Published prices or quotes: provenance, comparison and ROI
In hosting, two worlds coexist: players who publish their prices, and those who answer "on quote". That seller's choice is never neutral for the buyer. Here is what it changes, and how to use it.
Why so many offers are "on quote" #
A quote gives the seller control of the negotiation: the price adjusts to the customer, their size, their perceived urgency. It also hides increases and gaps between comparable customers. Rational from their side; from yours, it means two buyers rarely pay the same price for the same thing.
What a published price gives you #
Three things. Immediate comparison, without three weeks of meetings. A credible budget from the pre-project stage, figures in hand. And negotiating power: walking in knowing market prices changes the balance.
Provenance, the forgotten criterion #
A figure without provenance is worthless: how old is it, who published it, what exactly does it cover? A 2023 rate or a rent excluding energy skews any comparison. Demand, for every figure, its source and date. That is the principle DataColoc applies: every price shows where it comes from.
What the quote keeps as advantages #
On large volumes or atypical configurations, a quote unlocks discounts no public price list shows. It remains the natural final step. The problem arises when the quote becomes the only entry point, with no market reference to judge it.
The hybrid method, in three steps #
One: shortlist on published, comparable prices, brought to your configuration. Two: request quotes from the shortlist, with the same specification for all. Three: judge each quote against the public reference, on three-year total cost, not headline rent. A quote only negotiates well against a reference.
The return on transparency #
Pre-project time drops from weeks to hours. Unjustified gaps become visible: a quote 30% above market gets renegotiated or discarded. And billing surprises shrink, because a compared scope is a read scope. Price transparency converts directly into a better-held budget.
FAQ #
Often, yes, especially with volume or commitment. But it bounds the discussion: you know where you start from, which an "on quote" never allows.
On DataColoc, yes: the request can go out without revealing your identity at first contact, which avoids being prospected before you have decided.
For fear of comparison and to keep control of the negotiation. That is their right; yours is to arrive at the meeting with market prices in hand.
Written on 1 September 2026.
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