the exit invoice.
Process overview
From first document to signed switch guide
-
Intake and scope note
A short call establishes the decision in front of you, the platforms involved and the
deadline. We return a scope note with the fee fixed in advance and no hourly surprises.
-
Document collection
Quotes, order forms, renewals and integration diagrams arrive in a shared folder. We flag
anything missing and provide a plain template for usage exports where a vendor is slow to
supply data.
-
Modelling and comparison
Rate cards are rebuilt, terms are placed against the forecast and options are scored on the
agreed weights. Findings are written as we go, so there is no rush at the end of the file.
-
Findings review
We present the comparison paper, answer questions and record any dissent in the final
document. Nothing is softened to make a recommendation more comfortable.
-
Switch or renew
If the answer is to move, a switch guide and cutover plan follow. If the answer is to stay,
the negotiation brief and renewal date are set before we close the file.
What a services engagement includes
Every engagement with A Brighter Alternative UT LLC includes the comparison paper, a
findings call, and one round of written questions answered after the paper is read. We do
not charge for the time spent explaining our own work, because a comparison the client
cannot understand is not finished. Files are delivered as plain documents with numbered
sections and a short summary page for readers with limited time.
Where a client needs help beyond the paper, the switch guide desk and the negotiation
brief are the usual next steps. Both are offered as separate fixed fee items, and neither
is required to benefit from the initial comparison. We would rather deliver one clear
answer than a long programme of meetings.
Put your next contract on the scale
Send the current contract set and the decision deadline. We reply with a scope note, a fixed
fee and a start date, usually within one business day.
Book a comparison call
→