Contract negotiation for enterprise programs
The System Implementer (SI) contract is the operating system for your whole program, and almost all of your leverage is gone the moment you sign. I help you use that leverage while you still have it.
Enterprise platforms are proven. What decides the outcome is the SI you hire to deploy the software, and the contract that governs how that partner behaves when the work gets hard. Gartner projects that by 2027 more than 70% of ERP initiatives will miss their business case. Those are not software failures. They are failures of scope, staffing, accountability, and incentive, and every one of them is set at the negotiating table.
I sit on your side of that table. Independent, client-side, with no stake in how many hours the program burns. The work is to structure the deal so the SI is paid for your outcome, not for its own effort.
The shift I createTen areas, negotiated before you sign.
Each one is a place where the standard form quietly favors the vendor, and where a redline pays for itself.
Pricing structure
Fixed fee, T&M, or capped, matched to the phase. See inside the contingency.
Scope & change control
A tight SOW, a rate card, and a change board so changes cannot be repriced later.
Key personnel
Name the team. No swaps without approval. Replacements ramp at the SI's cost.
Acceptance & remedies
Tested pass or fail criteria, a holdback, and a cap on cure cycles.
Liability & indemnity
Trade the cap number for carve-outs on data breach, IP, and gross negligence.
Warranties & insurance
Conformance warranties, free re-performance, and cover sized to the exposure.
IP & ownership
Own, or get a transferable license to, the configurations you paid to build.
Governance
Matched tiers, timed escalation, and a duty to keep working during a dispute.
Exit & transition
Documentation and data return on a fixed clock. Design out lock-in.
Incentive alignment
Weight the biggest payment to final acceptance. Pay for the outcome.
The full field guide, and a toolkit for the redline.
The negotiation field guide
All 10 areas in depth, with real examples, the fixed-fee vs. time-and-materials call, and the one lever that matters most in each area.
Read the guideThe negotiation toolkit
A pre-signature checklist across all 10 areas, plus a clause-by-clause quick reference. Built to bring straight into a redline session.
Download the toolkit (PDF)The red-flag checklist
The vendor-favorable clauses that look standard and quietly shift risk to you, with the fix for each, inside the guide.
See the red flags →Put independent eyes on the contract.
If you are about to sign an SI contract worth tens of millions, a candid review before signature is the cheapest insurance you will buy.