What earns its place stays.
Usage is healthy, the capability matters, the terms are acceptable, and switching would not produce enough net value.
Keep is a finding, not a failure to find savings.
Canonical methodology
Keep. Cut. Renegotiate. Replace.
Four decisions keep software cost optimization honest. The goal is not the smallest stack. It is the lowest responsible cost of delivering the capability the business actually needs.
Remove cost with no job.
Unused seats, former-employee licenses, duplicate subscriptions, dormant contracts, excess tiers, shadow subscriptions, billing errors, and obsolete tools.
Improve the deal.
Unit price, seat floors, term, ramps, overages, renewal caps, notice windows, support tiers, and consumption commitments.
Preserve the capability another way.
Only after net savings, implementation, maintenance, security, reliability, support ownership, and rollback have been assessed.
Evidence gate
Signal → Evidence → Economics → Decision → Execution → Verification.
A signal starts an investigation. Evidence confirms what is true. Economics show whether the action is worth taking. The client decides. Execution changes the contract, license, or workflow. Verification records the result.
For a Replace candidate, economics and risk are not a footnote. They are the gate.
What the Savings Map records
One row per capability, with a decision attached.
Illustrative Savings Map
Not an actual client engagement.
CapabilityBaselineDecisionYear 1 netRisk
Core productivity$190KKeep$0High
Video tools$62KCut$44KHigh
CRM$240KRenegotiate$47KHigh
Reporting workflow$84KPilot$52KMedium
Find out which decision your spend deserves.
The initial Savings Scan is free.