Financing Options and Packages for IT Solutions

Many organisations face challenges in setting the right terms and level of investment when upgrading or replacing key elements of their IT infrastructure. Checkmark IT recognises this, and we’re able to offer a broad range of flexible financing solutions to help businesses to obtain the hardware and software they need without overstepping their budget limits.

Our diverse selection of finance options are designed to reflect the varying budgetary requirements of different organisations, and the need to balance IT capacity and technical capability with sustainable operating costs and guaranteed return on investment (ROI). As such, we can provide a mix of leasing, hiring and loan deals to provide workable solutions for any given scenario.

Call us on (+44) 161 302 3900, and we can help you to arrange a financial solution that provides you with access to capable IT solutions at an affordable rate. Otherwise, use our online contact form to send us a message, and our consultants will be in touch.

FMV (Fair Market Value) Lease

FMV lease agreements allow your business to pay a lower primary-term payment than traditional finance options, working on the principle that the purchased hardware will have a resale value at the end of the primary lease term. This residual resale value is offset against the cost of the lease on day one at Checkmark IT’s own risk.

FMV leases are available for one to five-year terms and can be treated as Capital or Opex costs, depending on the structure. There is generally a VAT liability on each monthly payment, which can help to reduce upfront costs further.

Not only can FMV leasing enable a business to refresh its technology every two, three, four or five years, but it can help achieve lower total operating costs and maximise ROI. This approach can also provide practical advantages, allowing companies to refresh their technology at the end of the agreement, which may:

• cost less than current models
• provide better performance
• offer greater reliability
• consume less electricity and emit less heat
• operate with a reduced carbon footprint

By allowing businesses to defer their decision to keep or refresh their infrastructure until the end of the term, it becomes possible to take factors as the evolution of technology and changing operational requirements into account, offering greater control and flexibility. Three options are available at this point:

• Option 1: Return the hardware to Checkmark IT, and either update to the latest hardware through a new lease schedule based on current prices, or exit the agreement with no further obligation
• Option 2: Commit to a medium-term extension - e.g., six, 12, 18 or 24 months - at a reduced rate, based on difference between the estimated FMVs of the hardware at the end the primary lease term and at the end of the agreed extension period
• Option 3: Agree a short-term extension on a quarter-by-quarter basis with no long-term commitment. The quarterly payment would be the same amount as the initial term

Finance Lease/Software Lease

Finance lease agreements allow businesses to pay the cost of the equipment in full, plus interest, over the primary term. Effectively, this means that your organisation will take on the market depreciation risk, with VAT liabilities on each monthly payment reducing upfront costs.

As a result, the investment becomes a Capex asset that will be reflected on your balance sheet; moreover, your business can maintain use of the hardware at the end of the primary lease term for a nominal peppercorn payment of £100 per annum.

Note - to be deemed as a lease, automatic transfer of title confirmation is not available at inception.

Hire Purchase/Short-Term Rentals

Hire purchase agreements provide a contractual ownership model with the same rate of repayment as a finance lease, but with an upfront VAT liability and different accounting practices. An end-of-term purchase of £100 will close the agreement.

Also available are short-term rental options that allow users to test equipment before buying it, transition from an existing solution to a new one, or manage short-term projects, without a large upfront investment. These short-term rentals usually span three to 18 months.

Commercial Loan

Commercial loan agreements are available under standard terms, with VAT paid upfront directly to the supplier of goods, services or software, unless it is clearly stipulated that VAT elements should be included in the loan. As part of the agreement, a delegation is signed whereby Checkmark IT pays the supplier of goods or services on confirmation and satisfaction of deployment.

In cases where cross-border or soft-cost heavy transactions are being considered, commercial loans may be the most suitable option.

Pre-Provisioning

Pre-provisioning agreements allow your business to acquire all of the equipment you have purchased on day one of the agreement, while paying incrementally for provisioned assets as you deploy them over a 12-month period.

This allows companies to optimise their capacity planning, procurement and deployment processes and gain immediate access to up to 50% of spare storage capacity at no extra cost, meaning they can tightly align costs with their actual consumption trends and return any unused capacity within the initial 12 months.

Flexible payment terms are available up to 60 months, with a qualifying minimum transaction size of €75,000 or the equivalent in local currency.

Asset Recovery Services/Sale-Leaseback

With an asset recovery services agreement, Checkmark IT can review and offer to buy back your organisation’s existing equipment to help cash flow and make it easier for you to invest in newer technology.

Older technology of any brand will be evaluated for its value, based on current market demand. This trade-in programme covers servers and storage infrastructure, and can be combined with a monthly payment solution to make it easier to reinvest the proceeds in an upgraded replacement.

Packing and shipping services are also offered to facilitate the returns process, making it easy for businesses to remove any unneeded technology in compliance with applicable
environmental regulations.

Sale-leaseback agreements are also available, in which Checkmark IT purchases the client’s existing owned IT assets and then leases them back to the company for an agreed term. This can provide additional financial flexibility in many circumstances.

Flexible Asset Return

With a flexible asset return agreement, businesses have the option to return a predetermined percentage of their unneeded servers after 12 months without penalty or additional fees, making it easier for them to proactively adapt to changing demands over time, without the risk of overspending on more equipment than is ultimately needed.

This service is available for qualifying transactions starting at $100,000 and can be applied to purchases of new Synergy servers from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Why Checkmark IT?

We’ve established ourselves as an organisation that demands the very best from itself, our staff and the solutions we provide. We won’t rest until we identify a solution that solves your IT related problem, in a way that works for you and your organisation. Our consultants are guided by our four pillars of great service:

• Knowledgeable staff - we know you’re an expert in your field, but it is tough to keep up with every single product and feature that can make a difference to your IT system. With Checkmark IT on hand, you’ll have a partner that lives and breathes the world of IT, with consultants dedicated to gaining new knowledge, techniques and accreditations to improve the efficiency of your IT solutions
• Friendly and honest - when you speak to us at Checkmark IT, we’ll always tell you the truth. We pride ourselves on being informative, honest and telling you what you need to know instead of what you may like to hear, because for us the most important thing is your business getting the most from your IT systems.
• Speedy and creative - when tackling projects on behalf of our clients, we aren’t afraid to go the extra mile. We understand that sometimes solutions need to be implemented quickly or need a particularly unorthodox approach. We are well known for getting things done and finding creative solutions that others may not consider. 
• Excellent client relationships - we have long-standing relationships with our clients, who have continued to work and grow with us over many years. Our clients come to consider us as their go-to expert in everything IT related and value our expertise and support.

Contact us today

For more information about Checkmark IT, or any of the services you may require, call us now on (+44) 161 302 3900. If you’d rather email us, use our online contact form and leave us a message.