Skill: 1kalin/afrexai-vendor-negotiation (version 1.0.0)

# Vendor Negotiation Playbook Prepare for any vendor or supplier negotiation with a structured framework. This skill gives your AI agent the tools to research leverage, build counter-proposals, and close better deals on software, services, and materials contracts. ## What It Does 1. **Pre-negotiation research** — gather market rates, competitor pricing, and BATNA (best alternative) analysis 2. **Leverage assessment** — score your bargaining position across 8 dimensions 3. **Counter-proposal builder** — generate data-backed counter-offers with justification 4. **Concession strategy** — plan what to give and what to hold, in what order 5. **Contract term optimization** — flag unfavorable clauses and suggest alternatives 6. **Post-negotiation scorecard** — measure savings achieved vs. target ## Leverage Assessment (Score 1-5 Each) | Factor | Score | Notes | |--------|-------|-------| | **Switching cost** | ___ | How painful is it to move to a competitor? | | **Alternatives available** | ___ | How many viable alternatives exist? | | **Volume leverage** | ___ | Are you a significant customer for them? | | **Contract timing** | ___ | Is their quarter/year ending? Renewal coming? | | **Market conditions** | ___ | Is their market competitive or consolidated? | | **Relationship length** | ___ | Long-term customer = retention leverage | | **Public pricing** | ___ | Can you cite published rates or benchmarks? | | **Budget authority** | ___ | Can you credibly walk away? | **Total: ___ / 40** - 30-40: Strong position. Push for 15-30% reduction. - 20-29: Moderate. Target 8-15% improvement. - 10-19: Weak. Focus on terms, not price. - Below 10: Consider bundling or multi-year for leverage. ## Negotiation Prep Template ``` === VENDOR NEGOTIATION BRIEF === VENDOR: ___ CURRENT SPEND: $___/year CONTRACT RENEWAL DATE: ___ WHAT WE'RE BUYING: ___ CURRENT PRICE: $___ TARGET PRICE: $___ BATNA (best alternative): ___ BATNA PRICE: $___ LEVERAGE SCORE: ___ / 40 TOP 3 NEGOTIATION POINTS: 1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ CONCESSIONS WE CAN OFFER: - Multi-year commitment (2-3 years for ___% discount) - Case study / reference (worth $___K in marketing to them) - Expanded scope (add ___ users/seats for volume discount) - Upfront payment (net-30 → prepay for ___% discount) WALK-AWAY POINT: $___ RED LINES (non-negotiable): - ___ - ___ ``` ## SaaS Negotiation Cheat Sheet These tactics work on 80% of SaaS vendors: **Timing plays:** - Negotiate in their Q4 (Dec for calendar-year companies, Mar for fiscal-year) - Wait until 2 weeks before auto-renewal — urgency shifts to them - Start conversations in their slow season **Price anchors:** - "We've been quoted $X by [competitor]" — always have a real alternative - "Our budget for this category is $X" — frame it as a constraint, not a request - "At $X we'd sign a 2-year deal today" — give them certainty for discount **Common SaaS discount ranges:** | Tactic | Typical Discount | |--------|-----------------| | Annual prepay (vs monthly) | 15-20% | | Multi-year (2yr) | 20-30% | | Multi-year (3yr) | 25-40% | | Volume tier jump | 10-25% | | Case study / logo rights | 5-15% | | Startup/SMB pricing | 20-50% | | End-of-quarter deal | 10-30% | **Terms to negotiate (not just price):** - Payment terms: Net-60 or Net-90 instead of Net-30 - Auto-renewal: Require 60-day notice, not 30 - Price escalation cap: Max 5% annual increase - Termination for convenience: 30-day out clause - SLA credits: Real teeth — 10% credit per hour of downtime - Data portability: Full export within 30 days of termination ## Services & Materials Negotiation **For professional services:** - Request blended rates instead of per-role pricing - Cap T&M with a not-to-exceed amount - Negotiate fixed-price for well-defined phases - Include knowledge transfer deliverables - Tie 15-20% of payment to deliverable acceptance **For physical goods/materials:** - Get 3 quotes minimum — always - Negotiate FOB terms (who pays shipping) - Request volume break schedule in writing - Lock pricing for 6-12 months with escalation cap - Payment: 50/40/10 (order/delivery/acceptance) not 100% upfront ## Post-Negotiation Scorecard ``` === NEGOTIATION RESULTS === Original price: $___ Final price: $___ Savings: $___ (___%) Target was: $___ Hit target: Yes / No / Exceeded Key terms won: - ___ - ___ Key concessions made: - ___ Lessons for next time: - ___ ``` ## Annual Vendor Review Calendar | Month | Action | |-------|--------| | Jan | List all vendor contracts, renewal dates, annual spend | | Feb-Mar | Identify top 10 vendors by spend — start research | | Apr-May | Begin negotiations on upcoming renewals | | Jun | Mid-year vendor consolidation review | | Sep-Oct | Q4 negotiation window opens (best discounts) | | Nov | Finalize multi-year deals before budget freeze | | Dec | Audit: total savings achieved vs. target | **Goal: 12-18% average reduction across vendor portfolio = found money.** --- Built by [AfrexAI](https://afrexai-cto.github.io/context-packs/) — AI context packs that make business teams faster.


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