Case Study: Saving 12% in recurring annual IT expenses
At Calibre Consulting, we partner with organisations across Australia to help them achieve their business goals through the use of strategic planning and execution of technology.
Whether that’s improving customer experience, operations, reducing risk or quite often - cutting costs.
But here’s the challenge: reducing IT spend can backfire if it’s done the wrong way.
All too often, we’ve seen IT budgets slashed in various ways, sometimes by reducing headcount of core IT staff.
But there is a much smarter and targeted approach to reduce your annual IT spend, in a risk free way
Through an independent IT Licensing Review, we help you reduce your annual licensing spend without sacrificing functionality or capability.
We dig deep into your current licensing footprint to uncover unused, overprovisioned, or redundant licenses, ensuring every dollar spent is working harder for your business.
And the best part? We operate on a success-based model. If we don’t find you savings, you don’t pay a cent. But if we do (and we often do), you only pay a portion of the savings we deliver.
The problem with SaaS and subscriptions
Instant subscriptions make software easy to buy and just as easy to forget.
Over time, software licenses often accumulate without IT management noticing.
A project team might adopt Asana for project tracking while another still pays for Trello, even though both products solve the same problem. The marketing team may keep its old Adobe Creative Cloud seats after moving most design work to Canva, leaving expensive licenses idle.
In other cases, licenses are assigned incorrectly.
A common use case for this is having Microsoft 365 E5 subscription applied to a subset of staff, when those staff only use basic email and Office apps which don’t utilise the full Microsoft E5 feature set. This results in paying for additional features that users never touch.
Each of these scenarios drives operating costs higher every year, yet the waste usually remains hidden until a structured licensing review is conducted.
In essence: licenses accumulate, overlap, or sit idle, pushing operating costs high year on year.
An independent licensing review will uncover savings that can be redirected to other business priorities.
Finally, for NDIS providers, there are often discounts that can be provided through certain vendors to gain maximum value and reduce cost to serve.
How we helped an NDIS Provider reduce their annual IT expenses by 12%
In January 2025, we worked closely with internal teams to assess the value, usage, and appropriateness of over 67 licenses across business applications, software and systems.
The primary goal was to identify cost saving opportunities in Microsoft, mobile, software, and hardware licensing, while maintaining full functionality for end users.
This involved:
Reviewing underused, duplicated, or mismatched licenses
Aligning license types with actual business needs
Negotiating directly with vendors for improved pricing and renewals
Our Approach: Baseline, Analyse, Optimise, Report
The licensing review followed a structured four phase methodology:
Baseline Establishment: We catalogued all in scope licenses and associated costs, terms, and identified relevant business owners.
Usage & Value Assessment: Each license was assessed for business value, functionality, technical compatibility, and cost effectiveness. This included close consultation with IT and business stakeholders.
Optimisation & Negotiation: We proposed and validated license changes with stakeholders, then engaged directly with vendors to secure more favourable terms
Final Reporting & Savings Summary: Results were compiled into a consolidated workbook and presented to executive sponsors for program close.
Benefits: Independent Review vs Internal
Spring Cleaning for Your Tech Stack. Identify unused, redundant, or overprovisioned licenses and clean up your environment—saving money and reducing clutter.
Clarity on Your Licensing Portfolio. Gain a comprehensive, easy to understand view of your current software and licensing arrangements across your organisation
Better Budget Planning. Be fully prepared for the next financial year with accurate, data driven insights into your licensing needs and costs.
Negotiation Leverage. External consultants can negotiate on your behalf to secure favourable contract terms, allowing you to secure the best pricing available without damaging long term relationships.
Truly Independent Advice. We don’t take kickbacks or commissions from software vendors, which means our recommendations are based solely on what’s best for your organisation.
Uncover Hidden or “Dark IT”. Identify untracked or unofficial software being used within the business that may pose security, compliance, or cost risks.
Consolidation of Tools with Overlapping Functions. Spot opportunities to retire duplicate tools and standardise platforms—leading to simpler support, better integration, and lower costs.
Support Compliance and Audit Readiness. Be better prepared for vendor audits or internal compliance reviews by having clear licensing records and justification.
Pay for Performance Model. With a success based engagement, you only pay a portion of what we save you—making it a low-risk, high-reward initiative.
Why this matters for NDIS providers
For CFOs and CIOs in the NDIS sector, the licensing landscape often evolves quietly in the background—until renewal time arrives, and the costs hit the budget hard.
Without regular oversight, providers risk overspending or getting locked into tools that no longer align with operational needs or the evolving NDIS framework.
This can divert funds away from frontline services and increase administrative burden.
We believe technology for NDIS providers should be focused on 2 key areas: Technology that supports acquiring new customers, and technology that continuously improves customer experience.
An external licensing review provides a fast, high impact opportunity to:
Regain control of IT spend across care management, rostering, and remote support tools
Reduce technology bloat, particularly in environments with distributed or mobile workforces
Redirect savings into participant outcomes and mission critical services
For organisations navigating thin margins and growing compliance pressure, this is a practical step toward leaner, smarter operations. Without compromising care delivery.
Ready to Review Your Licensing Footprint?
Whether you’re preparing for renewals or aiming to reduce operational waste, Calibre Consulting can help.
We specialise in licensing reviews for cost conscious businesses, with a focus on delivering savings, meeting compliance, and long term technology alignment.
Our consultants Michael Eng and John Phillips are SME’s in this space, and can drive this process for you.
Michael Eng, Director: michael@calibreconsulting.au
John Phillips, Principal Consultant: john@calibreconsulting.au