What to change
Ask the supplier to identify the component, account arrangement and practical consequence of ending the relationship. Review the applicable commercial terms with the authorised owner rather than assuming transfer is permitted. Decide whether the organisation needs its own licence, a supported transfer or a replacement. Include renewal responsibility and a test of the resulting functionality in the handover so continuity does not depend on an undocumented courtesy extension.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: The replacement maintainer demonstrates the component under the agreed continuing arrangement. A booking-related component may rely on a licence renewed through the outgoing supplier. The authorised owner checks the applicable continuing arrangement and decides on a supported transfer, organisational licence or replacement. The incoming maintainer demonstrates the function afterwards. Your handover names renewal responsibility, avoiding a situation where the site works temporarily only because an undocumented courtesy extension has not yet ended after the supplier relationship changes.
What this means for your practice
A paid component may remain tied to the departing supplier's account. Ask which website function depends on it and what changes when the relationship ends. The authorised commercial owner should review the applicable terms rather than assume the licence can be transferred or remains included indefinitely. Options may involve a permitted transfer, the practice's own account or a replacement component. Record renewal responsibility and demonstrate the affected function under the agreed continuing arrangement. This turns an unclear dependency into a deliberate operational decision. Payment for the original website build does not, by itself, explain every third-party licence or future renewal included in the service.
How to check the result
The licence dependency has an authorised owner and an operational continuity decision.
A mistake to avoid
Do not assume that payment for development includes every third-party licence indefinitely.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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