6/26/18
Recently, an IBM Cognos client reached out to me because IBM sent him an Improved Relationship SVP Level Notification letter. He asked me, “What the heck is this, and will IBM’s RSVP pricing program save me money on Cognos licensing and support?” Here are the details:
What is the RSVP (Relationship Suggested Value Price) Program:
IBM created the Relationship Suggested Value Price (RSVP) Program to reward clients that spend more money with IBM. Consider it like the frequent buyer discount program. Clients must be signed up with an IBM Passport Advantage (PA) Agreement to qualify.
https://www-01.ibm.com/software/passportadvantage/pao_customer.html
Once you are in the program, IBM assigns points based on your initial spend with IBM. They do reassess your level periodically. Note that ‘spend’ is your total IBM spend under that Passport Advantage (PA) Agreement so it includes licenses and support fees, not just your Cognos spend. Depending on the points you earn, clients are assigned a pricing level. The level determines the list price for IBM licensing. Clients that have larger purchases often negotiate ‘special bid’ discounts for even more savings.
Here is a sample of the levels and points needed to qualify for the various levels.
Application for IBM Cognos Clients:
Are you thinking, “Wow, I didn’t know about this.” It sounds great, right? But sorry, there’s a catch for IBM Cognos Analytics (BI) and IBM Cognos Planning Analytics (TM1) clients. For almost all Cognos part numbers, the list price is the same regardless of the level you are at. Therefore, your pricing level doesn’t affect your IBM Cognos license pricing.
Cognos Pricing Example:
An IBM Cognos Analytics User Authorized User License with 1 year of support is the same price for all levels except Government and Education (Not shown on chart below). This is true for most of the parts within the analytics group.
There is a benefit to IBM Cognos Clients?
If you buy IBM Cognos licenses or support renewals from IBM direct or a business partner like Lodestar Solutions, it could help you attain a higher pricing level which could impact your pricing on other IBM products. But you must be on an IBM Passport Advantage contract to qualify for the RSVP programs. IBM Passport Advantage Express accounts don’t qualify for the program. (Check back here on June 19 for the link to Differences in Passport Advantage Accounts blog). If you have a Passport Advantage contract, IBM automatically calculates your level. If you have multiple Passport Advantage contract numbers, which sometimes happens with mergers, you might want to consolidate your accounts, so you get the benefit of the combined spend. Check out this blog on Consolidating your support renewal bills
So, the answer to “Will IBM’s RSVP pricing program save me money on Cognos licensing and support?” is NO probably not, but it will help you save money on other IBM products.
As an additional resource, check out this FAQ from IBM.
If you are looking to purchase IBM Cognos licenses, support or have questions about consolidating your IBM passport advantage (PA) accounts, contact us at sales@lodestarsolutions. We would be happy to review your specific case.