Practical articles on OEM licensing, renewal strategy, pricing structure, and contract risk written from the vendor side of the table.
Auto-renewals, price escalators, minimum commit floors — these five clauses are responsible for most of the money buyers leave on the table in OEM software deals. Here's what to look for before your next renewal window opens.
Read ArticleBefore your vendor ever picks up the phone, they've been preparing for weeks. Usage pulls, anchor pricing, internal stakeholder mapping. Here's the full playbook — and how to start before they do.
Read ArticleOEM software pricing isn't arbitrary. It's engineered. Understanding how vendors construct their pricing models changes what you're able to negotiate at the table.
Read ArticleMost buyers never ask these. Most vendors are hoping you don't. A short list of questions that change what you're agreeing to.
Read ArticleEvery demo shows the product at its best. Nobody shows you what the contract looks like in year three. Here's what to evaluate before you sign.
Read ArticleNew channel, new geography, new customer tier. Before you expand, check whether your OEM license actually covers it.
Read Article30 to 60 pages and most buyers read the pricing schedule and sign. Here's where the commercial exposure actually lives in the document.
Read ArticleVendors want five years. Most buyers sign three. Neither is necessarily right. Here's the framework for matching term length to your actual situation.
Read ArticleIt sounds small. Over five years, compounded and uncapped, it isn't. Here's the math and what to negotiate.
Read ArticleThe audit clause most buyers gloss over at signing. Here's what it actually gives your vendor, and what to negotiate before you agree to it.
Read ArticleA floor on what you pay regardless of usage. Here's why vendors require them, why most are poorly structured, and how to fix that before you sign.
Read ArticleIf you've done enterprise SaaS deals and assume OEM is similar, you're in for a surprise. The difference changes your risk profile, pricing model, and negotiation entirely.
Read ArticleThe term comes from hardware manufacturing and means something different in software. Here's what an OEM license actually is and why the commercial terms are different from anything else you've signed.
Read ArticleMost OEM software buyers negotiate the wrong things at the wrong time. Here are the tactics that move the needle — from someone who spent a decade on the vendor side building the playbook you're up against.
Read ArticleMost OEM agreements give buyers almost no right to exit early. Here is what termination clauses typically say, where your real rights are, and what to negotiate before you sign.
Read ArticleThe articles here are designed to help you understand how vendors build their pricing and what terms are actually negotiable. But every deal is different. If you want specific guidance on your contract, the Health Check gives you a benchmark in minutes. Or reach out directly to talk through your situation.