MDR hidden costs.
Line items that show up after the headline quote is signed. Each line is either a contract-cap negotiation or a vendor margin that can be reduced by lifting it into the RFP commercial section.
The seven hidden lines that surface post-signature are: ingest overage, IR retainer overage, non-standard log sources, dedicated tenancy, evidence packs, off-boarding fee, and annual price escalation. All seven can be capped or eliminated in the RFP commercial section.
The ledger of hidden lines
How to cap each line in the RFP
- Ingest overage. Cap at the higher of 110% of contracted GB/day or a per-GB rate not to exceed $ 0.50.
- IR retainer. State the hourly rate, the included hours, and the overage rate; require the vendor to deplete included hours first.
- Non-standard log source. Convert one-time setup fees into amortised monthly costs for the RFP comparison; require a price-book.
- Dedicated tenancy. Make it a yes/no toggle in the RFP commercial section; if required for compliance, hold the multiplier to +25% maximum.
- Evidence packs. Specify the number of pulls per year (typically 2 to 4) in the contract.
- Off-boarding. Cap data-export fee at $ 10,000; require 90-day retention post-termination.
- Annual escalation. Cap at the lower of CPI or 4%; multi-year deals should fix the escalator.