Walk into your Microsoft renewal knowing the numbers better than your reseller does.
The Microsoft EA Renewal Playbook is a 40 page guide and an Excel cost model, built from a live 2026 Enterprise Agreement renewal of about 2,300 seats, run through a reseller with Microsoft on the call. It is for the IT director, CIO or procurement lead who does this once every three years, against people who do it every week.
Instant download. PDF and Excel. One payment, no subscription. Secure checkout by Stripe.
What is in it
Chapter 1, the renewal calendar. Work backward from expiry, true-up due date and the last day to change counts. A week by week plan from 6 months out.
Chapter 2, what you are actually in. Direct EA, reseller-sold, CSP, Server and Cloud Enrollment, legacy enrollments, and the seat thresholds that decide which programs Microsoft will offer you.
Chapter 3, how the reseller sells. The move to CSP, what the reseller gains, what you give up, and the one-option workbook tell.
Chapter 4, the licensing math. Decompose the increase into new products, price increases and volume. From-SA rates versus new-seat rates. Where the money hides: AI add-ons, duplicated security add-ons, standalone products the suite already includes.
Chapter 5, true-up and true-down. How the quote is built, how to reconcile it against your own list, the arithmetic errors to look for, and how to raise one.
Chapter 6, the counter-offer sequence. The four rules, the two-track play, the ask table with open, target and fallback for every lever, and the walk-away line.
Chapter 7, scripts and checklists. Word for word scripts for the reseller call and the Microsoft call. Questions sorted by who should answer them. Pre-renewal data pull checklist. Order form clauses that protect the baseline.
The cost model
Six tabs, all formulas, sample data. Type in your counts and prices and it shows you where the increase comes from and what each ask is worth per year. Works in Excel 2016 or later, no macros.
Tab 1Inputs
Tab 2Increase Decomposition
Tab 3Option Compare: EA, CSP and split, on identical counts
Tab 4True-up Check
Tab 5Negotiation Targets
Tab 6Three-Year Summary
Who it is for
Companies with 500 to 5,000 Microsoft seats on an Enterprise Agreement or being moved off one. IT, procurement and finance leads who own the renewal. Not for resellers.
Why $299 when the free guides exist
The free guides explain the programs. This one hands you the spreadsheet, the scripts, the error checklist and the meeting order from a renewal that found a six figure invoice error and got both sellers bidding on the same quantities. Operational, not educational. If it saves you one discount point on a mid-size EA, it paid for itself a few hundred times over.
Not ready to buy
Get the free Microsoft Renewal Negotiation Kit.
The pre-renewal data pull checklist and the three email templates from chapter 7. Seven pages, no sales call attached.
One email with the kit, then an occasional note on renewal tactics. Unsubscribe in one click.
Who is behind it
Bradford Advisors LLC, Bentonville, Arkansas. An enterprise software advisory practice that negotiates renewals for mid-market companies. The playbook is the working method from one of those engagements, written down.
Questions
Is this a subscription?
No. One payment, you keep the files.
Does it include client data?
No. Every figure in the book and the model is generic or illustrative.
Is it for Microsoft 365 only?
It covers the Enterprise Agreement and the move to CSP, including Microsoft 365, the security and AI add-ons, and server licenses with Software Assurance. Azure on a separate agreement is covered where it touches the EA.
Refunds?
Email us within 14 days and you get your money back, no questions asked.
How do I get the files?
Right after payment you land on a download page with the PDF and the Excel model. Bookmark it. Updated editions go to the same place.