Independent evaluation of Rimini Street, Spinnaker Support, and alternatives. Contract negotiation. SAP response management. Fixed-fee advisory.
SAP's standard support cost is 22% of your net license value annually. For large SAP estates, that is $2M to $10M per year for a support package that most organizations use for updates they may never apply, support calls that rarely resolve critical issues, and an obligation that auto-renews without commercial scrutiny. Third-party support typically costs 50% less and, for organizations that are not imminently migrating to S/4HANA, delivers comparable or superior technical support coverage.
The decision to move to third-party support is commercially significant and technically nuanced. SAP will respond with pressure tactics, migration urgency claims, and contract restrictions. Redress Compliance provides independent evaluation, provider selection advisory, contract negotiation, and transition management that ensures you make the right decision and execute it correctly.
Not every SAP estate is suited to third-party support at every point in time. We assess your current SAP landscape for third-party support eligibility: your S/4HANA migration timeline, contractual obligations to SAP, existing third-party customizations, support ticket volume and type, and the specific technical capabilities your organization actually uses from SAP support. We produce a clear go or no-go recommendation with a financial case for each outcome.
We conduct an independent evaluation of the leading third-party SAP support providers: Rimini Street, Spinnaker Support, and selected regional providers. Our evaluation covers technical support coverage for your specific SAP components, security advisory capability, contractual terms and pricing, financial stability and service delivery track record, and compatibility with your regulatory and compliance requirements. We present a clear recommendation with supporting analysis rather than leaving you to compare proposals independently.
Third-party support contracts are themselves negotiable. We benchmark provider pricing against comparable engagements, negotiate commercial terms that protect your flexibility, and ensure your contract includes clear provisions for re-entry to SAP support if your strategy changes. We also evaluate the contractual implications of third-party support for your SAP license agreement and advise on any notifications or steps required to execute the transition without triggering SAP contract restrictions.
SAP will respond to your third-party support decision with renewal pressure, migration urgency messaging, and in some cases claims about contractual restrictions. We manage SAP's response: reviewing the contractual basis for any SAP objection, preparing your response to SAP's account team, and ensuring the transition is executed in a way that does not create unnecessary commercial friction. We also advise on the path back to SAP support if required, including the terms SAP typically applies to organizations rejoining from third-party support.
Combined saving achieved through third-party support transition and license optimization for a manufacturing enterprise over three years.
View Details →Global logistics company. Transition from SAP standard support to Rimini Street following independent provider evaluation and contract negotiation.
View Details →Massachusetts university system. Combined ECC support strategy with centralized usage review delivering 31% SAP licensing cost reduction.
View Details →Paying full SAP standard support fees?
Yes. SAP's contracts do not prohibit the use of third-party support providers. The transition requires careful execution to ensure compliance with notification obligations and to preserve re-entry rights if you later wish to return to SAP support. We advise on the specific steps required for your contractual situation.
Third-party support does not prevent an eventual S/4HANA migration, but it does affect the commercial terms available when you return to SAP support. We model the full financial impact of third-party support against your specific migration timeline before recommending the approach.
Leading third-party providers such as Rimini Street and Spinnaker Support provide security advisory and custom fix development as part of their support offering. They do not replicate SAP's standard patch delivery, but for organizations on stable ECC landscapes, the practical security coverage is typically adequate. We assess your specific security requirements as part of the eligibility evaluation.
Fixed-fee, agreed before engagement begins. The advisory cost is recovered in the first weeks of third-party support savings for most organizations paying more than $500K in annual SAP maintenance.
SAP applies a reinstatement process that typically involves back-maintenance payments and updated contract terms. The specific terms depend on your contractual situation and how long you have been on third-party support. We advise on the re-entry path and negotiate the reinstatement terms if required.
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