We price our work the way we advise our clients: honestly. No inflated day rates, no hidden scope creep, no SAP reseller margins built in. Every engagement is scoped clearly before work begins — you know what you're paying and exactly what you get.
Our SAP licensing advisory services are structured around how risk and value are distributed in your engagement. We don't apply a blanket day rate to every problem — the fee model matches the engagement type.
SAP licensing complexity varies enormously — a 2,000-user ECC estate with indirect access exposure requires very different work than a RISE with SAP renewal review. We scope every engagement individually before issuing a fee proposal.
The most common question we receive: "How much does it cost?" The honest answer is: it depends on your exposure. A Fortune 500 with 8,000 named users, RISE in scope, and an active SAP audit letter requires far more forensic analysis than a mid-market renewal review. Here's what drives scope — and therefore fee — in every engagement.
The number of SAP systems in scope — ECC, S/4HANA, BTP, SAC, Ariba, Concur, SuccessFactors, Fieldglass — directly determines audit complexity. Every system adds measurement surface area. Multi-system landscapes with uncontrolled third-party integrations generate the highest indirect access risk and require the most detailed analysis.
The size of your named user estate and the ratio of Professional to Limited Professional, Employee, and other user types determines how much reclassification work is viable. Estates with large numbers of incorrectly classified Professional users — a common SAP audit trigger — require systematic USMM data analysis before any ELP challenge is credible.
Engagements ahead of a scheduled renewal have the most time for thorough analysis and negotiation preparation. Active audits — where SAP has already issued a measurement request or compliance gap claim — require faster mobilisation, higher advisor availability, and typically involve direct participation in commercial negotiations with SAP's audit team.
RISE with SAP proposals require independent analysis of the BoM, the bundled BTP credits, the infrastructure element, and SAP's hidden escalator clauses in the Master Agreement. Our RISE with SAP advisory service has identified average overcharges of 25–35% on RISE proposals — analysis that pays for itself many times over before signature.
We receive zero revenue from SAP SE, zero reseller commissions, and zero referral fees from any SAP implementation partner. Our fee is the only fee we earn from any engagement. This means our advice is structurally aligned with your interests — not SAP's revenue targets. When we recommend a specific licensing position, it's because it's the correct position for your business, not because it generates a margin for us. Read more about how we work →
Most enterprises either rely on SAP directly for licensing guidance, or engage a Big 4 advisory firm through their existing relationship. Neither option is structurally buyer-side. Here's how independent SAP license optimisation advisory compares.
| Criterion | SAP Licensing Experts | SAP SE Direct | Big 4 / SI Firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence from SAP | ✓ 100% buyer-side | ✗ SAP's own team | Partial — SAP partnership revenue |
| Dedicated SAP licensing focus | ✓ Only SAP licensing | ✗ Sales-led | ✗ SAP is one practice among many |
| Forensic audit defence | ✓ Core service | ✗ Conflict of interest | Partial — varies by team |
| USMM / LAW data analysis | ✓ Deep technical expertise | ✓ But used against you | Varies significantly |
| Transparent fixed-fee pricing | ✓ All engagements | ✗ N/A | ✗ Day rate, opaque scope |
| Speed of mobilisation | ✓ 48–72 hours for audits | N/A | Typically 2–4 weeks |
| Contingency-based audit defence | ✓ Available | ✗ N/A | ✗ Not standard |
The discovery call is always free and carries no obligation. In 45 minutes, we cover your current SAP environment (systems in scope, user count, contract structure), the specific issue you need to resolve (audit, renewal, RISE evaluation, or optimisation), and our initial read on the approach and likely fee range. You'll leave the call with a clear picture of whether and how we can help — before any money changes hands.
For active SAP audit engagements, we use a blended model: a fixed onboarding fee to cover immediate mobilisation and analysis, plus a success fee calculated as a percentage of validated savings — the difference between SAP's initial claim and the final settled position. The percentage varies by engagement size and complexity and is agreed before work begins. We only earn the success component if we deliver a measurable reduction in your compliance gap or back-licence claim.
Our typical clients are mid-market to enterprise organisations with SAP estates of 500 users and above. We've worked with companies running ECC 6.0 landscapes, organisations mid-transition to S/4HANA, and large enterprises evaluating or already committed to RISE with SAP. Smaller organisations with specific, discrete problems — a single contract negotiation, a targeted indirect access review — are assessed case by case. Book a discovery call and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.
Yes. We regularly operate alongside SAP implementation partners — Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, IBM, and others — who have been engaged for the technical delivery of an S/4HANA migration or RISE deployment. Our role is specifically the licensing and commercial layer: ensuring your contract is correctly structured, your named user positions are defensible, and your commercial negotiation with SAP is as strong as possible. We are not in competition with your SI — we're protecting the commercial interests your SI isn't paid to protect.
Contact us immediately. An SAP audit letter initiates a formal process with strict timelines — SAP's measurement teams move quickly to establish their initial compliance position, and the first data submission is the most critical. Our SAP audit defence service mobilises within 48 hours of engagement. We've seen organisations who waited until SAP's claim was fully formed lose significant negotiating leverage. Early intervention consistently produces better outcomes.
RISE with SAP engagements are typically scoped as fixed-fee projects. The scope covers independent analysis of the SAP proposal against your actual usage patterns and business requirements, a forensic review of the BoM and bundled BTP credits, identification of over-provisioned capacity, and development of a counter-negotiation strategy. Given that RISE contracts are typically seven-figure multi-year commitments, even modest savings justify the advisory fee many times over. See our RISE with SAP advisory service for more detail.
Every engagement starts with a free 45-minute discovery call. No pitch, no proposal pressure — just a direct conversation about your SAP licensing position and what it would take to improve it.