Vendor Negotiation Brief

When to use this

For negotiations where the executive will be in the room with finance or procurement. Pre-agreed roles and limits prevent ad-hoc concessions made under pressure.

What’s included

• Our team
• Their team (expected)
• Our positions
• Their likely position
• Sequencing
• Things to concede if pressed
• Things to NOT concede
• Watchouts

What to customise before you use it

• Replace Name with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Renewal / new / amendment with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Amount with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Date, format with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Specific terms with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Specific terms — and what we do if we walk with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace BATNA with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace What they're asking publicly with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Where they'd actually land with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.
• Replace Quotas, pipeline pressure, internal politics with your real meeting, project, or stakeholder details.

# Vendor Negotiation Brief

**Vendor:** [Name]   **Contract type:** [Renewal / new / amendment]   **Value at stake:** [Amount]   **Meeting:** [Date, format]

## Our team
| Name | Role in room | Authority | Says what |
|------|--------------|-----------|-----------|
|      |              |           |           |

## Their team (expected)
| Name | Role | Note |
|------|------|------|
|      |      |      |

## Our positions
- **Ideal outcome:** [Specific terms]
- **Acceptable outcome:** [Specific terms]
- **Walk-away:** [Specific terms — and what we do if we walk]
- **Alternatives if no deal:** [BATNA]

## Their likely position
- Public position: [What they're asking publicly]
- Real position (our estimate): [Where they'd actually land]
- Constraints on their side: [Quotas, pipeline pressure, internal politics]

## Sequencing
- Opening 10 min: [Tone, who speaks, what we open with]
- Middle: [Bargaining items in order]
- Endgame: [How we'll close, who has authority to sign]

## Things to concede if pressed
- [Smaller item — to use as a concession]
- [Smaller item — to use as a concession]

## Things to NOT concede
- [Item] — why
- [Item] — why

## Watchouts
- Don't reveal: [Specific facts]
- If they raise [topic]: "We'll come back to that."

## After
- Decision authority for sign-off above [Amount]: [Name]
- Counterparty agreement to be reviewed by legal before signing
- If no deal today: agreed next step is [...]