Global cost for all software assets

[Gabriel9]

Hi everyone, 

We are wondering what unit cost to put in some software entitlements since for some publishers, we receive a quote with only one price that contains every asset of that publisher. We asked the publisher to give us the unit cost for each product but they say it is impossible. Sometimes, major publishers like Oracle, IBM, Microsoft can't be convinced. 

Does someone ever encounter that issue? What do you put in the unit cost of each entitlement? The impact of not having a unit cost is that the true up amount in the software asset workspace does not reflect the reality. 

Many thanks for your help!

[Roxann2]

Are you sure the publisher quote does not include the product costs?  I've never seen an Oracle, IBM, or Microsoft quote not breakout the pricing per product on a quote?  My purchasing department writes the PO as a single line, but the quotes behind the PO are broken out by product with qty and total cost per line/product.  We have also seen where the publisher will not give the breakout of pricing to the reseller so that the reseller can't give us the detail.  When that happens we reach out directly to the publisher for the pricing breakout and they provide the breakout directly to us. 

[Gabriel9]

Hi Roxann2, 

Thank you for your quick reply!

Yes, I have a quote in front of my eyes with a total price for all the products. I must say that it is an unlimited agreement but we would still need the price per product to enter it in the software rights in ServiceNow. 

Thanks, 

[ramn52539556734]

Yes, this is a common issue in enterprise environments where publishers bundle software under a single global price. When unit cost data isn’t provided a common practice is to allocate the total cost proportionally based on usage metrics (e.g., installs, users, or usage hours).

Here at CONTUS Tech, in similar cases advises clients to adopt a weighted cost distribution model using internal usage data or relative license importance. While not perfect it helps maintain a more accurate software asset workspace and enables better forecasting. Documenting the allocation method is crucial for audit trails and compliance reviews.