Price the same operating scenario
A headline subscription price is not a complete purchasing scenario. Before asking for proposals, count the people who will perform maintenance, those who will only request work, the supervisors who need reports and the sites involved. Describe the required modules and integrations. Ask each vendor to price that same scope.
Create a second scenario for a realistic change, such as another facility or additional technicians. This shows whether growth changes only the number of licences or also requires a different plan, configuration or onboarding engagement. Keep current needs and future possibilities visibly separate.
Read the licence definition
Ask what counts as a paid user and what a requester can do. Confirm rules for administrators, seasonal staff, contractors, shared devices and inactive accounts. A useful comparison records the permitted activity, not just the vendor’s label for a role.
Public pricing structures differ: MaintainX lists per-user plans and distinguishes requester accounts, while Maintenance Care advertises a paid unlimited-user plan. These are examples of why comparing headline amounts alone can mislead. The current quotation should establish the rules that apply to your organization.
Separate recurring fees from launch costs
Use a worksheet with one row per cost, its timing, its currency and the person who supplied it. Leave an unknown amount visibly unknown until the proposal resolves it. A zero should mean confirmed no charge, not missing information.
| Cost area | Questions for the proposal |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Which plan, licences, sites, billing period and minimum commitment? |
| Implementation | Which configuration, migration and training tasks are included? |
| Integrations | Who builds and maintains the connection, and what recurring fees apply? |
| Internal effort | Who cleans data, tests the pilot and trains new staff? |
| Devices and labels | Are phones, scanners, connectivity or replacement labels required? |
| Ongoing operation | What support, storage, upgrades or additional environments cost extra? |
Make the currency and term explicit
For a Canadian budget, confirm the invoice currency directly. Do not assume a dollar sign means Canadian dollars, and do not confuse a product’s currency display setting with its invoicing arrangement. If you convert a foreign-currency quote for planning, state the exchange-rate assumption and date rather than presenting the result as a guaranteed CAD amount.
Check whether the displayed monthly rate requires annual payment or a longer commitment. Record renewal conditions, cancellation notice, taxes and the cost of expanding the configuration. Have the appropriate purchasing reviewer examine the proposed terms rather than treating a website summary as the agreement.
Compare the first year and the steady state
Calculate first-year cash cost from the recurring amounts due during the year plus one-time launch costs. Keep internal staff effort visible alongside that calculation, using your own assumptions. Then show a later-year scenario that excludes genuinely one-time items but retains ongoing integration and administration work.
Do not add predicted downtime savings simply to make the case attractive. If an investment case uses benefits, identify the operational baseline, the proposed mechanism and the evidence still needed. A cost worksheet supports a decision; it does not establish the vendor’s price or guarantee a return.