Fee Detector Sample
Sample AnalysisSee how our AI uncovers hidden fees, recurring charges, and cost escalation clauses buried in contract fine print. This sample demonstrates the tool's ability to identify fee structures and quantify potential savings opportunities.
Total Contract Cost
$127,000.00
Base Fees
$85,000.00
Add-On Fees
$24,000.00
Hidden Fees
$12,400.00
Negotiable Fees
$18,000.00
$12,400.00 in Hidden Fees Detected
Review the hidden fees section below for negotiation opportunities.
| Fee Name | Type | Amount | Frequency | Category | Status | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Platform Subscription | Base Fee | $85,000.00 | annually | Subscription | expected | Section 4.1, Page 9 |
| Premium Feature Module | Add-On | $18,000.00 | annually | Feature Add-On | disclosed | Section 4.2, Page 10 |
| Additional User Licenses | Add-On | $350.00 | per-user-annually | Subscription | disclosed | Section 4.3, Page 10 |
| Data Storage Overage | Add-On | $0.15 | per-GB-monthly | Usage | disclosed | Section 4.5, Page 11 |
| Implementation and Onboarding | Hidden | $8,500.00 | one-time | Professional Services | surprise | Exhibit B, Page 28 |
| Quarterly True-Up Reconciliation Fee | Hidden | $250.00 | quarterly | Administrative | surprise | Section 4.6, Page 12 |
| Premium Support Upgrade | Add-On | $12,000.00 | annually | Support | disclosed | Section 5.4, Page 15 |
| API Call Overage Charges | Hidden | $0.00 | per-API-call | Usage | surprise | Section 4.7, Page 12 |
| Data Migration Services | Hidden | $175.00 | per-hour | Professional Services | surprise | Exhibit B, Page 29 |
| Payment Processing Fees | Hidden | $2.90 | percentage | Administrative | surprise | Section 8.3, Page 21 |
| Early Termination Fee | Hidden | $50.00 | percentage-of-remaining | Termination | surprise | Section 7.3, Page 19 |
| Platform Customization Fee | Add-On | $225.00 | per-hour | Professional Services | disclosed | Exhibit C, Page 31 |
Premium Feature Module
Feature Add-On
Why Negotiable:
Often negotiable as part of enterprise package. Many vendors bundle premium features to close larger deals.
Tactics:
Request to bundle Premium Module into base price for multi-year commitment, or negotiate 20-30% discount on premium tier.
Market Context:
Market rate for similar premium modules ranges from $12,000-$20,000 annually. You're at the high end.
Additional User Licenses
Subscription
Why Negotiable:
Per-user fees are highly negotiable, especially with volume commitments. Competitors often offer lower per-seat pricing.
Tactics:
Negotiate tiered pricing: 151-200 users at $300/user, 201+ at $250/user. Or request 10% volume discount for committing to 200+ users.
Market Context:
Industry average for similar platforms: $280-$320 per user annually. You're paying 10-25% premium.
Data Storage Overage
Usage
Why Negotiable:
Storage pricing is negotiable, especially compared to market rates. Cloud storage costs have decreased significantly.
Tactics:
Request to reduce rate to $0.10/GB/month (market competitive) or increase included storage to 1TB. Cap annual storage fees at $2,000.
Market Context:
Market rate for similar business storage: $0.08-$0.12 per GB/month. You're paying 25-87% premium over market.
Implementation and Onboarding
Professional Services
Why Negotiable:
Implementation fees are often waived for larger contracts or multi-year commitments. This is vendor's primary negotiation lever to close deals.
Tactics:
Request to waive implementation fee entirely for 2-year commitment, or reduce to 50% ($4,250) and include 60 hours instead of 40.
Market Context:
50% of competitors include basic implementation free. Those charging fees typically offer 20-40 hours included, not as separate line item.
Quarterly True-Up Reconciliation Fee
Administrative
Why Negotiable:
This is pure profit margin for vendor. No actual cost justification. Highly negotiable.
Tactics:
Request complete elimination of this fee. If vendor resists, negotiate to annual reconciliation ($250/year instead of $1,000) or absorb into base price.
Market Context:
Industry norm: $0. Only 8% of SaaS vendors charge reconciliation fees, typically only for complex usage-based models. Not justified for simple user/storage model.
Premium Support Upgrade
Support
Why Negotiable:
Premium support is often bundled for enterprise contracts. Response times can be negotiated into base agreement.
Tactics:
Negotiate to include defined P1/P2 response times and quarterly business reviews in base price. Reserve 24/7 phone support as only paid upgrade, reducing fee to $4,000-$6,000.
Market Context:
Many enterprise SaaS vendors include enhanced support (defined SLAs, dedicated CSM) at your contract size ($85K+) without separate charge.
API Call Overage Charges
Usage
Why Negotiable:
API pricing is highly negotiable. Actual cost to vendor is negligible. Rate can be reduced or allocation increased.
Tactics:
Request to increase included API calls to 2M/month OR reduce overage rate to $0.0008/call ($0.80 per 1,000). Cap monthly API overage charges at $500 to prevent runaway costs.
Market Context:
Industry standard for similar platforms: 1-2M API calls included, with overage rates of $0.0005-$0.001 per call. You're getting 50-75% less allocation at 2-4x higher overage rate.
Data Migration Services
Professional Services
Why Negotiable:
Data migration complexity is often overestimated. Hourly rate is high compared to market. Can be capped or included in implementation.
Tactics:
Request fixed-price data migration not to exceed $3,500 (20 hours at $175) OR reduce hourly rate to $125 with 30-hour cap ($3,750 maximum).
Market Context:
Competitors typically include basic data migration (up to 100K records) in implementation. Those charging separately: $125-$150/hour with fixed-price option.
Payment Processing Fees
Administrative
Why Negotiable:
Enterprise vendors typically absorb payment processing fees or offer ACH at no charge. This is cost of doing business.
Tactics:
Request vendor to absorb all payment processing fees OR provide fee-free ACH payment option. If vendor resists, cap annual payment processing fees at $500.
Market Context:
80% of enterprise SaaS vendors absorb payment processing fees for contracts over $50K annually. Those passing through fees typically cap at $500-$1,000 annually.
Early Termination Fee
Termination
Why Negotiable:
Termination fees are negotiable leverage points. Vendor wants to secure commitment but 50% is excessive. Industry standard is 20-25% declining over time.
Tactics:
Negotiate ETF to 25% of remaining fees maximum, OR implement declining schedule: 30% Year 1, 15% Year 2, 0% Year 3+. Better yet, negotiate Termination for Convenience rights after Year 1 with 20% buyout.
Market Context:
Industry standard ETF: 25% of remaining fees in Year 1, 15% in Year 2, 0% thereafter. Some vendors use declining schedule: 30% Months 1-12, 20% Months 13-18, 10% Months 19-24.
Platform Customization Fee
Professional Services
Why Negotiable:
Hourly professional services rates are negotiable, especially for committed hour blocks. Rate is above market for similar customization work.
Tactics:
Negotiate discounted rate for committed hour blocks: 25-hour block at $200/hour, 50-hour block at $175/hour, 100+ hours at $150/hour. Eliminate minimum engagement requirement.
Market Context:
Market rate for SaaS platform customization: $150-$200/hour. Premium tier (complex integrations): $200-$250/hour. Your rate is at high end without volume discount.
Waive or reduce implementation fee for multi-year commitment.
Request complete waiver for 2-year deal OR 50% discount to $4,250. Cite competitor offerings that include implementation free.
$6,000.00
lowBundle Premium Module and Premium Support at combined discount.
Negotiate package deal: Premium Features + Premium Support for $24,000 instead of $30,000 (20% discount). Frame as enterprise package.
$5,000.00
mediumEliminate quarterly reconciliation fee (pure margin with no vendor cost).
Point out that 92% of vendors include this at no charge. Request elimination or absorption into base price.
$1,000.00
lowReduce storage overage rate to market-competitive $0.10/GB/month.
Show market data ($0.08-$0.12 range). Request $0.10 rate plus increase included storage to 1TB. Conservative annual savings: $1,200.
$1,200.00
mediumNegotiate volume discount on additional user licenses.
Commit to 200+ users for tiered pricing: $300/user for 151-200, $275 for 201+. Based on 35 additional users: save $1,750-$3,500 annually.
$2,800.00
mediumEliminate or cap payment processing fees.
Request vendor absorb fees for enterprise contract OR provide free ACH. 80% of vendors at this contract size absorb processing costs.
$2,500.00
lowReduce API overage rate and increase included allocation.
Request 2M monthly API calls (up from 500K) and reduce overage to $0.80 per 1,000 calls. Cap monthly API fees at $500.
$1,800.00
mediumReduce early termination fee to market standard 25%.
Negotiate ETF reduction from 50% to 25% of remaining fees OR implement declining schedule. Protects against unexpected business changes. Potential impact if early termination needed: $15,000-$30,000 savings.
$15,000.00
highInclude data migration in implementation package.
Request 20 hours data migration included in $8,500 implementation fee OR negotiate fixed-price migration at $3,500 maximum (vs. open-ended $3,500-$7,000).
$4,500.00
mediumNegotiate professional services rate tiers for customization work.
Request rate discounts for committed hour blocks: $200/hour for 25-hour block, $175 for 50-hour block. If planning 50 hours: save $2,500.
$2,000.00
lowConservative
$18,500.00
Most Likely
$28,400.00
Aggressive
$42,300.00
Confidence Level:
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90%+
Success rate securing TFC clauses
85%
Get enhanced SLAs
15-25%
Average cost savings