Hollowmere Care Group / BG-Demo – Negotiation
Callcompleted
Hollowmere Care Group · 13 Mar 2026 09:30
Graham Rowntree, CFO, wants quarterly billing, invoices tied to implementation stages, a break clause and dated connector commitments before the board sees the deal. Signature was targeted for 27 Mar 2026. Owen Tallis owes a written break clause answer.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Graham Rowntree, CFO, wants quarterly billing, invoices tied to implementation stages, a break clause and dated connector commitments before the board sees the deal. Signature was targeted for 27 Mar 2026. Owen Tallis owes a written break clause answer.
What happened: Matteo Ricci restated the total value of £150k, which includes the one-off implementation fee and is not an annual figure. The target was signature by 27 Mar 2026.
Customer view: Graham objected to annual in advance billing because the group's cash arrives in cycles. He will not pay implementation ahead of a milestone and wants a way out if the brain does not deliver.
Commercial: Owen agreed quarterly billing on request with thirty-day terms. He offered a little first-term discount that ends at renewal, when list price applies, and will take the break clause request to finance and legal.
Watch: Natasha Pryor proposed judging success by connectors live and homes reported on. Dates must be agreed with engineering before they go in the order form.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Who was there
BG-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Owen Tallis to answer the break clause request in writing early the following week.
- Matteo Ricci to issue a revised order form with quarterly billing, staged invoices, connector dates and pricing with and without discount.
- Matteo Ricci to confirm connector dates with engineering before committing them.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A break clause request is open and Graham wants it settled before the board meets.
- Connector dates are not yet confirmed with engineering, so a promised date could be missed.
- First-term discount ends at renewal, when the list price applies.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Quarterly billing and stage-linked invoices could close the deal if the terms are met.
- Dated connector commitments give Graham something concrete to hold BG-Demo to.
Transcript
Matteo RicciGood morning, everyone. Graham, Natasha, thank you for joining. Owen Tallis is with me, he is our VP Sales and will be on the commercial terms with me.
Owen TallisMorning, both. Thanks for the time.
Graham RowntreeMorning. Let's start with the cost and the term, if we may.- Matteo RicciOf course. And let me restate where we are against the date. We are working towards signature by 27 Mar 2026. The total value is £150,500, which includes the one-off implementation fee. It is not an annual figure. The subscription is a separate line in the order form, annual in advance by default.
- Graham RowntreeUnderstood. Natasha has explained that. Annual in advance is a problem for us. Quarterly suits us. Our cash comes from local authorities and residents' fees in cycles, so I don't want to pay twelve months ahead.
- Owen TallisQuarterly is available on request. We can put that in the order form. Thirty-day terms on each invoice.
- Graham RowntreeGood. Then implementation. I don't pay ahead of a milestone. What does that fee attach to?
- Matteo RicciIt is a fixed fee for the build, and I understand your point. Let me confirm in writing how we can tie invoices to named stages, rather than a single payment at signature. Owen, I will need your view.
- Owen TallisWe can look at it. Fixed fee, so the total doesn't move. What's the next dated step on your side, Graham? Who signs?
- Graham RowntreeI sign, with the chief executive. The board meets before the end of the month. I'd want the break clause settled before I put it in front of them.
- Matteo RicciThen let us talk about that properly. What are you thinking, in principle?
- Graham RowntreeIf the brain doesn't give us what we bought it for, I need a way out that doesn't leave us paying for a full year of something we don't use. What does that do to the margin if we are stuck?
- Owen TallisFair. I'm not going to pretend a twelve-month subscription is something we move easily. But I can take a break clause request to our finance and legal people, and come back with what we can offer, in writing, with a date.
- Graham RowntreeWhat date?
- Owen TallisEarly next week. I'd rather give you a real answer than a quick one.
Natasha PryorCan I add something? From my side, the break clause matters less if we agree what success looks like in the first weeks. I'd want the first connectors live and the first homes reported on. Then it's evidence, not opinion.- Matteo RicciI like that, Natasha. We could set out in the order form which connectors are promised and by when. That gives Graham something dated to hold us to.
- Graham RowntreeThat I would take seriously. Connectors live in a number of days, written down.
- Matteo RicciYes, exactly that, once I have confirmed the dates with engineering. I will not give you a date they haven't agreed.
- Graham RowntreeAnd price. Is there any room on the total? I'll be honest, the board will ask whether we negotiated.
- Owen TallisThere is a little room, in the first term only. Let's not discount twice, so if I give you something now, it ends at renewal and the list price applies. I'd want to be clear on that today so there are no surprises in a year.
- Graham RowntreeThat's honest. I'd rather know. Send me the version with and without, and I'll look at it per home, per month.
- Matteo RicciWe will include that view in the revised document. Let me recap what I will do. One, quarterly billing in the order form. Two, invoices tied to implementation stages, subject to Owen's approval. Three, promised connectors with dates. Four, the first-term pricing, set out with and without. And Owen comes back on the break clause early next week.
- Graham RowntreeThat's what I have too. Thank you, that was efficient.
- Owen TallisThanks, Graham. Thanks, Natasha.
- Natasha PryorThanks, all.
- Matteo RicciBest regards, everyone. Speak soon.