Our Services
VPS professionals DO NOT NEGOTIATE off of the list price, instead we negotiate off of the vendor's cost. As premier IT maintenance procurement negotiators with careers on the sales side we have the ability to handle:
| complex licensing structure | maintenance and support contracts |
| supplier/partner strategies | quarter-end discount structures |
| back end/front end rebates | contract administration |
VPS knows precisely how to achieve the most competitive pricing and terms through our "Virtual Vendor Board" guidelines - even when you are in the middle of a maintenance term. Most importantly VPS structures all IT transactions to reduce your total costs and avoid non-compliance surprises.
Products & Services
- Software Services
- Computer and Network Hardware
- Disaster Recovery
- Consulting Services
- Outsourcing
- Deliverables
Software Services
A Value Gap is created when vendors apply a licensing model that fails to match the way your business uses software. We can help you close the Value Gap and create a new schema better aligned to your needs and with greater flexibility to make modifications as business conditions change. All the while making sure you are receiving the appropriate discounts for your organization
We can help you with these aspects of software procurement and licensing:
- Market competitive pricing for licenses and support
- Right-licensed solutions
- Compliance and risk mitigation
- Comprehensive licensing terms and conditions
- Upgrades and obsolescence
- Expansions and migrations
- Service level agreements and enforcement
- On-line and outsourced vs. on-premise solutions
- Infrastructure design to minimize license requirements
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Computer and Network Hardware
The procurement of hardware has been mostly commoditized; however there are many ways to optimize the total costs of acquisition and deployment which includes the equipment, installation, maintenance, support services, and financing. We can help you with optimization in the following areas:
- Market competitive prices (auctions and multiple bidders don’t always obtain the lowest costs)
- Future price protection in a declining cost market
- Maintenance and support aligned with up-time requirements
- Manufacturer warranties and remedies for problems
- Service level performance definition and enforcement
- Upgrades, trade-in programs, and retirements
- Installation services
- Product standardization
- Operating system software and utilities
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Disaster Recovery
Many changes have occurred among the major service providers and with the regulatory requirements for business continuity. It is important to create the proper mix of insurance and recovery services to meet the fiduciary and operational requirements of your business. We can help you with these key issues:
- Market competitive pricing for major and boutique providers
- Contract construction to give you the greatest flexibility in changing equipment
- Comprehensive terms and conditions development
- Recovery testing and validation
- Network services for data and voice
- Hot site, cold site, and mobile recovery solutions
- Declaration and usage requirements
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Consulting Services
There are many ways consulting organizations mix and match hourly rates with job functions to create a matrix of talent and fees that can be complex and overwhelming. We can help you simplify the consulting fee structure and ensure you get the best rates. Fixed rate bids are not always a good deal, and time and material agreements need controls. We have developed best practices to determine when each rate type is warranted.
We have created terms and conditions specific to consulting arrangements that protect your intellectual rights and prevent projects from escalating out of control.
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Outsourcing
Outsourcing hardware or applications can be beneficial as long as it is seamless to both the users of the software and those who must support it. Terms and conditions are extremely important and service levels and their problem resolutions must be detailed. We can identify all costs associated with outsourcing so there are no billing surprises.
There are key items we have addressed in outsourcing agreements:
- Licensing, ownership, and intellectual property for software
- Clearly delineated responsibilities
- Upgrades and downgrades
- Infrastructure for production, development, and testing
- Application problem resolution and helpdesk coordination
- Pricing models that match your business requirement
Deliverables
1. Past Purchase Optimization - VPS will analyze historical purchase transactions and maintenance payments to uncover any discrepancies between the actual amounts paid for licensing, trade-ins, upgrades, migrations, support, services, etc. and the contract price, which is also compared to the fair market value. We can quantify these discrepancies and help you with a plan to recover the overcharges.
2. License Optimization - VPS will review your current software licensing schema in relation to your business needs, infrastructure requirements, and usage patterns. If a better licensing model is indicated, VPS will help you plan a migration to the optimal configuration that minimizes costs and maximizes business functionality.
3. Present and Future Price Optimization - VPS will benchmark items such as acquisition costs, discount levels, maintenance percentages, and upgrade and migration fees to the current market conditions. If you are out-of-market in any of these areas we will develop a plan to get better rates.
4. Terms Optimization - VPS will help you secure better terms and conditions for the most flexibility and protection, clearly defining expectations to minimize your risk and maximize the effectiveness of your contracts. We have constructed a database of the industry’s best terms and conditions—including those accepted by vendors which we have customized for our clients—to easily meet your particular business needs. We have a 100% success rate in improving terms and conditions.
5. Partnership Optimization - Contract Negotiation Corporation has experience working with many technology companies. We don’t receive payment from vendors—we are the customer’s advocate—but we know your success depends on the partners in your business. For this reason VPS will devise a decisive market strategy that benefits both you and your vendor by leveraging a win/win negotiation that matches their offerings to your business requirements. A long-term relationship with a technology vendor deserves a competitive cost advantage and conscientious customer service. We develop strategies to increase your value to the supplier so the supplier strives to better accommodate you.
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