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SAP RISE Case Study

30 percent saved on a SAP RISE renewal.

A global manufacturer saved thirty percent on its SAP RISE renewal through a structured CVR framework, indirect access repositioning and disciplined separation of audit and renewal threads.

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How a global manufacturing group with 64,000 SAP users negotiated a thirty percent saving on its SAP RISE renewal through a structured CVR framework and indirect access posture.

Key takeaways

  • Renewal landed 30 percent below the seller opening proposal.
  • CVR framework applied across user, FUE and infrastructure dimensions.
  • Indirect access exposure converted into a documented digital access allowance.
  • Twelve month engagement, ten weeks active in the renewal window.
  • Settlement folded into the order form line items without side letters.

The client is a global manufacturing group with revenue above twenty five billion euro and operations in more than fifty countries.

SAP RISE had been signed three years earlier in haste. The renewal was the first real chance to apply a buyer side framework.

Result, the renewal landed at thirty percent below the seller opening proposal with a cleaner contract on every dimension that mattered.

The client

Profile

Global manufacturer with revenue above twenty five billion euro.

Operations in more than fifty countries with manufacturing in eighteen of them.

SAP estate at renewal

  • Sixty four thousand SAP users on S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition.
  • Annual RISE contract value above forty million euro.
  • BTP, Ariba and SuccessFactors active alongside RISE.
  • Three indirect access exposures unresolved at the start.

What triggered the negotiation

End of first RISE term

Three year RISE term coming to a close.

Group CFO had flagged SAP renewal cost as a board level discussion item.

Audit motion in the background

An indirect access audit conversation was running alongside the renewal.

Both threads needed coordinated handling.

Renewal numbers, before and after for the manufacturer RISE renewal.

Metric Opening proposal Final deal Delta
Annual contract value57 M EUR40 M EURMinus 17 M EUR
Three year term savingn/an/a36 M EUR
Uplift5 percent1 percentMinus 4 points
Indirect access postureOpen auditDigital access allowanceCleared
Audit notice10 days30 business daysImproved
Exit rampNoneDefined triggerNew right

How we approached it

CVR framework applied

  • Commercial rebuild from baseline RISE pricing rather than opening proposal.
  • Value mapping of every SKU to a documented business outcome.
  • Risk mitigation across audit, indirect access and contract continuity.

FUE rebuild

Full FUE recalculation from current user activity, not from the original baseline.

Indirect users converted to a documented digital access allowance within RISE.

Audit handled in parallel

Audit conversation handled by a separate team to prevent the seller from linking the two threads.

Settlement folded into the renewal at favourable terms.

The CVR framework forced discussion onto value and risk, not opening prices. Negotiation feel without a framework loses to a seller playbook every time.

The result

Thirty percent saving on opening proposal

Renewal landed at thirty percent below the seller opening proposal.

Twelve million euro per year saved across the term.

Digital access allowance

  • Indirect users converted into a documented digital access allowance.
  • Allowance built into the RISE contract, not into a side letter.
  • Allowance reviewed annually with a no shock clause.

Cleaner clauses

Uplift capped at one percent across the term.

Audit notice extended to thirty business days.

Exit ramp clause added for material breach scenarios.

Lessons learned

Framework beats negotiation feel

The CVR framework forced discussion onto value and risk, not opening prices.

Negotiation feel without a framework loses to a seller playbook every time.

Separate audit and renewal threads

  • Audit and renewal threads need different teams.
  • Linked threads give the seller leverage.
  • Settlement still folds into the renewal at close.

Front load indirect access work

Indirect access work belongs at the beginning of the renewal, not at the end.

Late indirect work is more expensive than early indirect work every time.

Suggested reading

What to do next

  1. Pull SAP user, FUE and indirect data twelve weeks before renewal.
  2. Apply the CVR framework on commercial, value and risk dimensions.
  3. Separate the audit thread from the renewal thread organisationally.
  4. Convert indirect users into a documented digital access allowance early.
  5. Anchor every concession into the order form line items.
  6. Add uplift cap, audit notice extension and exit ramp clauses before signing.
  7. Brief the CFO on the final deal terms in writing before counter signature.

Frequently asked questions

Was thirty percent on opening proposal unusual?

Above the median in our SAP RISE sample. Median saving on RISE renewals we run sits at fifteen to twenty two percent versus the seller opening number.

How long did the engagement run?

Twelve months total, ten weeks of intense active work inside the renewal window. The early months covered audit and indirect access ground work.

Did the seller push back hard?

Yes. The seller invested an executive sponsor and several escalations. The CVR framework absorbed the pressure without conceding the number.

How did digital access allowance change the audit position?

The allowance documented expected indirect access usage in the contract. It removed the dispute surface and reduced the audit motion to a routine annual review.

Would this approach work on a first RISE deal?

Yes, with adjustments. The CVR framework still applies. The leverage profile is different because there is no renewal calendar to lean on.

SAP RISE Negotiation Guide

The full sap rise negotiation guide framework from the SAP Practice.

SAP RISE pricing benchmarks, the CVR framework, indirect access posture, and the buyer side moves across the full SAP estate.

Used across more than five hundred enterprise engagements. Independent. Buyer side. Built for procurement leaders running the next renewal cycle.

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30%
Below Opening
36M
EUR Saved 3yr
1%
Uplift Capped
100%
Buyer Side
100%
Buyer Side

The CVR framework forced discussion onto value and risk, not opening prices. Negotiation feel without a framework loses to a seller playbook every time.

Group CFO
Global manufacturing group
Deep Library

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