Install a beginner-safe intake and approval system for SaaS purchases to prevent sprawl, stop duplicate tools, enforce ownership, and keep renewals and invoices under control.
SaaS sprawl happens when buying is easier than governing.
This kit installs a simple operating system so every new SaaS purchase has:
If you implement this, you prevent most SaaS leakage before it starts.
By the end, you should have:
Intake: The single way people request a new tool.
Approval: The decision path that determines whether you buy.
Provisioning: How access is granted (ideally through SSO) and how seats are assigned.
Baseline: The starting committed seats or usage in a contract.
Sprawl: Tools purchased in parallel by different teams with unclear ownership.
Use this as your baseline policy:
"All new SaaS subscriptions and seat increases require intake and approval before purchase."
Decide what counts as "SaaS" for your company (simple is fine):
Minimum roles:
Optional roles (for higher-risk spend):
You do not need a committee for every tool. You need a rule for when the committee is triggered.
Use a form. The tool is less important than the consistency.
The intake channel must capture:
A copy/paste form template is below.
Set a threshold (example: $2,500 annualized).
Tier 1: Fast path (below threshold)
Tier 2: Safe path (above threshold or high-risk)
Recommended rules:
This prevents the two most common failure modes:
This is where most companies fail: they approve the tool, then forget the downstream obligations.
Your post-approval checklist must include:
If you already use these controls, link them directly:
Your inventory is the single source of truth.
After approval and purchase, update:
If you do not have an inventory yet:
Monthly agenda:
This cadence is how you keep SaaS spend controllable forever.
Copyable template (TEXT)
SaaS Purchase Request Requester: Date: Vendor: Tool name: Category (rough): Use case (what job does it do?): Teams impacted: Expected users (seat count): Expected cost (estimate): Billing frequency: monthly / annual Billing source: AP invoice / corporate card / marketplace / reseller Business owner (required): Technical owner (required): Urgency: - Needed by date: - Reason: Data and risk (beginner-safe): - Does the tool store customer data? yes/no/unknown - Does the tool store employee PII? yes/no/unknown - Does the tool integrate with core systems (SSO, HRIS, CRM)? yes/no/unknown Alternatives considered: - Existing tools that might cover this: - Reason existing tools are insufficient: Approval path: - Tier 1 (fast path) or Tier 2 (safe path):
Copyable template (TEXT)
Tier 2 SaaS Review Checklist Commercial - Annualized cost estimate: - Contract term length: - Auto-renew: yes/no/unknown - Notice window: ___ days / unknown - True-up or overage language: yes/no/unknown - Can we reduce seats mid-term: yes/no/unknown - Billing detail level acceptable: yes/no/unknown Security and risk (lightweight) - SSO supported: yes/no/unknown - Admin access controls defined: yes/no/unknown - Data stored (customer data / employee PII): yes/no/unknown - Vendor has SOC 2 or equivalent: yes/no/unknown - Vendor support and uptime expectations: acceptable / not acceptable Operations - Provisioning plan (who grants access): - Offboarding plan (what happens when users leave): - Owner confirmed (business + technical): - Inventory will be updated immediately after purchase: yes/no
Copyable template (TEXT)
Subject: Approval Needed: New SaaS Tool Request — [Tool Name] Summary: - Vendor/tool: [Tool Name] - Use case: [One sentence] - Expected users: [#] - Estimated annual cost: [$] - Business owner: [Name] - Technical owner: [Name] - Tier: [Tier 1 / Tier 2] - Notes: [Any key risks or constraints] Request: Approve / Decline / Request changes
Copyable template (TEXT)
Subject: Contract Terms Request — [Tool Name] Hi [Vendor Contact], We are evaluating [Tool Name]. Please provide: 1) Pricing details (per seat, tiers, add-ons) 2) Contract term options 3) Auto-renew and notice window terms 4) Any true-up or overage language 5) Whether we can reduce seats mid-term and how that affects billing 6) Invoice detail format (line item requirements) Thanks, [Name] [Company]
Copyable template (TEXT)
Post-Purchase Close Checklist (must complete within 5 business days) - Contract stored in: [location] - Renewal date captured: - Notice window captured: - Auto-renew captured: - Seats baseline captured (paid seats): - Billing source confirmed (AP / card / marketplace): - Invoice standards communicated to vendor: - SaaS inventory updated: - Renewal tracking updated: - Provisioning rules confirmed (SSO if required): - Offboarding owner confirmed:
You can say this kit is installed when:
v1.0 (2026-01): Latest release