Work through all 20 items. Mark each as compliant (✓), gap (✗), or unknown (?). HIGH-risk items represent the most common causes of TPS transitions failing to deliver their projected savings. Download our Oracle Audit Defence Kit for supporting MSL templates.
Section 1
Savings Baseline and Eligibility
01
You have established a precise baseline of your current annual Oracle Premier Support spend — broken down by product line, CSI, and contract — as the foundation for any TPS savings calculation.
High
Expert note: A TPS savings calculation is only as accurate as your support cost baseline. Many organisations know their total Oracle invoice but cannot attribute costs to specific product lines or CSIs. Obtain a line-level breakdown of your Oracle support fees from your Oracle Support contract or CSI report. This granularity is essential because TPS eligibility and pricing varies by product — Database and E-Business Suite command higher TPS savings than some middleware products — and because MSL rules determine which product lines can transition independently.
02
You have confirmed which Oracle products in your estate are eligible for TPS — noting that SaaS products (Oracle Cloud Applications, Fusion Cloud) cannot move to TPS, but on-premises Oracle products can.
High
Expert note: Third-party support applies only to perpetual on-premises Oracle software licences. Oracle Cloud Applications (Fusion ERP, HCM, etc.) are subscription services — there is no 'support' to replace with TPS. On-premises Oracle Database, E-Business Suite, JD Edwards, Siebel, WebLogic, SOA Suite, and related middleware are all TPS-eligible. Organisations with mixed on-premises and cloud Oracle estates must carefully separate the two before applying TPS economics, as the savings apply only to the on-premises component.
03
Your TPS savings model uses the correct baseline: your actual current Oracle support fee, not Oracle list price — since most enterprises pay a discounted rate, not list.
Medium
Expert note: A common error in TPS savings modelling is using Oracle list price support costs as the baseline. If your current Oracle support fee includes a historically negotiated discount, your actual TPS saving — calculated as a percentage of your discounted fee — is lower than a list-price comparison suggests. For example, if Oracle list price support is £1 million per year but you pay £700k due to a prior negotiation, TPS at 50% of your actual fee saves £350k, not £500k. Use your actual invoiced support fees as the baseline, not list price calculations.
04
You have modelled the year-1 and year-5 cumulative saving from TPS — factoring in Oracle's annual uplifts (foregone by moving to TPS) and TPS contract escalation rates (typically 0–3% per year).
High
Expert note: Year-1 TPS savings are significant, but the cumulative advantage over 5 years is even more compelling. Oracle's 3–5% annual uplift on £1 million of support generates cumulative additional costs of £160k–£280k over 5 years versus a flat-fee scenario. TPS providers typically lock rates flat or cap increases at 2–3%. Over a 5-year period, a £1 million Oracle support baseline produces cumulative savings of £2.8 million–£3.2 million on TPS versus continuing with Oracle, depending on Oracle's uplift rate. Present both year-1 and 5-year figures in your business case.
05
You have requested and compared formal written proposals from at least two TPS providers — including Rimini Street and at least one other specialist — before selecting a provider.
Medium
Expert note: Rimini Street is the largest TPS provider and a useful benchmark, but is not always the most competitive or appropriate for every Oracle estate. Spinnaker Support, Support Revolution, and other specialists serve specific product niches — JD Edwards, Siebel, or EBS — with competitive pricing and specialist expertise. Obtain formal proposals from at least two providers, with pricing structured on your specific product list, version, and support complexity. Use competitive tension between providers to improve pricing and contractual terms.
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Section 2
MSL Compliance and Transition Risk
06
Your TPS transition plan includes a full MSL analysis confirming that the products moving to TPS do not share a licence set with products remaining on Oracle Premier Support in a way that violates Oracle's Matching Service Levels policy.
High
Expert note: This is the most critical compliance check before any TPS transition. Oracle's MSL policy requires that all licences within a licence set be at the same support level. Moving specific products to TPS while leaving others in the same licence set on Oracle support creates an MSL violation. An independent MSL analysis is mandatory before any TPS transition — and must be refreshed whenever your support structure changes. The cost of an MSL violation (reinstatement at 150% of lapsed fees) will typically exceed 5 years of TPS savings.
07
You have confirmed that moving to TPS will not affect your ability to reinstate Oracle Premier Support in the future if required — and that you understand the reinstatement fee structure.
High
Expert note: Oracle's reinstatement formula applies equally to organisations returning from TPS as to those returning from any other non-Oracle support model. The reinstatement fee is 150% of the last annual Oracle support fee, plus back-support for the entire lapsed period. For a £1 million annual support baseline with 3 years on TPS: reinstatement cost = (3 × £1.05 million average lapsed fee) + 150% = approximately £4.7 million. If there is any scenario under which you might need to return to Oracle support within a 5-year horizon, model this reinstatement cost explicitly.
08
Your TPS transition timeline has been designed to complete before Oracle's annual renewal date — to avoid paying Oracle for a further 12-month support period before TPS begins.
High
Expert note: TPS transitions must be timed precisely to avoid an overlap period where you pay both Oracle and the TPS provider. Oracle's support contracts renew annually. If you sign a TPS agreement mid-contract, you continue paying Oracle until the Oracle renewal date and TPS begins simultaneously. The optimal transition is one that completes at Oracle's renewal date — with TPS activation and Oracle termination synchronised. Missing this window by even 30 days can cost 1–3 months of double payment on a large support baseline.
09
You have confirmed that your TPS provider has experience supporting your specific Oracle product versions — and that they will not require you to upgrade to a more recent version to remain on TPS.
Medium
Expert note: TPS providers support a wide range of Oracle product versions, including many versions that Oracle has moved beyond Premier Support. However, some TPS providers have capability gaps for very old versions (pre-2010 Oracle Database versions) or highly customised deployments. Confirm your specific product versions against the TPS provider's supported version list before signing. Also confirm that the TPS contract does not require version upgrades as a condition of support — a requirement that would add project cost and negate some of the financial savings.
10
You have assessed the compliance monitoring implications of moving to TPS — since Oracle no longer has visibility into your environment, you must independently maintain Oracle licence compliance.
High
Expert note: Under Oracle Premier Support, Oracle's system collects usage and deployment data. Under TPS, Oracle has no monitoring visibility — but its right to audit remains. Organisations on TPS that allow compliance gaps to develop (new deployments, option enablements, processor additions) are exposed to large retrospective billing demands when Oracle audits post-TPS. Invest in an independent SAM/ITAM tool configured for Oracle compliance monitoring before moving to TPS, and conduct annual independent licence health checks. The cost of compliance monitoring is a small fraction of TPS savings.
Section 3
Provider Selection and Contract Terms
11
Your TPS contract includes appropriate intellectual property protections — confirming that the TPS provider's patch and update methodology does not infringe Oracle's intellectual property in a way that could expose your organisation.
High
Expert note: Oracle has pursued legal action against TPS providers (notably in the Rimini Street vs Oracle litigation, which ran for over a decade) over the use of Oracle IP in delivering support services. While Rimini Street and most leading TPS providers have updated their delivery methodologies to comply with court orders and settlements, the IP risk is not zero. Review your TPS provider's current delivery methodology, confirm its compliance posture, and ensure your TPS contract includes appropriate indemnification provisions covering IP-related Oracle claims.
12
You have confirmed that your TPS provider delivers tax, regulatory, and legal update support for your Oracle products — not just bug-fix patches — since Oracle Premier Support includes compliance-related updates.
Medium
Expert note: One of the most frequently overlooked differences between Oracle Premier Support and TPS is the delivery of tax and regulatory updates. For Oracle E-Business Suite, JD Edwards, and PeopleSoft, statutory updates (payroll tax tables, VAT/GST changes, government reporting formats) are a significant component of support value. Leading TPS providers deliver these updates, but the coverage, frequency, and applicable jurisdictions vary. Confirm your TPS provider's regulatory update commitment for every jurisdiction in which your Oracle systems operate before signing.
13
You have considered TPS as a bridge strategy for products that are being migrated away from Oracle — where Oracle support is not needed for more than 12–24 months but paying Oracle for a full contract period is wasteful.
Medium
Expert note: TPS is particularly valuable as a transition support model for Oracle products that are being replaced or migrated. If you are migrating off Oracle E-Business Suite to SAP or Workday over a 24-month programme, moving EBS support to TPS at the start of the migration programme saves 50% of support costs during a period when Oracle's patches and upgrade access are irrelevant. TPS contracts can typically be structured with shorter terms or exit clauses for migration scenarios — always negotiate TPS contract flexibility alongside pricing.
14
Your TPS savings business case has been reviewed by your CFO and legal counsel before board approval — with the MSL risk, reinstatement cost model, and IP risk all explicitly documented.
Medium
Expert note: Board approval for a TPS decision requires executive-level confidence that the risks have been independently assessed and quantified. A business case that presents only the savings without quantifying the reinstatement risk, IP exposure, and compliance monitoring cost will not survive scrutiny in the CFO review. Prepare a balanced business case that presents the net saving (gross TPS saving minus compliance monitoring cost, risk provision, and transition cost) and an explicit risk register addressing MSL, reinstatement, and IP. This is also the document that protects decision-makers if Oracle subsequently challenges the TPS arrangement.
15
You have engaged an independent Oracle licensing specialist to advise on your TPS strategy — separate from the TPS providers themselves, who have a commercial interest in your contract.
High
Expert note: TPS providers are motivated to sell you their service. They will present savings calculations on the most favourable assumptions, downplay MSL and reinstatement risks, and may not be aware of your specific Oracle contract terms. An independent Oracle specialist with no TPS commercial relationship will model savings on accurate assumptions, identify MSL risks before they materialise, and design a transition plan that protects your Oracle compliance position throughout. At Redress, we have advised on TPS transitions across 50+ Oracle estates and have prevented MSL violations that would have exceeded the TPS savings in every case.
Section 4
Business Case and Post-Transition Governance
16
You have explored whether hybrid support — Oracle Premier Support for critical or cloud-bound products, TPS for stable on-premises products — delivers better risk-adjusted savings than a full TPS transition.
Medium
Expert note: A hybrid approach is often the most appropriate TPS strategy for complex Oracle estates. Products that are cloud-bound within 18–24 months remain on Oracle support (to preserve access to cloud migration tooling and Oracle's upgrade paths). Products that are stable, on-premises, and not subject to migration in the near term move to TPS. This hybrid model captures the majority of TPS savings while preserving optionality for cloud migration and avoiding MSL complications in mixed estates. Design your TPS strategy by product line, not as a blanket estate decision.
17
Your TPS savings calculation explicitly accounts for transition costs — including legal fees for contract review, ITAM tool configuration for compliance monitoring, and any parallel-running costs during the transition period.
Medium
Expert note: TPS transition costs are frequently understated in business cases. Legal review of the TPS contract and Oracle master agreement can cost £20k–£50k for a complex estate. ITAM tool reconfiguration for TPS-mode compliance monitoring adds further cost. Parallel-running costs — where both Oracle support and TPS are active during a cutover period — can add one to two months of double payment. A realistic net savings calculation deducts these transition costs from the gross TPS saving to present a true payback model.
18
You have confirmed the TPS provider's response SLA for Severity 1 (production down) issues and compared it to Oracle's Premier Support SLA — ensuring TPS delivers operationally equivalent support for your critical systems.
Medium
Expert note: Oracle Premier Support commits to Severity 1 response times of under one hour for critical issues. Leading TPS providers typically match or exceed this SLA. However, SLA terms in TPS contracts vary by provider and by the specific products covered. For business-critical Oracle systems (financial systems, manufacturing control, patient records), confirm that your TPS contract's Severity 1 response commitment is documented, contractually binding, and includes escalation paths equivalent to Oracle's support structure. Operational risk from degraded support quality is a real cost that must appear in the savings model.
19
You have modelled the Oracle support cost if all products remain on Oracle Premier Support for the next 5 years — including uplifts — as the 'do nothing' scenario against which TPS savings are measured.
High
Expert note: A 'do nothing' cost model is the essential reference point for the TPS business case. Model your current Oracle support baseline with Oracle's historical uplift rate applied for 5 years. Include the compounding effect: an organisation paying £2 million today at 4% annual uplift pays £2.43 million in year 5, with cumulative 5-year Oracle spend of £10.83 million. Compare this to the TPS scenario: year-1 TPS fee of approximately £1 million, flat or near-flat, producing cumulative 5-year TPS spend of approximately £5 million. The £5.8 million cumulative saving is the headline number for your business case.
20
You have a post-TPS transition governance process that reviews Oracle compliance quarterly, confirms no new Oracle deployments have occurred without licence review, and documents the TPS provider's service delivery against SLA.
Medium
Expert note: TPS governance is an ongoing operational obligation, not a one-time decision. After transitioning to TPS, your organisation is responsible for maintaining Oracle licence compliance without Oracle's monitoring assistance. Establish a quarterly compliance review that checks for new Oracle deployments, enables option audits across Oracle Database instances, and confirms that the TPS provider is meeting its contractual SLAs. Document this governance in a format that creates an audit trail — both for internal governance and as evidence that your organisation maintained compliance if Oracle initiates an audit post-TPS.
"We never advise on TPS without completing the MSL analysis first. The savings are real — but so is the reinstatement exposure. The organisations that benefit most from TPS are those who plan the transition properly, not those who chase the headline 50% saving without reading the fine print." — Morten Andersen, Redress Compliance
Interpreting Your Assessment Score
Count fully compliant items. Unknown answers should be treated as gaps for scoring purposes.
17–20
Strong Position
Controls mature. Schedule annual review to maintain as your estate evolves.
12–16
Moderate Exposure
Material gaps identified. Prioritise HIGH-risk items immediately and commission an independent review within 90 days.
0–11
High Exposure
Significant risk present. Do not engage Oracle commercially until independent specialists have assessed your position. Contact Redress immediately.
The Real Oracle TPS Saving in 2026
The headline TPS saving of 50% is genuine — but the net saving depends on accurate baseline calculation, MSL compliance, transition cost, and ongoing governance investment. For an organisation paying £2 million per year in Oracle support, the gross TPS saving is approximately £1 million in year one. Over five years, with Oracle uplifts foregone, the cumulative gross saving approaches £6 million. Net of transition costs, compliance monitoring, and a risk provision for reinstatement contingency, the 5-year net saving is typically £4–5 million on that baseline.
Redress Compliance has supported TPS transitions across financial services, manufacturing, and retail sectors. Our role is to ensure that the transition is compliant, that the savings are maximised, and that the TPS contract terms protect your interests rather than the provider's. We operate exclusively on the buyer side and have no commercial relationship with any TPS provider.