# 12. What belongs in a three-year GRC total cost of ownership comparison?

**A good answer should normalise the same operating scope across quotes and keep unknown costs visible.** Do not treat a subscription quote as the complete implementation and operating budget.

**Why it matters to buyers.** ServiceNow’s published IRM entitlement document, effective 1 May 2025, distinguishes packages and user entitlements and identifies separately purchased Unified Compliance Framework access. It illustrates why buyers must examine usage rights and inclusions, not only a headline licence price. The buyer’s actual order form and incorporated terms must be checked separately. ([servicenow.com](https://www.servicenow.com/content/dam/servicenow-assets/public/en-us/doc-type/other-document/entitlements/PROD12020.pdf))

**Put it to:** Michael Rasmussen, procurement and finance, with suppliers answering the same clarification schedule.

**A strong answer should populate this proposed USD model:**

| Cost category | Required clarification |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Modules, entities, user categories, minimum commitments and expansion assumptions. |
| Contributor access | What occasional users, approvers, external auditors and suppliers may actually do. |
| Usage and infrastructure | APIs, connector transactions, AI usage, storage, environments and overages. |
| Content | Framework mappings, regulatory feeds, content licences and update responsibilities. |
| Implementation | Discovery, process design, configuration, custom development, migration and testing. |
| Internal delivery | Buyer hours for decisions, cleansing, integration, testing and training. |
| Ongoing operation | Administration, data stewardship, support, releases and integration maintenance. |
| Transition and renewal | Dual-running, legacy archive access, renewal changes and expansion scenarios. |
| Optional exit scenario | Export, extraction assistance, transformation, archive and replacement overlap. |

Use two views: **external cash expenditure** and **internal labour valued at approved loaded rates**. Report their combined economic cost without double counting labour already included in services charges.

The desk’s proposed model is: **three-year economic TCO = one-off delivery and transition costs + three years of recurring external costs + internal implementation and operating labour**. Add exit only when modelling a specified exit scenario.

Use **TBC**, not zero, for unquoted items. Keep taxes, discounting and accounting treatment explicit and subject to finance review.

**Follow-up:** “Which assumption changes the ranking of the shortlisted options, and what evidence would resolve it?”

> **Expert quote — pending interview:** [Insert approved quotation and attribution.]