CFO / CIO · Fixed retainer AMS model vs pay-per-resolved-ticket model

Fixed-retainer AMS vs pay-per-ticket — 2026 financial comparison

The fixed-retainer AMS model charges for availability — not result. The pay-per-resolved-ticket model fully reverses the economics.

TL;DR

Financial comparison: fixed-retainer Dynamics 365 AMS vs pay-per-resolved-ticket: cost in slow, standard and peak months. 7 rows.

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Microsoft D365 F&O expertise

10 ans

D365 F&O

1 credit / ticket

≈ €200, degressive in packsA ticket is resolved when SKALP AI successfully develops exactly what was defined during the needs analysis phase and tests pass — ticket handled + code or deliverable made available.

vs €800-1,200 at a typical SI

48 h

Average delivery time

Azure DevOps

Validated by your IT

The problem with your current vendor

The monthly retainer transfers risk to the buyer

✗You pay €12,500-25,000/month regardless of actual tickets resolved.
✗Slow months (holidays, business slowdowns) trigger no refund.
✗Activity peaks (back-to-school, closing, launches) are billed on top of the retainer, with no cap.

How SKALP solves it

You only pay for tickets actually merged on your Azure DevOps

✓No retainer, no deposit, no volume commitment. Cost follows actual consumption.
✓Unresolved tickets = no billing. Dropped tickets = no billing. Slow months = €0 invoice.
✓Peaks absorbed without surcharge: 50 tickets resolved in a month = €10,000 flat, not €25,000+.

How it works

Submit your ticket

Describe the business or technical need in a few lines. No 50-page spec required.

AI generates the extension

X++ code, unit tests and documentation produced in under 48 hours.

Validation on your Azure DevOps

Pull request submitted on your repository. Your IT lead reviews and validates before merge.

Delivered — 1 credit (≈ €200)

The credit is only consumed when the development is generated (smart contract). Once merged, it's delivered. No billing if the ticket isn't resolved.

The factual comparison

Criterion	Monthly retainer AMS	Per-ticket Skalp AI
Billing model	Fixed monthly retainer	1 credit (≈ €200) per developed ticket
Cost in a no-ticket month	€12,500-25,000 (full price)	€0
Cost in a 20-ticket month	€12,500-25,000 (often + overrun)	€4,000
50-ticket peak month cost	€30,000-50,000 (with overrun)	€10,000
Volume commitment	Often imposed (retainer clause)	None
Unresolved ticket	Billed (counted in retainer)	Not billed
Financial reporting	Retainer + extra lines	1 line 1 credit (≈ €200) per ticket — readable

Frequently asked questions

Why do SIs impose retainer rather than per-ticket?+

Retainer guarantees revenue and allows amortization of fixed costs (teams, premises, training). Per-ticket would demand proven productivity and very low marginal cost — only AI-powered solutions enable that today. That's precisely why no classic SI offers a 100% pay-for-result model.

Does the per-ticket model fit a high-volume client?+

Yes — that's where it pays off most. On 500 tickets/year, Skalp AI cost is €100,000. An equivalent AMS retainer would be €250,000-400,000. Saving grows linearly with volume, with no cap or warped discounting.

What if my current AMS contract locks me in for 3 years?+

Most D365 AMS contracts have annual exit clauses (3-6 month notice). Even on a 3-year contract, it's rare to have no exit door. Have your CFO or legal counsel review your contract before switching — it's often less locked than the vendor claims.

To go deeper on the same topic, seen from other angles.

Comparisons

Submit your first ticket

1 credit (≈ €200) if resolved. Nothing if not. Chat and needs analysis free.