CFO-TA Procurement and Contracting Overview

Information for Procurement, Legal, Security, and Risk Review

This page provides procurement, legal, security, risk, and governance stakeholders with an overview of how The CFO-TA is licensed, deployed, governed, and contracted. It is intended to support vendor evaluation, onboarding, security review, contracting activities, and commercial approval processes by explaining the operating model, responsibilities, and commercial structure associated with The CFO-TA Platform.

What The CFO-TA Is

The CFO-TA is the Executive Sponsor Platform. It is a Business-Side platform that helps Executive Sponsors govern Business Intent, Scope Intent, and Transformation Approach Intent. Together these form Sponsor Intent, the Executive Sponsor-owned expression of purpose and foundation of the Transformation Definition.

The platform combines The CFO-TA and Sponsor Intent Lifecycle Management Studio (SILMS) to support Sponsor Intent Lifecycle Management across Enterprise Transformation Programs, AI-enabled capabilities, technology investments, and ongoing operations. The platform supports both Intent Governance and Execution Governance by helping Executive Sponsors establish, preserve, validate, monitor, improve, and prove Sponsor Intent throughout the lifecycle.

Who This Page Is For

This information is intended for:

• Procurement teams

• Legal and contracting reviewers

• Security and risk reviewers

• Technology governance teams

• Executive Sponsors

• Vendor onboarding and approval stakeholders

Deployment and Operating Model

The CFO-TA operates using a client-controlled deployment model. SILMS is deployed within the client's Microsoft environment and utilizes the client's existing permissions, identity management framework, security controls, governance policies, retention settings, and administrative processes.

The client retains control of:

• User access

• Identity management

• Security policies

• Data classification

• Retention policies

• Audit logging

• Microsoft licensing

Sponsor Intent Assets (SIAs), governance records, supporting evidence, and related governance content remain under client control within the client's environment.

Data, Security, and Privacy

The CFO-TA is designed around client-controlled information management. Organizations maintain control of governance content, permissions, security settings, retention policies, classification standards, and audit controls through their existing Microsoft governance framework.

Core operating principles include:

• Sponsor Intent Assets remain under client control

• The client controls permissions and security settings

• The client controls retention and classification policies

• Governance records remain within the client's environment

• SILMS operates within the client's Microsoft environment

This model helps organizations align The CFO-TA with existing governance, security, privacy, and compliance practices.

Licensing Model

The CFO-TA Platform is licensed through fixed-term subscriptions that establish an ongoing Executive Sponsor capability.

Typical subscription terms include:

• Six-month subscriptions

• Twelve-month subscriptions

A subscription may include:

• The CFO-TA Platform

• SILMS functionality

• Platform updates

• Customer support

• Governance support included within the licensed scope

• One or more operating domains

• Up to ten named Core Leadership Participants

Licensing is aligned to governance scope rather than broad enterprise deployment. Considerations typically include operating domains, governance complexity, lifecycle coverage, participant requirements, and subscription duration.

Subscription Expiration

If a subscription is not renewed, access to The CFO-TA Platform and SILMS functionality concludes at the end of the licensed term.

Prior to expiration, the client receives:

• A static export of Sponsor Intent Assets

• A current SILMS extract

• Other deliverables included within the licensed scope

Following expiration:

• Platform access ends

• SILMS functionality ends

• Updates end

• Ongoing support ends

Clients retain the exported materials provided at expiration.

The CFO-TA Trial

The CFO-TA Trial is a bounded evaluation engagement designed to help organizations experience both the platform and the Sponsor Intent Governance approach before licensing The CFO-TA Platform.

Each Trial includes defined functionality, operating domains, deliverables, evaluation periods, and decision points. Trial fees are fixed, prepaid, and fully credited toward a subsequent The CFO-TA Platform subscription under applicable commercial terms.

Optional Services

Organizations may supplement platform licensing with specialized advisory and execution support services.

Available offerings include:

• Business Intent Design Accelerators

• Transformation Accelerators

• Executive Advisory Blocks

• Onboarding support

• Governance facilitation

• PM+

These services remain separately scoped and separately contracted from platform licensing activities.

Clients remain responsible for:

• Executive decisions

• Governance approvals

• Delivery management

• Compliance obligations

• Operational outcomes

• Business results

Intellectual Property

The CFO-TA, SILMS, associated methodologies, governance frameworks, templates, platform capabilities, and related materials are licensed intellectual property owned by Alentra.

Clients retain ownership of:

• Sponsor Intent Assets (SIAs)

• Governance artifacts

• Business content

• Organization-specific decisions

• Client-created information

• Client-generated outputs

Alentra retains ownership of the platform, methodologies, frameworks, templates, and product enhancements.

Contract Structure

Most organizations use a straightforward contracting structure consisting of platform licensing and, when applicable, separately scoped services.

The CFO-TA Platform License

The Platform License establishes the licensed right to use The CFO-TA Platform and SILMS. It defines subscription scope, operating domains, participant entitlements, commercial terms, support provisions, and renewal rights.

Optional Services Agreement or Statement of Work

Optional services are typically governed through a separate services agreement or Statement of Work.

Examples include:

• Business Intent Design Accelerators

• Transformation Accelerators

• Executive Advisory Blocks

• PM+

• Onboarding support

• Facilitation services

This structure provides a clear separation between platform licensing and services.

Liability and Risk Allocation

The commercial model aligns responsibility with control. Clients retain responsibility for their Microsoft environment, user access, governance decisions, implementation activities, compliance obligations, operational management, and business outcomes.

Key principles include:

• Clients control their Microsoft environment

• Clients control user access and permissions

• Clients make final business decisions

• Clients remain responsible for execution and outcomes

• Alentra does not operate client systems

• Alentra does not execute Enterprise Transformation Programs

• Alentra does not manage implementation partners

Contractual provisions are structured to reflect these responsibilities.

Commercial Policies

All offerings are fixed-fee and prepaid.

Payment must be received before:

• Platform provisioning

• Software deployment

• Trial activation

• Accelerator delivery

• Executive Advisory services

• PM+ engagements

• Other contracted services

This approach provides predictable investment levels, clear activation requirements, and defined commercial boundaries.

Summary for Procurement

The CFO-TA is the Executive Sponsor Platform. It is licensed through fixed-term subscriptions, operates through a client-controlled deployment model, supports both Intent Governance and Execution Governance, and is designed around the Sponsor and core leadership stakeholders responsible for governing outcomes.

The commercial structure separates platform licensing from advisory and execution services, preserves client control of Sponsor Intent Assets and governance records, and aligns contractual responsibilities with the areas controlled by each party.