Best practices
Better questions. A clearer equipment decision.
Practical guides for purchasing managers, finance managers and business owners. Use them with every quote. Read, compare and take what you need for your decision.
Before the quote
How do you put two quotes on the same basis?
A different monthly payment can hide a different term, set of equipment or service. Start with one comparison table.
- Enter the same devices, quantities and period of use for both quotes in the table.
- Separate one-off payments, monthly payments, and maintenance and insurance.
- Note who owns the device at the end, what the buyout costs and on what terms you can return the device.
- Check the VAT basis and ask the seller to explain every missing or unclear line.
Device lifespan
Repair or replace?
The repair bill is only one part of the decision. Also look at downtime and whether the existing device meets the needs of the next period.
- Write down past faults, repairs and the work left undone while they happened.
- Ask for a quote for both the repair and a suitable replacement device.
- In both cases, compare maintenance, performance and use of money over the next period of use.
- Use that to decide whether the device needs replacing now.
IT and device fleet
One replacement at a time or a single upgrade plan?
Replacing computers and phones at random makes costs and the way work is organised harder to see. First, draw up an overview of your device fleet.
- Write down each device's user, age, condition and the software needed for work.
- Check that manufacturer support and security updates are still valid for each device.
- Group devices by work role. Not everyone needs the same capability.
- Draw up an upgrade schedule and compare its payments for both buying and operating lease.
End of the agreement
What is worth agreeing on before you sign?
The end-of-agreement terms affect the decision from the start. Do not let the monthly payment overshadow them.
- Ask the operating lease provider what condition and completeness are required on return.
- Agree on who arranges transport, dismantling and, if needed, data erasure.
- If you plan to keep the device at the end of the agreement, ask for the buyout price to be written into the quote.
- Plan the next device separately. Its quote and financing terms must be agreed again.
Compare buying and operating lease based on your quote.
You can use the comparison before every larger equipment decision.