“It’s shifting risk downstream“
Michelle Cope, Sales Director, Trustco
Some of the big hardware vendors are now reserving the right to adjust pricing on orders up to the point of shipment. Have you seen anything like this before, and how big a disruption is this to the way the channel usually operates?
In 20+ years in the channel, I’ve never seen accepted POs effectively becoming provisional.
Price certainty has always been foundational. Once a deal is agreed and a PO is raised, the number should stick. Allowing repricing up to shipment tears up that principle and injects instability into enterprise and public sector procurement.
It’s shifting risk downstream.
Given the shortages are being caused by AI data centres, to what extent do you have sympathy with vendors who are having to tweak their Ts and Cs?
AI data centre demand has distorted the market and OEM pressure is real…
What will be the knock-on effect, for instance in terms of favouring alternative vendors, cloud-based solutions or second-user equipment?
We expect longer refresh cycles, more refurbished kit, tighter planning, vendor diversification and continued cloud growth, but with sharper cost scrutiny.
Transformation won’t stop, but it will slow. And if infrastructure costs rise, those increases surface somewhere and some businesses won’t be able to afford to keep up sadly.
Techary’s Tom Stephens weighs in on next page…
