When an organization decides to carry out a particular stage of the negotiation process will depend on a number of factors. These are explored below.

Contract length

Typically a contract is for one year, but more commonly longer contracts are agreed, especially by consortia. Short contract periods of six months or less often make the process feel like a treadmill. A contract of several years will allow for more flexibility and give the negotiators some time to build up a relationship other than one based on contract terms and prices.

Cancellation terms

The cancellation terms in a contract may determine by when a subscribing organization needs to be having serious discussions with the publisher so that they are not in a position where they are obliged to renew, even if ceasing to subscribe is not seen as an option. As mentioned in Chapter 1 on ‘Preparation’, when there is a specification in the contract about when the subscriber has to notify the publisher if they wish to cancel, one way around this is to write a letter reserving the right to cancel.

Human resources

In all teams, regardless of size, there are many pressures other than just negotiation. Some organizations have teams dedicated to procurement, but even these will have issues of staff holidays, sickness or maternity leave. It is important to realize that such events cannot always be predicted so make sure you allow a ‘cushion’ of time, say of a few weeks, to take account of such staffing issues when planning your negotiation schedule.

Other renewals

Some subscriber organizations actually like all their subscriptions to renew at the same time for the sake of consistency, some like to stagger them so that renewals and costs are spread out over the course of a year. Where there are other products due for renewal at a similar time, one or more renewal discussions may need to be bought forward.

Budgetary data

Organizations manage their budgets in different ways, ranging from guestimates to figures based on actual negotiated prices. Other examples of budgetary planning include raising the amount by an agreed percentage or sum of money. If there is a need for a budget to be accurate and as close to what is going to be spent as possible, then negotiations may well need to be carried out quite far in advance.