Interested in Negotiating a Site License?
If
you want many copies of a software product, buying the software
through a site license may be the least expensive way to go. To
negotiate a license, pay attention to all the details of the license
agreement and have a software distribution plan in mind. Most vendors
offer site license agreements. Work with them to understand or make
changes that apply to your situation.
Clarify the following:
- Scope of
the license: Does it extend to students only? Branch campuses?
- Annual or
perpetual: If it's an annual license, what steps will you need
to take if you stop paying annual maintenance? If the license
is perpetual, is it good for only one version?
- Documentation:
Can you make copies of the documentation for your users?
- Technical
Support: If they offer "limited" support, does that
mean a certain number of questions a year or that they will only
answer questions from one or two contacts or only during business
hours in their time zone?
- Record-keeping:
What kind of records does the vendor expect (an annual count of
software, the location of each copy, the names of the people using
the software, etc.)?
If the usefulness of this license extends beyond your department, you may want to distribute the software to other WSU users. A site license can provide a means to make the software available to other WSU users and help you recover the costs. Be sure to consider how you will distribute the software while you are negotiating the license. Vendor restrictions on who can receive the software and record-keeping may cause complications. Consider, too, the amount of time it will take to administer the license.
If you are negotiating a Node license be sure to find out if the price break applies to each single purchase or all orders by the department. For example: Company A has set pricing levels of 100-200 licenses for $15.00 and 201-300 licenses for $13.00. Your department orders 150 licenses and pays $15 each, six months later, your department orders another 150 licenses. Are you now paying $13.00 each for the second 150 licenses or again paying $15.00?
If you negotiate a site license, we encourage you to make the information available to the rest of the University. Please contact IT Site Licensing at 509-335-0459 to have your site license information included in this web site.