Free checklist

    The renewal exposure checklist

    A one page audit you can run this week to find the renewals about to auto renew on you. Work through it top to bottom. Most teams find their first surprise in section two.

    1. Build the inventory

    You cannot manage a renewal you cannot see. Start with the full list.

    • Pull every software line item from the last 12 months of card and AP spend
    • Add tools paid by individuals on expenses, not just central invoices
    • Record vendor, owner, annual value, start date, and end date for each
    • Flag every contract where nobody internally is named as the owner
    • Note which agreements you cannot find a signed copy of

    2. Find every notice window

    The notice period, not the end date, is your real deadline.

    • Locate the termination clause in each contract and write down the notice period
    • Calculate the last day you can give notice, then work back 30 days for the internal decision
    • Mark every contract that auto renews without any action from you
    • List the contracts whose notice date falls in the next 90 days
    • Check who is contractually allowed to give notice and how it must be delivered

    3. Check the commercial terms

    These are the clauses that quietly move the price without a negotiation.

    • Uplift or indexation cap at renewal, and whether one exists at all
    • Minimum commitment or seat floor you cannot drop below
    • True up terms for overage, and how overage is priced
    • Payment terms, invoicing frequency, and any early payment discount
    • Discount language: is it locked for the term or only for year one
    • Assignment, change of control, and what happens if you restructure
    • Termination for convenience, and any early exit fee

    4. Test the usage case

    Usage evidence is the cheapest leverage you have.

    • Pull active user counts against licensed seats for each tool
    • Identify licences unused in the last 60 days
    • List features you pay for in a higher tier but do not use
    • Find overlapping tools that solve the same job
    • Check whether usage is growing, flat, or declining going into the renewal

    5. Line up the stakeholders

    Most renewals are lost internally before the vendor conversation starts.

    • Name a single business owner for each renewal in the next two quarters
    • Confirm who signs and how long approval usually takes
    • Ask each owner whether they would renew, reduce, or replace
    • Collect one piece of evidence per position: usage, incident history, or a quote
    • Agree the walk away position before the first vendor call

    6. Prepare the ask

    Go in with a number and a reason, not a request for a better price.

    • Benchmark the price per seat or per unit against what you know of the market
    • Decide the target and the acceptable outcome, in writing
    • Prepare the alternative you are genuinely willing to use
    • Open the conversation at least 90 days before the notice date
    • Ask for multi year terms only where the uplift cap and exit rights are right

    Want a second pair of eyes on it?

    Book 30 minutes and we map your upcoming renewals together, flag the notice windows closing first, and you decide whether Venduris fits.

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