Oracle Renewal Advisory

Oracle Renewal Negotiation Checklist

90-day countdown checklist for Oracle support renewals, ULA certifications, cloud migrations, and new agreement negotiations. 45+ action items.

90
Day Countdown
45+
Action Items
15-35%
Typical Savings
Your Progress
0/43 (0%)
📅
Day 90-75: Discovery & Baseline
8 items
0/8
▾
Calendar the exact Oracle renewal date and opt-out deadline
Missing an opt-out window can trigger automatic renewal at unfavourable terms. Know every critical date.
Critical
Identify ALL Oracle agreements in scope
You may have multiple agreements: OMA, CSA, OLSA, ULA, cloud subscriptions, Java SE, and middleware. Map every one.
Important
Extract your complete Oracle entitlement position
Compile every licence grant: processor, NUP, ULA products, cloud credits, and Java SE subscriptions from all order forms.
Document current Oracle annual support fees by product
Know exactly what you pay for each product. This is your baseline for negotiation.
Identify Oracle products no longer in use or planned for decommission
Products you no longer need are the first negotiation lever. Oracle support on unused products is pure waste.
Important
Determine if you are in a ULA and whether certification is due
ULA certification timing is critical. Certifying too early or too late has major commercial implications.
Critical
Check for any recent Oracle audit activity or compliance concerns
Unresolved compliance issues give Oracle leverage. Address gaps before renewal negotiation begins.
Engage independent Oracle renewal advisory
Oracle account teams are professional negotiators. Independent advisors with Oracle market data level the playing field.
Critical
📊
Day 75-60: Usage Analysis & Benchmarking
7 items
0/7
▾
Run a complete Oracle deployment discovery
Scan all environments: production, development, test, DR, and cloud. Map every Oracle product and option in use.
Important
Identify all Oracle Database options and packs in use
Partitioning, RAC, Advanced Security, Diagnostics, and Tuning packs are expensive. Verify which are actively needed.
Audit Oracle Java SE deployments and subscription needs
Java SE licensing changed significantly. Understand the Employee metric and whether you need it across all or only some employees.
Assess Oracle middleware usage (WebLogic, SOA, ODI)
Middleware is commonly over-licensed. Identify products that can be decommissioned or replaced.
Calculate your actual Oracle consumption vs entitlement
Build your Effective Licence Position. Know where you are over-entitled (can reduce) and under-entitled (compliance risk).
Commission independent pricing benchmark
Compare your Oracle pricing against market data from similar organisations. This is your most powerful negotiation tool.
Critical
Benchmark Oracle support pricing against third-party alternatives
Rimini Street, Spinnaker, and other providers offer 50% support savings. Even evaluating them creates leverage.
Important
🛡️
Day 60-45: Competitive Leverage
6 items
0/6
▾
Evaluate PostgreSQL or other database alternatives for non-critical workloads
Even a credible evaluation creates significant Oracle negotiation leverage.
Important
Assess cloud-native alternatives (AWS Aurora, Azure SQL, Google Cloud SQL)
Cloud database alternatives are increasingly viable. A formal evaluation gives you options.
Evaluate third-party support for stable Oracle environments
Third-party support at 50% savings is a credible alternative for databases not requiring new patches.
Request competitive quotes from alternative providers
Written quotes from alternatives make your leverage tangible. Oracle responds differently when they see real competition.
Important
Determine which Oracle workloads are truly locked in vs moveable
Not everything is locked in. Identify workloads where alternatives are feasible to build negotiation leverage.
Brief your Oracle account team that you are evaluating alternatives
Let Oracle know you have options. This shifts the negotiation dynamic significantly.
Tip
📜
Day 45-30: Contract Terms Review
7 items
0/7
▾
Review all auto-renewal and opt-out clauses
Understand exactly when and how you must notify Oracle to prevent automatic renewal.
Critical
Identify annual uplift rates across all agreements
Oracle standard uplift is 3-4% but many customers are on higher rates. Challenge any uplift above 3%.
Check for co-termination opportunities
Aligning multiple agreements to a single renewal date increases your leverage and simplifies management.
Review support reinstatement penalties
If you dropped support on any products, Oracle charges back-fees to reinstate. Know the exposure before negotiating.
Assess ULA certification count maximisation strategy
If certifying a ULA, ensure you deploy and count every possible installation before certification.
Critical
Identify contract terms you want to improve
Reduction rights, audit limitations, pricing caps, cloud flexibility. Build your wish list of improved terms.
Important
Prepare your target pricing and walk-away position
Define your ideal outcome, acceptable outcome, and the point at which you walk away. Share this with your team only.
Critical
🤝
Day 30-15: Active Negotiation
8 items
0/8
▾
Present Oracle with your renewal proposal (not theirs)
Lead with your proposal. Do not negotiate from Oracle proposals — their starting position is designed to anchor high.
Critical
Include utilisation data showing products for reduction or removal
Data-driven arguments are difficult for Oracle to dismiss. Show them exactly what you use and do not use.
Present benchmark data demonstrating market-competitive pricing
Independent benchmark data is the single most effective negotiation tool against Oracle.
Important
Request multi-year pricing locks with capped uplifts
Lock pricing for 3-5 years with annual uplifts capped at 3% or less.
Negotiate reduction rights for future flexibility
Require the ability to reduce support by 10-20% annually as needs change.
Important
Push for audit limitation clauses
Limit Oracle audit rights to once every 3 years with 90-day advance notice.
Negotiate cloud migration credits if considering Oracle Cloud
If evaluating Oracle Cloud, negotiate migration credits and pricing commitments.
Align negotiation timing with Oracle fiscal calendar
Oracle fiscal year ends May 31. Quarter-ends (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) create quota pressure. Use this.
Tip
⏰
Day 15-0: Final Negotiation & Execution
7 items
0/7
▾
Review the final Oracle proposal against your target position
Compare every line item against your target. Do not rush to accept.
Important
Verify all pricing, product lists, and metrics are correct
Oracle contracts often contain errors. Verify every product name, metric, quantity, and price.
Critical
Confirm all negotiated terms are reflected in the contract
Verbal commitments have no value. Every negotiated term must be in the signed agreement.
Critical
Have legal review the final agreement before signing
Oracle contracts contain complex terms. Legal review is essential before execution.
Ensure the agreement includes all standard protections
Confirm: uplift caps, reduction rights, audit limitations, termination rights, and data export provisions.
Execute the agreement and distribute to all stakeholders
Share the signed agreement with IT, procurement, finance, and legal. Update your contract management system.
Calendar the next renewal date and begin preparation 12 months out
The best renewal preparation starts immediately after the current renewal is complete.
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