Advisory Models · Executive Briefing
Gainshare versus Fixed Fee Advisory
An executive playbook for choosing how you pay for software and cloud negotiation advice: what each model actually costs, where each one bites, and the questions that separate a fair deal from an expensive one.
Prepared by NoSaveNoPay · April 2026 · For procurement and finance leadership
25%
Market standard gainshare rate: the advisor keeps a quarter, you keep three quarters
2 to 4x
Net savings advantage of gainshare over fixed fee in comparable engagements
$0
What you owe under gainshare if the advisor saves you nothing
15 to 25%
Share of IT budget now spent on software and cloud at large organisations
What is inside
- What you are actually choosing: the three advisory models and who carries the risk in each
- The six dimensions that drive the net saving you keep
- Five real engagement scenarios, with the numbers under each model
- The red flags in a gainshare contract and the safeguard against each
- The questions to ask any firm before you sign, and when fixed fee is the right choice
- The six point executive checklist for structuring an engagement on your terms