Contract Renegotiation Tactics: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Email Scripts & Checklist
Contract Renegotiation Tactics: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Email Scripts & Checklist
Contract Renegotiation Tactics: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Email Scripts & Checklist is my plain-English playbook for cutting costs fast without breaking relationships.
I’ll show you the exact emails I send, the levers I trade, and the redlines I push.
I’ll give you a one-page checklist, a 30-60-90 plan, and a savings tracker you can copy today.
Every sentence is short.
Every step is practical.
First principles I won’t bend
Trade term, prepay, or volume for price.
Standardize SLA, security, and data exit so quality doesn’t slip.
Create leverage before you ask by running RFP-lite to two alternates.
Keep one thread, one owner, one checklist.
For fast, tight comms, see our blog post: I Don’t Respond to Long Emails.
The math that sets your walk-away
Write your BATNA in one line.
Target rate, floor, and why it’s fair.
Calculate run-rate savings = (Old − New) × 12 minus prepay cost.
If savings don’t beat your 12-month hurdle, don’t churn future goodwill.
The one-page prep checklist (copy/paste)
- Current rate, term, auto-renew date, notice window.
- Last 12 months incidents, credits, and SLA gaps.
- Comparable quotes from two alternates.
- Your offers: 24/36-month term, prepay %, volume bundle.
- Clauses you need: auto-renew notice 60–90d, CPI cap ≤3%, MFN, data portability, exit fees = $0.
- Internal owner, deadline, and rollback plan.
For deeper vendor mapping, see: Vendor Consolidation: Framework to Boost Margins Fast.
Subject lines that get answered
“Quick renewal — can sign by {DATE} if we land {TARGET}”
“Consolidating vendors — term/prepay available for {X%} relief”
“Simple path to renew: same scope, better price, faster signature”
Opening email that sets leverage (copy/paste)
Subject: Renewal by {DATE} — simple path if we land {Target}
Hi {Name},
We’re consolidating {category} this month.
Annualized spend is ${X}.
We can offer {24/36}-month term or {Y%} prepay.
If you can meet ${Target} with current SLA/security unchanged, we’ll sign by {DATE}.
If not, we’ll proceed with an alternate.
Can you confirm today?
Thanks,
{Name}, {Title}
Term-for-price script (email + call)
Email: “We’ll commit to 36 months at ${Target}/mo if SLA and data terms remain unchanged.”
Call: “Happy to trade time for price.
If we shorten to 24 months, we can accept ${Target+δ}.
Which path fits your book.”
Prepay-for-discount script
“We can prepay 12 months for an additional {X%} off, provided auto-renew is opt-in with 90-day notice and CPI cap ≤3%.”
Volume-for-perks bundle ask
“We’ll consolidate {tool A + tool B} under your platform.
In exchange, please extend enterprise support and sandbox at no extra charge, with rate ${Target} for 36 months.”
CPI cap + MFN clause (short redlines)
“Add: ‘Annual increases capped at 3% or CPI-U, whichever is lower.’”
“Add: ‘MFN: Customer receives pricing no less favorable than similarly situated customers for the same volume and scope.’”
Auto-renew and notice protection
“Replace auto-renew with mutual opt-in.
Set 90-day notice and a 30-day grace if invoices lag.”
Data exit and termination safety
“Add: ‘Provider will export Customer Data in open format within 5 business days of written request.
No export fee.
Termination for convenience with 30-day written notice after initial term.’”
SLA tighten-up without fuss
“Define uptime 99.9%, TTFR ≤ 15m, MTTR ≤ 2h for P1, with service credits applied automatically to the next invoice.”
When they ask for a reference or case study
“Happy to provide a reference after we execute with {Target}, CPI cap, and data exit language.
Those guardrails are standard across our vendor set.”
The calm “no” that preserves the relationship
“We can’t accept open-ended CPI or auto-renew.
If meeting ${Target} isn’t possible, we’ll wrap the current term and keep the door open for future projects.
Thank you for the good work to date.”
Renewal acceptance email (clean finish)
“Confirmed at ${Rate}, {24/36}-month term, CPI cap ≤3%, MFN, data exit, and SLA per attached.
Please send countersigned MSA and updated order form today.
We’ll wire on receipt.”
30-60-90 renegotiation plan
Days 1–30.
Freeze auto-renew, export AP for top 25, gather alternates, send opener emails, and book calls.
Days 31–60.
Down-select, pilot 1–2 consolidations, push redlines, sign new MSAs, and schedule cutovers.
Days 61–90.
Turn off duplicates, publish a savings bridge, and audit SLAs.
For weekly execution rhythm, read: 02: Journaling With AI.
Vendor scorecard you can paste today
VENDOR: {Name} CATEGORY: {SaaS/Cloud/3PL/Payments} OWNER: {Name} v1.0 — {YYYY-MM-DD}
Spend: ${X}/yr Term: {12/24/36} Auto-renew: {Y/N} Notice: {days}
Performance:
• SLA met last 90d: {Y/N} • Incidents: {#} • Credits: ${}
Options:
• Alternate quotes: {Vendor A ${}, Vendor B ${}}
• Levers: {Term/Prepay/Volume} • Savings potential: {X%}
Decision:
• Keep / Consolidate / Exit by {DATE}
Negotiation call agenda (15 minutes)
State the decision deadline and your two acceptable paths.
Offer term/prepay/volume trades.
Confirm CPI cap, MFN, auto-renew off, data exit, and SLA.
Close or schedule the signature block.
No meandering.
Legal clauses I insist on (checklist)
CPI cap ≤3%.
MFN for similar scope and volume.
Auto-renew opt-in with 90-day notice.
SLA with credits that apply automatically.
Data portability in open format and $0 exit fees.
Security addendum with SSO, backups, and RTO/RPO documented.
Liability caps aligned to 12 months fees, with higher caps for IP infringement and data breach.
Finance guardrails that keep savings real
Publish a savings tracker that ties to cash.
Track run-rate vs plan weekly.
Reconcile prepayments on the balance sheet.
Show savings on your owner dashboard.
For layout, see: Operating Dashboards That Matter.
Internal announcement (copy/paste)
Subject: Simple vendor renewals — same outcomes, better pricing
We’re renegotiating top vendors this quarter.
What’s not changing.
Outcomes and SLAs.
What is changing.
Fewer tools, better rates, standard terms.
Timeline.
Top 25 by {DATE}.
Questions in this thread to {Owner}.
Savings tracker columns (paste into your sheet)
Vendor.
Category.
Old rate.
New rate.
Term/prepay/volume trade.
Annualized savings.
SLA risk (H/M/L).
Owner.
Status.
Red flags I price or walk from
Auto-renew in <30 days with <30 days notice.
Uncapped CPI or “market rate” clauses.
Data hostage fees on exit.
SLAs without credits or with credits that require manual claims.
Green flags I reward with term or prepay
Transparent usage dashboards.
MFN acceptance without drama.
One support queue with named humans.
Fast countersignature on standard terms.
Tie-ins to broader ops work
Renegotiation lands faster when your SOPs are clear and your org owners are named.
If you need a simple SOP format, see: SOP Starter Kit.
If you’re mid-deal, make sure prepaids and renewals are reflected in your peg.
For the peg basics, read: Working Capital Peg Explained.
If you want to close on clean terms in a month, skim: Close in ~30 Days.
Mini-library of reply macros
Need more discount.
“We can reach ${Target} with 36-month term or {X%} prepay.
Happy to document either path.”
Won’t remove auto-renew.
“We only operate opt-in renewals.
If that’s a blocker, let’s wrap the current term and part as friends.”
No data exit.
“Open-format export within 5 business days is table stakes.
We can’t proceed without it.”
Price hike with no value.
“Hold current rate or add {Feature/SLA} to reflect the change.
Otherwise we’ll renew elsewhere.”
FAQs
When should I start renegotiation.
Start 90 days before renewal and block auto-renew the same day.
Is prepay worth it.
Only if the discount beats your capital cost and the vendor is stable.
How much can I save.
Commonly 10–20% on the top 25 vendors with term/prepay/volume trades.
Do I run a full RFP.
No.
Use RFP-lite to create leverage and keep velocity.
What if we love the vendor but hate the rate.
Trade term for price and ask for MFN.
Keep the relationship.
Should I consolidate tools.
Yes when you keep outcomes and SLAs.
Pilot first.
How do I avoid morale hits.
Tell teams what’s not changing and publish the savings scoreboard.
What if legal slows things down.
Use your standard addendum and escalate only on caps, data, SLA, and CPI/MFN.
Can I renegotiate mid-deal.
Yes if volume or scope changes materially.
Offer a term extension for relief now.
How do I know if savings are real.
Reconcile the savings bridge to cash and show it on the monthly close.
Conclusion
Contract Renegotiation Tactics: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Email Scripts & Checklist is about creating leverage, trading term/prepay/volume for price, and locking standard clauses so savings stick.
Use the opener email, push the four redlines, track the savings to cash, and close calmly in days—not months.
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