CMMS Hidden Costs Checklist: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

A buyer who signs a CMMS contract should know what the monthly licence fee leaves out. This checklist of 12 questions uncovers hidden costs before the signature, and McMain is the example of a vendor that answers them in public: annual invoicing, a stated cancellation date, free Dutch support, a free Open API and 10 GB of storage per client. For a broader view of all costs, read our article on CMMS Total Cost of Ownership.

Hidden costs come from contract terms, support tiers, integrations and storage. In a survey of decision makers, integration with existing systems was named as the biggest obstacle when switching CMMS, by 43% of respondents, and cultural resistance followed at 38%. The first obstacle meets an Open API that is free and standard in every McMain environment, and the second with a fixed consultant and a Dutch support team that is always included. Asking the right questions before signing keeps the budget under control, and it gives the buyer a written record to hold the vendor to. Put each question in an email, ask for the answers in the offer, and compare the replies in one sheet before any signature goes on the page.

1. Pricing and Billing Questions

1. What is the billing cycle?
   McMain invoices annually, so a customer sees the cost of the full year on one invoice, and the finance team can plan one payment moment per year. Ask every other vendor for the billing cycle in writing, and ask whether the price on the website is the price on the invoice.
2. Which costs sit outside the monthly price?
   List every item the vendor bills on top of the licence: setup, training, migration, storage and extra modules. Support, updates and the Open API are already part of the McMain offer, so none of them appears as an extra line. Ask the other vendor for the same list, line by line.

2. Contract Terms and Renewal Dates

1. What is the cancellation policy?
   McMain states its rule openly: a customer who sends the cancellation form before 1 October ends the contract at the end of the calendar year, and a form sent on or after 1 October extends the contract for one more year. Ask every vendor for its notice date and put it in the calendar on the day you sign, because a missed date costs a full extra year.
2. What is the minimum contract term?
   Ask for the minimum term and for the exit conditions before the first invoice, and ask what happens to your data on the day the contract ends. A clear date, as the annual contract gives here, lets a buyer plan the whole year.

3. Support and Update Questions

1. Is support included in the price?
   McMain includes free Dutch support in every plan, regardless of the number of licences. Ask every vendor whether support is part of the price or a separate package, and who answers the phone.
2. What do updates cost?
   New updates appear every month, and they are always free. Ask other vendors whether new versions and new features are part of the subscription, and whether an update ever requires a new contract or a paid upgrade step.

4. Integration and Data Storage Questions

1. Is there an extra cost for the API?
   The Open API is free and a standard part of the environment, so connecting other systems adds no fee. With 43% of decision makers naming integration as the biggest obstacle, a free API removes a cost and a risk from the contract.
2. How much storage is included?
   Every client gets 10 GB of disk space, and extra disk space is billed to the client. Photos, attachments and reports fill storage over time, and a maintenance team with many work orders adds files every week, so ask every vendor for the included amount and the price of extra space.

5. Implementation and Migration Questions

1. What are the implementation costs?
   Ask for the implementation cost as a number before signing, split into consultant time, configuration and training. Every McMain customer gets a fixed consultant who knows the system and the working method from front to back. For a deeper look, see our guide on CMMS Implementation Costs.
2. Who moves the existing data?
   Ask whether the vendor helps move maintenance history, asset lists and work orders, and who does the work. Ask for the answer in the offer, not only in the sales call, and ask for a date on which the old system can be switched off.

6. Plans, Users and Scalability

1. Which plans exist and what does each add?
   The plans are Lite, Team, Pro and Open API, and a customer can start with one user and add more later. The Digitale Monteur technician app comes from the Team plan, and the Digitale Melder reporting app is free. Ask every vendor for a plan comparison with the price per user per plan, and check which plan each app and each integration belongs to before you pick one.

7. Training and User Adoption Questions

1. Is training and onboarding part of the price?
   Ask whether onboarding sessions and ongoing training are free or paid, and ask who on the vendor side stays your contact after the first month. The fixed consultant and the Dutch support team are included in the price, so a new user always has a named place to ask questions. The resistance that 38% of decision makers name is easier to handle when that help sits inside the contract.

How McMain Answers Every Question on Its Price Page

This vendor stands out because its public price page addresses the main hidden cost areas. The table below shows the answers to the key questions. For a full scoring method that compares value, read our article on Best Value CMMS.

By publishing these details, the vendor lets a buyer calculate the total cost before signing. Use the same twelve questions with every other vendor, write the answers side by side and compare. To estimate the return on the investment, see our worksheet on How to Calculate CMMS ROI. A vendor that answers every question in one reply, as McMain does, makes the comparison short. A vendor that answers with a follow up call has told you something about the contract as well.