Client Background
A leading higher education institution embarked on a major digital transformation to modernize its back-office systems. The initiative involved migrating from aging on-premise ERP and HCM solutions to a cloud-based Oracle platform.
After completing a competitive RFP and functional evaluation, the client desired assistance from a professional firm for their commercial negotiation strategy and engaged UpperEdge to provide expert sourcing and negotiation support for the remainder of the process.
The Challenge
Despite having strong internal evaluation capabilities, the client faced several challenges:
- A lack of a structured approach for commercial and contractual negotiations.
- Limited experience managing large-scale ERP cloud transformation sourcing efforts.
- The need to balance competitive leverage with a long-term, strategic vendor relationship.
The client sought to not only secure a best-in-class deal but also establish the foundation for a sustainable partnership with Oracle that would support implementation and value realization for years to come.
UpperEdge’s Approach
UpperEdge partnered closely with the client to design and execute a comprehensive negotiation strategy that prioritized both financial outcomes and relationship-building.
Our team provided:
- Sourcing Timeline and Governance: Ensuring the client controlled the negotiation cadence, narrative, and stakeholder engagement.
- Commercial Term Templates & Benchmarking: Delivering market-tested templates, financial benchmarks, and key commercial term recommendations to guide decision-making.
- Executive-Level Messaging: Preparing client stakeholders for each vendor interaction with consistent, strategic messaging to maintain leverage and alignment.
- Partnership Alignment: Facilitating deeper engagement with Oracle’s leadership and product teams to ensure commitment to long-term success.
This balanced approach allowed the client to “negotiate aggressively without being adversarial,” strengthening both outcomes and relationships.
The Results
Through a combination of disciplined strategy, market intelligence, and experienced guidance, the client achieved:
- Over $11 Million in Savings in the near term, and over $17 Million in Savings long-term, delivering an ROI exceeding 100x their investment.
- Best-in-Class Pricing and Commercial Terms, including aggressive subscription discounts and multi-term renewal price protections.
- Payment Flexibility, with subscription fees better aligned to deployment timelines.
- Enhanced Partnership Value, including direct access to Oracle product leaders and consulting resources to minimize implementation risk.
- Additional $9M in Savings as part of related system implementation negotiation, including terms that incentivize cost, schedule and quality performance.
These outcomes not only provided immediate financial benefit but also positioned the client for long-term operational and strategic success.
Impact
This engagement highlights how UpperEdge helps clients go beyond savings, driving value through strategy, structure, and stronger partnerships that empower value realization.
By combining commercial rigor with relationship intelligence, UpperEdge ensures clients achieve the best possible outcomes today and remain positioned for success tomorrow.
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