Microsoft support costs can rise when an agreement calculates charges as a percentage of eligible Microsoft spending. As licensing costs or Azure consumption increase, buyers can owe more for support even if that percentage stays unchanged. Microsoft category managers and IT finance teams should check which spending categories the agreement includes and when Microsoft recalculates the bill.

At ProcureCon IT Sourcing 2026, Josh Arras, Channel Sales Executive at US Cloud, explained the exposure buyers can face under multiyear Unified Support agreements: "The only thing that they will guarantee is that they will lock in the rate at which they're going to charge you." He described a customer whose growing Azure spending led to a substantial support true-up, although the customer had not increased its use of support services.

In another 2026 session, a presenter described software migration terms that could reinstate on-premises support charges if a customer missed the agreed deadline. Procurement teams reviewing cloud commitments should account for those potential charges alongside the new agreement's costs.

Before renewing, ask the supplier to document the spending categories and calculation periods used to determine support charges. Work with IT finance to model the bill against expected licensing changes and cloud consumption. Review any true-up provisions with legal, and seek written clarification of how spending increases or reductions will affect future charges.

Join ProcureCon IT Sourcing to compare how procurement leaders evaluate support agreements and account for costs across their Microsoft commitments.