What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026James Whitworth, CFO, reviewed the Growth proposal with Bethany Cole and Lewis Kerr. He established that £57k is a total deal value including implementation, and agreed nothing. A draft order form follows for legal and finance review.
What happened: Lewis confirmed the document is a proposal, not an order form, so nothing is binding until an executed order form exists. James asked whether £57k was yearly or the whole; Lewis said it is the total deal value with implementation included.
Customer view: Bethany stressed the value of partner reviews. James said he understands the value to her team but needs the cost and what it covers.
Commercial: James said quarterly payment would suit Hartside's cash position better, to be confirmed in writing. He wants user and connector limits written explicitly, and treats Friday 27 March 2026 as an expectation rather than a commitment.
Watch: The order form must split the one-off fee from the subscription. The outcome depends on James's legal and finance review.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Who was there
BG-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Lewis Kerr to send the draft order form, clearly marked as a draft, on the day of the call.
- James Whitworth to confirm the payment preference by email so Lewis can price both options.
- Lewis Kerr to write the user and connector limits explicitly in the order form.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- The £57,000 total could be misread as an annual price unless the order form splits it line by line.
- James treats 27 Mar 2026 as an expectation, so signing may slip past the target.
- Nothing is agreed and the deal depends on legal and finance review of the draft.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Quarterly payment is possible on request and James leans towards it.
- Bethany is a committed champion who wants the work live before the next partner reviews.
Transcript
- Lewis KerrGood afternoon, both. Can you hear me? I've got Bethany on screen and James just joining.
- James WhitworthGood afternoon. Yes, I can hear you. Apologies, I was finishing something with the finance team.
- Bethany ColeAfternoon, Lewis. James, thanks for making the time, I know the diary's a battlefield this week.
- James WhitworthIt is. Before we begin, can I confirm the paperwork? Which version of the proposal is the one we're discussing? I've got the document you sent after the demo, and I'd rather be looking at the same thing as you.
- Lewis KerrFair question. It's the proposal I emailed after the demo, for Growth. It's a proposal, not an order form, so nothing is signed or binding until there's an executed order form. I'll share my screen so we're literally on the same page.
- James WhitworthThank you. That's helpful. Go ahead.
- Lewis KerrSo, to recap what Bethany and the team told us they wanted. Partnerships and resident services seeing each university's nomination agreement, tickets and invoices together, built and run inside your own Snowflake account. That's Growth: several teams, the dashboards builder, and a review with us every quarter.
- Bethany ColeAnd the thing I'd stress to you, James, is the partner reviews. Right now I build them by hand before every one. This puts the evidence in front of me, so we're not guessing what the university will ask.
- James WhitworthI understand the value to your team. What I need to understand is the cost and what it covers.
- Lewis KerrOf course. To put a number on it: the total for the deal is £57,000, and that's all-in, so the one-off implementation is included in that figure, not on top. VAT is extra, and I'll state it on the face of the order form.
- James WhitworthSo £57,000 in total. Is that a yearly charge, or is that the whole of it?
- Lewis KerrGood that you've asked, because it's easy to misread. £57,000 is the total value of the deal as I've put it together, implementation included. It's not an annual price on its own. The order form will split it into the one-off fee and the subscription, and I'll make sure that split is written out line by line.
- James WhitworthThank you. Then let's check the order form when it exists. I won't agree anything today beyond understanding the shape of it.
- Lewis KerrThat's completely reasonable, and it's how I'd want to do it. Nothing's agreed on this call.
- Bethany ColeCan I ask about timing? The implementation is the bit that worries me, because I'd like to have this working before the next round of partner reviews.
- Lewis KerrGrowth implementation runs for eight weeks as standard. If we have an executed order form by the end of March, specifically the date we've pencilled in, Friday 27 March 2026, we'd start straight after and Hannah would lead the connector design.
- James WhitworthI'd note that date down as an expectation rather than a commitment. We'd need to finish our own review.
- Lewis KerrNoted, and agreed. It's a target, not a promise on your side.
- James WhitworthWhat about payment? We pay on the terms we signed, so I'd want to see those clearly stated.
- Lewis KerrStandard is annual in advance on thirty-day terms. Quarterly is possible if you ask for it. I'll write whichever you'd prefer into the order form so there's no ambiguity.
- James WhitworthQuarterly would suit our cash position better, I think. But I'll confirm that in writing rather than on a call.
- Lewis KerrPerfectly fine. Send me a line by email, and I'll price both and reflect your choice.
- Bethany ColeJames, is there anything in the proposal that doesn't match what you were told earlier? I'd rather we tidy it now than have it come back.
- James WhitworthNot at present. My main question was the total, and that's now clear. I'd like the user and connector limits written explicitly, so there's nothing assumed.
- Lewis KerrWill do. Growth is forty users and eight connectors, and I'll set that out in plain words in the order form. I'm not going to push you towards anything beyond that, since the usage you've described fits comfortably.
- James WhitworthGood. Then I'd suggest the following. You send the draft order form, I review it with our legal team and finance, and we revisit once I've read it.
- Lewis KerrThat works. I'll send the draft order form over today, marked clearly as a draft, so there's no confusion about which version is which. Then whichever copy is signed is the one that counts.
- James WhitworthExactly the point I'd make. Thank you.
- Bethany ColeBrilliant. Thanks, both. Partners first, as ever. I'll keep the team warm in the meantime.
- Lewis KerrThanks, everyone. Kind regards, and speak soon.