A Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal is the single biggest software negotiation most organisations run, and Microsoft increasingly pushes customers toward the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA-E), bundled Copilot, and higher tiers at renewal. A clear Microsoft EA renewal strategy — started early — is what separates a flat renewal from a double-digit increase.
A clean baseline, a savings target, and the levers to push back on every Microsoft ask.
Microsoft EAs run on a three-year term with annual true-ups. Treat the renewal as a 9-to-12-month project: baseline and clean up entitlements (months 9–12 out), model scenarios and decide your target (months 6–9), and negotiate hard into Microsoft's June 30 fiscal year-end when discount flexibility peaks. Leaving it to the last quarter hands Microsoft the leverage — there's no time to remove shelfware, challenge the renewal quote, or evaluate alternatives.
The common traps: renewing on inflated counts because past true-ups were never trued down, accepting a forced tier upgrade (E3 to E5) you don't need, agreeing Azure commitments above realistic consumption, and signing an MCA-E transition without understanding how pricing and price protection change. Each of these is negotiable with the right data. We benchmark your quote against comparable deals and build the case to push back.
We deliver an EA renewal strategy you can execute: a clean entitlement baseline, a savings target, the specific levers to pull, and the counter-arguments for each Microsoft ask. We can advise behind the scenes or lead the negotiation directly with your account team and LSP.
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