We are trying to trim our overhead and prepare our operations for an exit, but we have a critical Vendor Management and Tech Stack Consolidation seat that is currently empty. It requires auditing our software subscriptions, cutting redundant platforms, and negotiating contract terminations, which is highly confrontational. Nobody on our leadership team wants to touch it. How do we assign this seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a common issue when preparing a business for exit. Eliminating redundant software and cutting costs is essential for maximizing your valuation, but the actual work is tedious and adversarial. To solve this, you must apply the EOS® rule of having only one name in a seat on the Accountability Chart.

Do not let this seat remain empty or attempt to share the responsibility among the team. When everyone is responsible, nobody is accountable. You must look at your leadership team and determine who has the highest capacity and the right temperament to own this uncomfortable work.

Typically, this seat belongs under the Integrator or the Finance seat. If your Integrator is running daily operations, they have the holistic view of which software platforms are actually being used. If nobody on the current team has the bandwidth or the stomach for negotiation, you have two options.

First, you can assign it as a short-term, heavy-lift Rock to an existing leader, giving them the explicit authority to make hard cuts. Second, you can outsource this specific function to an external consultant who specializes in software contract negotiations. If you outsource, the internal accountability for managing that consultant must still sit with one clear person on your Accountability Chart, usually your Integrator or Finance Director.