Often the audit settlement is a considerable amount, and you can negotiate this with the vendor. The audit results and settlement are to make sure that you are compliant after the audit is closed. You can negotiate to purchase additional licenses, support or contract renewals as part of the settlement and offset future costs.
Once the audit settlement figure has been agreed on by all parties, you can negotiate a waiver not to audit for 2-3 years. This would be beneficial for your priority vendors.