Why Frameworks Don’t Guarantee Best Value or Software Savings

Frameworks play an important role in public sector software procurement. They provide a compliant route to market, with pre-agreed terms and conditions, completed vendor due diligence, and a structured process that reduces risk and administrative burden. For many organisations, frameworks offer reassurance and speed when buying software.

However, while frameworks support compliance, they do not guarantee best commercial value and they rarely deliver the highest level of software savings available. Understanding this distinction is critical for procurement and finance leaders under pressure to reduce software overspend.

Framework Pricing Is Designed for Scale, Not Optimisation

Framework pricing is built to work at volume. When a vendor joins a framework, they may sell to dozens or even hundreds of customers at the same pre-agreed rate. This consistency makes procurement simpler, but it also limits commercial flexibility. No software vendor can sustainably offer their best possible pricing to hundreds of organisations without putting their margins and business model at risk. As a result, framework rates are typically positioned as broadly acceptable rather than truly optimised for any individual customer.

In practice, framework pricing is often a starting point, not the best outcome.

Why Best Value Requires Direct Negotiation

Software pricing is never fixed. Vendors price strategically based on renewal timing, product bundling, customer dependency, and the likelihood of churn. Frameworks remove much of that context by standardising pricing in advance.

For organisations seeking meaningful savings, direct negotiation remains the most effective lever. It allows teams to challenge contract scope, address unused or bundled components, and secure terms that reflect actual usage and organisational need, rather than accepting a price designed to work for the market at large. Frameworks can ensure compliance, but negotiation is what drives value.

Using Frameworks Strategically

This is not an argument against frameworks. They remain an important mechanism for compliant procurement. But organisations that rely on framework pricing alone often leave savings on the table. The strongest commercial outcomes come when frameworks are used as an access route, supplemented by structured negotiation that reflects the realities of the contract, the vendor, and the organisation’s leverage.

How Wyn Helps Unlock Software Savings

Wyn supports organisations as a procurement partner alongside internal teams, bringing vendor-specific expertise and negotiation strategy into the renewal process. We help map software estates and renewal exposure, identify where spend is misaligned with usage, and apply deep knowledge of vendor pricing structures to secure stronger commercial outcomes. The result is not simply compliant procurement, but measurable discounts and contracts that reflect true value, ensuring organisations stay in control of software spend rather than defaulting to standardised pricing.

If you have a major renewal approaching and want to understand what savings may sit beyond framework pricing, book a free contract review with Wyn. We operate on a no savings no fee basis, so there’s no risk in exploring stronger commercial outcomes.

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