Price a TSA exit plan, not just a monthly service fee

A Transitional Services Agreement organizes the temporary services provided after a separation. I would start with dependencies and target state. The monthly price is important, but an inexpensive TSA can become risky if it doesn't allow migration or expires before new services are available. Responsibilities, service levels and exit conditions should be reviewed with operational boards and teams.

The financial analysis should cover duration, volumes, migration costs and overlaps. A budget limited to the base rate often underestimates exposure. It is necessary to distinguish between expenses incurred, assumptions and consequences of an extension. The TSA is a component of the separation plan, not a stand-alone solution to all carve-out risks.

I would specify for each beneficiary service, volumes, systems, personnel and deliverables. A description like “IT support” is too broad to verify the service or prepare for release. Access rights, licenses and data must be clarified. A service dependent on a third-party provider may require an agreement that does not automatically flow from the TSA.

The level of service must be compatible with the operation of the perimeter. Exclusions and escalations must be visible. Invoicing requires volume and change agreements, otherwise a variation in activity can produce an unanticipated cost. The financial team must be able to reconcile budget, invoices and catalog.

I would work backwards from the end date. Migration, testing, recruitment and validation must be credited by those responsible and deadlines. A contractual date does not guarantee operational capacity. Critical dependencies deserve intermediate milestones and acceptance criteria. The output of a service may depend on another system or on data that has not yet been transferred.

The extension scenario must be costed before it becomes urgent. It is necessary to examine the contractual possibility, the necessary agreement and the additional costs. An increase rate is not sufficient if the service may cease or if resources are no longer available. Legal and operational teams must validate assumptions.

The TSA costs 45 k€ per month over twelve months, or 540 k€. A scenario provides for three months of extension with an increase of 20 %, therefore 54 k€ per month and 162 k€ additional. Migration is estimated at 250 k€. The illustrative total is 952 k€, before other expenses excluded from the case.

This total does not necessarily cover team overlap, investments, taxes or financing effects. Exclusions must be in writing. It is necessary to check whether the 250 k€ includes the tests and services necessary for exit. The sum is useful only if the categories are distinct and the hypotheses comparable.

I would then construct a cash schedule and a worst-case scenario. A delayed release can change costs and risks, not just add a month's bill. The case is not a universal prediction: it shows why the professional assessment of the rate must be linked to the separation plan.

I would periodically reconcile invoices, the catalog and the progress of migrations. A schedule slippage should trigger a budget review and a discussion on extension. Decisions must be documented before notification deadlines. Changes in scope or volumes must also be examined.

Exit must be confirmed by operational criteria, not just end of billing. The necessary data and rights must be available. We must keep the points open and the consequences accepted. An apparent financial saving does not justify stopping an essential service before autonomous capacity.

AI can extract dates, obligations and conditions, then link them to management responses. I would test the amendments and calendar contradictions. An extraction must keep the source clause and not replace the legal interpretation. The cost calculation must remain explicit and revisable.

For Solenor, I would look for continuity between documents, financial hypotheses and open points. The system can help prepare for the professional exam; the feasibility of the plan and contractual decisions remain those of those responsible. A good TSA is one whose exit has been prepared and controlled.