The vendor-driven market hates financial scrutiny — it exposes inflated pricing, unnecessary features, and vendor bloat that everyone quietly knew was there. So vendors immediately start lobbying for their position. They argue their value is intangible. They position cost reduction as operational risk. They offer 'strategic partnerships' that lock you in further while claiming to address the CFO's concerns.
You're caught between three pressures at once. The CFO is asking questions you don't have clean answers to yet. Vendors are pushing back against any change. And you're quietly worried that cutting the wrong thing will break something you'll be blamed for.
If you can't defend the budget, the CFO cuts it broadly. If you don't make changes, they keep asking. Neither outcome serves you. Both are avoidable.

