What is actually committed
The first question is what the contract commits the supplier to deliver, rather than what the sales process implied. Data portability, exit support, SLA remedies, roadmap dependency, and support obligations deserve careful review.
Integration scope
Integration complexity is a common source of cost overrun. Before signature, every CRM, telephony, workforce, reporting, quality, payment, and back-office integration should be mapped to a clear scope and commercial treatment.
Supplier relationship after signature
The people who sell the platform are rarely the people who deliver it. CIOs should understand who owns delivery, how escalation works, what resource is committed, and what happens when roadmap promises miss the implementation window.