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Anatomy of the deal · SASE and connectivity

Many threads, one signal.

Nimbl Networks is a technology advisory firm based in Dallas, Texas, that helps multi-site organizations design, negotiate, implement and support telecom and managed services. A formal SASE RFP from a multi-state pharmacy group became one managed network across 60+ locations, priced 22% below what it paid the incumbent. We mapped every site, priced the market and kept five organizations moving to one signature.

Client
Multi-state pharmacy group
Footprint
60+ locations in 17 states
Scope
SASE, primary and backup connectivity
Approach
Site-by-site design, priced against the market

The starting point

A network built one contract at a time.

The client runs more than sixty pharmacy locations across seventeen states, from small storefronts to five high-volume sites that cannot go dark. Every location ran an SD-WAN appliance and a firewall from separate providers, over a dedicated circuit with a cellular backup.

The circuits had been bought one site at a time. Contracts ended on staggered dates across four years and renewed automatically, the security provider was itself being replaced, and leadership wanted the cost down without adding risk. The IT team went to market with a formal RFP and invited us in.

What was not working

  • SD-WAN and firewalls from separate providers, with the security provider itself up for replacement
  • Circuit contracts ending on staggered dates across four years, each renewing automatically unless someone gave notice
  • One dedicated circuit and a cellular backup at every site, however critical the location
  • Several carriers and several invoices, with no single agreement covering the footprint
  • Pressure from leadership to lower network cost without adding risk

01The path

From first call to signature.

  1. Discover

    First call

    An introduction to the IT team, and an invitation into the formal RFP.

  2. Respond

    RFP sprint

    Custom pricing filed for every site within two days; the full response in on the deadline.

  3. Compete

    Finalist

    Down to three. We sharpened the carrier’s pricing with what we know of competing rates.

  4. Negotiate

    Custom terms

    A custom master agreement and pricing schedule, not the standard paper.

  5. Validate

    Due diligence

    Healthcare data agreement, SLA and contract redlines, a proof of concept, and a daily sync to keep every decision moving.

  6. Sign

    Signed

    Leadership signs; the carrier countersigns the next day, and the first orders go straight in.

02The value

60+ locations. One network.

22%below the incumbent’s pricing across 47 sites
$188Ksaved over three years against the incumbent
$0installation, and the SASE deployment fee credited back
42 moprice lock on a 36-month term
80%commitment of forecast spend, with a six-month ramp
3paths per site: dedicated, broadband, and 5G or satellite
Line illustration: dozens of thin threads from separate locations converge into one cyan connection.
Sixty-plus locations, one managed network.

03The diligence

Every site understood. Every option priced.

First callRFP responseFinalistCustom termsDaily syncsSigned
Working sessions with the client team. The cadence rises as terms, redlines and the proof of concept come due.
63sites sized one by one with the IT team
5critical sites engineered for 99.999% availability
22design revisions, each reviewed with the client
5suppliers competed for the work
1accountable team across five organizations

Won together: the client’s IT team, the carrier, the managed SASE provider, the aggregator and Nimbl.

Before and after

What changed.

AreaBeforeWith Nimbl
Security and SD-WANSeparate SD-WAN and firewall providers at every siteOne managed SASE platform: SD-WAN, web and cloud-app security, cloud firewall, data-loss prevention and zero-trust access
ConnectivityOne dedicated circuit and a cellular backup per siteThree paths per site, with diverse fiber at the five most critical locations
ContractsSite-by-site agreements ending across four years, renewing automaticallyOne agreement and one invoice, co-terminated, price locked for 42 months
FlexibilityPenalties for cancelling a circuit earlyCommitment at 80% of forecast, a six-month ramp, and four circuits that can be cancelled without penalty
Cost to switchInstallation and deployment fees on every move$0 installation, the deployment fee credited, and billing held until cutover
GrowthEach new location priced from scratchAccess and port pricing already set for future locations

The rate gets the attention. The terms decide what the network costs in year three: the commitment, the ramp, the right to cancel a circuit, the price of the next site. We negotiate all of it.

Nimbl Networks advisory team

Client details are anonymized. Figures are rounded and reflect contracted terms.

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