What should be done before renewing a contract?

Before renewing a contract, do five checks — ideally starting 90 days out: (1) Performance: did the vendor/partner deliver what the current term promised? Pull the actual numbers, not impressions. (2) Market: what would this cost from alternatives today? Even if you stay, a quote is negotiating leverage. (3) Terms: reread the contract — pricing escalators, notice periods, liability, and anything that hurt you this term that should change. (4) Usage: are you paying for capacity or seats you no longer use? Renewals are the natural moment to right-size. (5) Internal alignment: confirm the budget owner and actual users still want it — auto-renewed software nobody uses is a classic leak.

All five require one thing upstream: knowing the renewal is coming while there's still time to act — which is why the reminder date matters more than the renewal date.