Separate the price from the commitment
A monthly equivalent on an annual offer does not tell you when payment is due. Ask whether the quoted amount is paid upfront or in instalments, whether GST is included, which billing units count and whether a minimum applies. Record the date and version of the offer. If a salesperson describes a different arrangement from the written terms, ask for the difference to be resolved before accepting.
Build a small calendar from the actual contract: start date, renewal date, any notice date and the person responsible for checking the renewal. Do not copy a notice period from another vendor’s website. This worksheet helps you compare offers; it does not interpret or change your legal rights.
Ask what happens when your team changes
Use two concrete scenarios. First, one worker leaves and another joins. Ask when the bill changes, whether archived accounts still count and what happens to the departing worker’s authored records. Second, your service grows midway through the year. Ask whether additions are prorated, whether an upgrade starts a new term and which features change.
Request the answer for the actual plan under consideration. A general statement that a product is “flexible” is difficult to budget against. If you cannot obtain a definite answer, mark the cost or condition unresolved. Keep your existing software until the replacement’s access and records have been checked.
Treat leaving as a workflow
Ask for a sample exit export and an explanation of its scope. Does it include attachments, versions, comments, assignments and audit history? Which formats can your next system import? Identify any professional-service fee, lead time or extraction limit. Ask who authorises the export and which secure transfer method is available.
Then ask about read-only access, retention and deletion after cancellation, including backups and records subject to another retention requirement. The vendor should explain its process; your organisation must decide what it needs to retain under applicable obligations. Do not delete your only usable copy simply because the new dashboard looks correct. Reconcile a sample, counts and exceptions before deciding that a transition is complete.
Negotiate a useful written schedule
A practical request is: “Please confirm the first term and renewal amount, all compulsory services, the process for changing quantities, and the export service available if we leave.” Attach the same questions to each quote. A discount matters only if the product fits and the complete terms are acceptable. No special marketplace price is implied by this worksheet.
For a fictional comparison, Offer A costs less in year one but leaves migration charges unresolved. Offer B includes a documented export service at a higher annual price. Keep the unresolved amount visible instead of ranking A as the cheapest complete option. Use the existing cost calculator for known amounts and this worksheet for the conditions that arithmetic cannot settle.
Make it useful today
Your working checklist
Use example data here. Answers stay in this page until you choose to save a file. Closing the page loses unsaved answers. No account or email is required.
Make your shortlist earn its place
Shortlist products by the work they support, then compare complete written offers. ProviderQMS annual enquiries are open. Online annual purchase is not yet open; the current plans page explains availability and the separate treatment of document licences.
Compare the multi-vendor catalogue →Sources and scope
Official and vendor sources provide context. The worksheet and example are our practical editorial method, not an official form, independent product certification or audit result. Check requirements that apply to your service.