By introducing competition in your negotiations with Spanning, you can create leverage to secure better pricing and terms. If competitors have offered lower prices for similar functionalities, present that information to Spanning to facilitate negotiations. You might say, 'We are evaluating several options, and one competitor has quoted a significantly lower price for the same services, which our finance team has requested we consider.'

If you need to negotiate a lower price due to stagnant or reduced usage of Spanning services, present this to demonstrate your budget constraints. You can state, 'Given our current usage, we were not anticipating a rate increase this year and require pricing that reflects our existing utilization levels.'

Focus on negotiating to remove any proposed price uplifts. Emphasize that your budget only accommodates a specific amount for renewal, and that an uplift would necessitate the need to reevaluate your options. Say something like, 'Based on our internal budget discussions, we expected no uplift this year, which means we would need to see a flat renewal or explore our alternatives.'

Negotiate to remove any auto-renewal clauses in the contract. This will give you clearer negotiations for upcoming years. You can state, 'Our new internal policy is to only sign contracts that do not include automatic renewals, as we require flexibility moving forward for our IT expenses.'

Offer to participate in a case study or act as a reference in exchange for reduced pricing. Present this as a valuable marketing opportunity for Spanning if you reach agreeable terms. A suggested approach is, 'We're willing to serve as a reference or participate in a case study upon mutually beneficial pricing adjustments as a way to strengthen our partnership.'