SAP’s dominant negotiating position is often a challenge for sourcing and vendor management professionals looking to cut costs and avoid pitfalls in contracting.  A tough year for SAP with a 40% drop in license revenue in the first half of 2009 compared to last year presents new challenges in negotiating.  Has this drop made SAP more flexible in sales negotiations, or more determined to fight for every dollar it can get, hold firmly to standard discount levels and force through its maintenance price hike?

Forrester Research, led by Principal Analyst, Duncan Jones, Senior Analyst, Liz Herbert, and Research Associate, Elizabeth Rose, is preparing to tackle these problems and publish a report on pricing trends and best practices for negotiating with SAP and we need you. 

Our report will answer the following key questions:

• What are the best practices for negotiating with SAP, and what are the pitfalls to avoid?
• Which contractual concessions should buyers prioritize in their negotiation strategy?
• How has SAP’s behavior in sales processes changed in the past year?
• What further changes do SAP buyers want the vendor to make to its pricing & licensing policies and/or its sales approach?

SAP’s pricing is complex, but through Forrester’s wealth of resources and by conducting several end-user interviews, we will identify best practices as well as potential risks and opportunities to help sourcing and vendor management professionals better control license and maintenance costs.  Have you have been involved in SAP license purchases or negotiations?  Do you have any tips or best practices that you would be willing to share?  If you would like to discuss your experiences negotiating with SAP or want to find out what you could have done differently, please contact Elizabeth Rose at erose@forrester.com.  In return for your participation, we will send you a copy of the published report.  Please note we will treat information as completely confidential and will not mention individual names or company names.