Software Buyers Have Zero Leverage
James McGillicuddy, CEO of BRM, on the problem with “little P” procurement
The core opening for BRM is that software buyers usually have the legal right to say no, but not the time, data, or workflow to use that power well. A product manager or lean procurement team is juggling contracts, security reviews, renewal dates, usage signals, and internal approvals across email, ERP, CLM, and spend tools. BRM is built to turn that scattered work into one vendor record and then let agents do the repetitive parts, so buyers show up to renewals and purchases prepared instead of outnumbered.
-
In practice, zero leverage means buyers cannot quickly answer basic negotiation questions, like what is already owned, who uses it, when notice is due, what security documents are missing, or which alternatives exist. BRM starts by resolving one vendor identity across systems, then uses agents for compliance checks, reminders, analysis, and draft outreach.
-
This sits below classic big P procurement. Ariba, Coupa, Zip, and similar tools are built for formal intake and finance controlled workflows. BRM is aimed at the messy edge of buying, where a three person startup or a 60 person team is still purchasing software without a full procurement function, but still has to manage renewals, risk, and price.
-
The contrast with CLM is also important. Ironclad and Icertis are mainly contract systems, where the main object is the document and the workflow around approvals and signature. BRM makes the vendor the main object, then pulls in contracts, spend, email, and usage around that vendor, which is more useful for renewal and negotiation prep.
The next step is buyer side automation that treats every renewal like a fresh negotiation. As more spend shifts to renewals instead of net new purchases, tools that surface usage, deadlines, switching context, and discount prompts before the seller starts the playbook will give buyers much more practical leverage, and push procurement software toward agent led decision support instead of passive record keeping.