Gartner Research

Three Critical Contract Terms to Negotiate in RPA Software and SaaS Contracts

Published: 15 March 2022

Summary

RPA software and SaaS contracts are subject to risks resulting from scaling deployments, a rapidly changing market and cloud security concerns. Sourcing, procurement and vendor management leaders must negotiate terms related to cost, vendor mergers and security to mitigate risk and maximize value.

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Overview

Key Findings
  • Pricing models and metrics vary greatly among robotic process automation (RPA) vendors and typically don’t scale effectively for growth, resulting in significant cost increases. Buyers are also often unaware of risks that will contribute to total cost exposure, such as indirect access.

  • The RPA market has a mix of small vendors and large enterprise vendors as a result of client demand and active market consolidation. Yet many vendors seek long-term contracts, leading to high-risk lock-in scenarios for customers along with the risks associated with vendor acquisition.

  • RPA software and SaaS vendors typically take the position that security is solely the

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Analysts:

Melanie Alexander

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