Exit provisions, data portability and integration rights belong in the RFP, not the renewal negotiation. A checklist for evaluating long-term cost of ownership.
Leverage is highest before you sign
Every term that governs your ability to leave, data export formats, migration assistance, notice periods, price escalation caps, integration rights, is negotiable while a supplier is competing and close to fixed once they are incumbent. Put those terms in the RFP so they are priced into the bid rather than argued at renewal.
Score total cost, not licence cost
Model five years: licences and their escalation, implementation, integration, data migration, training, environment and hosting costs, support tiers, mandatory upgrades, and the cost of exit. Suppliers with the lowest year-one price frequently do not win on a five-year model.
Data portability in concrete terms
Require a documented export of all customer data and configuration in an open, machine-readable format, available on demand and not only at termination. Require a schema definition. Require that attachments and audit history are included. Test the export during the pilot, not during the exit.
Integration rights
Secure a documented API with a stability commitment, a non-production environment, and an explicit right to integrate through third parties without additional licence fees. A closed platform is not cheaper; the cost simply moves to every future project that has to work around it.
Exit provisions worth naming
Termination for convenience with reasonable notice, a defined transition assistance period at pre-agreed rates, source code or configuration escrow where justified, certified data deletion afterwards, and no penalty for parallel running during migration.