Practice · II.

Microsoft.

The Enterprise Agreement, Azure consumption, Microsoft 365 estate, the Copilot expansion, and the transition to MCA-E. Five overlapping commercial conversations that close in the same anchor window. Independent buyer-side advisory across the full Microsoft licensing surface. Renewal cycles documented twelve months in advance. SAM engagement responses managed through the Audit Defence Programme. Cloud commitments structured against actual workload, not the publisher's preferred ramp.

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Microsoft licensing advisory

The EA renewal is not one conversation. It is five.

Azure consumption, M365 sizing, Windows Server core licensing, the Copilot expansion, and the MCA-E transition negotiate against each other across the renewal anchor window.

Where the practice intervenes
Six points on the Microsoft contract cycle.
Pre-renewal
i.
Estate reconstruction
Twelve months before the EA renewal anchor, the Microsoft estate is reconstructed across M365, Azure, Windows Server, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Power Platform, and Dynamics. Entitlement, deployment, and consumption are mapped. The senior advisor signs the position paper before any commercial conversation with the publisher begins.
M365
ii.
E3 / E5 sizing reconciliation
Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 entitlement is reconciled against documented usage of the underlying workloads. Defender, Purview, Power BI, Audio Conferencing, Phone System and the Compliance suite are sized against actual consumption. Step-up costs are modelled. The right ratio of E3 to E5 is filed in writing before the renewal letter is returned.
Copilot
iii.
Microsoft 365 Copilot scope
The Microsoft 365 Copilot expansion is contested against documented business cases at user-population level. Pilot scope, expansion criteria, dollarised productivity assumptions and exit terms are documented. The buyer's Copilot position is filed in writing before the publisher's recommended seat count is accepted.
Azure
iv.
MACC and commitment design
Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment is sized against documented workload migration plans. Discount tiers, ramp schedule, conversion rights between commit and pay-as-you-go, and exit clauses are designed so the commitment matches the workload, not the publisher's ramp curve.
MCA-E
v.
Agreement transition
The transition from the Enterprise Agreement to the Microsoft Customer Agreement for Enterprise is structured with a documented transition plan. Pricing protection, term length, billing alignment, and the implications for Server and Cloud Enrolment are negotiated against the legacy EA position.
SAM
vi.
Engagement response
A Microsoft SAM engagement notification triggers the Audit Defence Programme protocol within forty-eight hours. Scope letter counter-position, data exchange under documented scope, counter-positions to findings, and settlement negotiation. The senior advisor signs every position document.
Where the work concentrates
Active mandate areas across the Microsoft book.
All case studies →
Enterprise Agreement renewal
Anchor date, true-up, price protection
EA renewal preparation, anchor date strategy, true-up scope, price protection on level commitments, Server and Cloud Enrolment alignment, mid-term price increase protection.
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Microsoft 365 sizing
E3, E5, F1, F3, step-up
E3 to E5 step-up modelling, F1 and F3 frontline sizing, Defender bundle reconciliation, Purview compliance scope, Audio Conferencing and Phone System usage analysis.
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Copilot expansion
Pilot scope, ROI, exit terms
Microsoft 365 Copilot pilot scoping, business case documentation, seat-count negotiation, dollarised productivity assumptions, exit and pause terms.
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Azure commitment
MACC, EA Azure, Savings Plans
Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment design, discount tier benchmarking, reservation strategy, Savings Plan modelling, conversion and exit rights.
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SAM audit defence
Engagement response, settlement
Microsoft SAM engagement notification response, scope letter counter-position, findings counter-position, settlement negotiation. Routed through the Audit Defence Programme.
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Windows Server and SQL Server
Core licensing, datacentre versus standard
Core licensing under virtualisation, datacentre versus standard edition selection, SQL Server Enterprise versus Standard, software assurance carry-forward, hybrid benefit modelling.
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I.
Named senior advisor
The senior advisor named on the engagement letter leads every Microsoft conversation. No leverage model, no rotation of junior consultants, no anonymous correspondence with the publisher. The advisor signs every position document.
II.
Counter-signed positions
Every written counter-position to Microsoft is signed by the senior advisor and counter-signed by a second partner before transmission. Two named signatures on every position document for the full five-year retention period.
III.
Independent on every clause
Admodum holds no commercial relationship with Microsoft. No reseller margin, no referral commission from any LSP, no SAM subcontract from Microsoft's compliance team. We do not work both sides.
IV.
Five overlapping conversations
The EA renewal is not negotiated as one conversation. Azure commitment, M365 sizing, Windows Server core licensing, the Copilot expansion, and the MCA-E transition are negotiated against each other across the anchor window with a single integrated position paper.
V.
Five-year retention
Every position paper, counter-position, scope letter, and closing memorandum is retained inside the firm for five years. The buyer can request source workings at any point in that window without additional fee.
VI.
Counsel coordination, never displacement
Where a SAM engagement or audit escalates to a legal threshold, the senior advisor coordinates with the buyer's counsel through to legal close. Admodum remains advisory. Counsel remains the legal lead.
$520M
Microsoft Spend Advised
76
EA Renewals Closed
31
SAM Engagements
18mo
Median Engagement Length
100%
Named Advisor
"
The publisher's opening Copilot recommendation was twelve thousand seats. After the documented business case, the pilot was scoped to four hundred and twenty, with documented expansion criteria. The renewal closed twelve percent below the publisher's opening position.
Chief Financial Officer
European Financial Services Group · Renewal Q1 2026
Operating principles
How the practice is run.
Position before purchase order.
Microsoft renewals are won inside the position paper, not inside the publisher's pricing letter. The position paper is filed twelve months before the anchor. The publisher's pricing letter is returned only after the buyer's position is on file.
E3 and E5 by population.
Microsoft 365 sizing is reconciled at user-population level, not at organisation level. Different populations carry different entitlement needs. The right mix of E3, E5, F1 and F3 is documented per population, with step-up costs and downgrade paths modelled.
Azure against workload, not the curve.
The Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment is sized against documented workload migration plans, not the publisher's preferred ramp curve. Discount tiers, conversion rights between commit and pay-as-you-go, and exit clauses are designed so the commitment matches the workload reality.
Copilot with a documented exit.
The Microsoft 365 Copilot expansion is approved against a documented business case at user-population level, with documented expansion criteria and exit terms. The pilot population is named. The expansion criteria are dollarised. The exit terms are in the contract.
Independence
Admodum is not a partner, reseller, or affiliate of any software vendor. No reseller margin, no referral commission, no audit subcontract from any publisher.
Microsoft licensing advisory

Open a Microsoft conversation.

Two-decade practice across EA, Azure, M365, Copilot, SAM defence, and the MCA-E transition. Independent. Buyer-side only. Engagement structured as fixed fee · contingency · annual retainer.

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