What Oracle Isn't Telling EBS Customers
Oracle's corporate mandate is clear: move every customer to Fusion Cloud. Sustaining Engineering is their carrot-and-stick approach — reduced support at full price, designed to create urgency around migration.
The reality EBS teams face is different. Your EBS environment is stable, customised, and profitable. It works. Moving to Fusion Cloud costs $2 million to $15 million and takes 3-5 years. The business case doesn't exist for most organisations.
Oracle's response: financial pressure. Support fees on Sustaining Engineering increase 5-8% annually. License audit visibility increases. The message is subtle but unmistakable: leave EBS or pay more.
Third-party support interrupts this narrative. It lets you stay on EBS indefinitely, without Fusion Cloud migration, and without annual price increases. Independent EBS support covers everything you currently rely on — custom code, inter-operability, security patches, regulatory updates — at a fraction of Oracle's cost.
What Third-Party Support Covers for EBS
One source of confusion: EBS customers often believe third-party support is "limited" or "doesn't cover customisations." This is Oracle's FUD. It's technically untrue and commercially irrational.
Full EBS Coverage Includes
- Custom code support: Your EBS customisations, extensions, and bespoke forms/reports are fully supported.
- Inter-operability: EBS integration with external systems, middleware, and enterprise platforms.
- Security patches: Configuration changes and workarounds to address Oracle-disclosed vulnerabilities (97%+ covered without Oracle patch access).
- Regulatory updates: Tax, legal, compliance updates for your jurisdiction and industry.
- Performance tuning: Database optimisation, query performance, batch processing improvements.
- Data model changes: Custom table extensions, functional customisations, data migrations.
- Oracle Applications integration: eBiz Suite modules, inter-application interfaces, concurrent programs.
- Dedicated engineer: Named senior engineer (vs. Oracle's ticket queue model).
✓ EBS Customisation Reality Check
Your EBS environment is likely 40-60% custom code. Oracle's "standard support" doesn't cover most of it anyway. With GoVendorFree TPS, we cover 100% of your environment — standard and custom alike. The coverage gap Oracle implies doesn't reflect how either vendor actually supports EBS in practice.
The EBS Migration Trap: Why Fusion Isn't the Answer
Oracle's core argument for Fusion migration is feature parity and future security. The business reality is starkly different.
Fusion Cloud Migration Costs (Industry Data)
- Direct licensing: £500k to £2.5M (year 1)
- Implementation & consulting: £800k to £5M
- Data migration & cutover: £300k to £1.2M
- Customisation rebuild: £1.5M to £7M (rewriting your custom code for Fusion)
- Infrastructure & hosting: £200k to £800k (annual)
- Retraining & change management: £150k to £600k
- Total: £3.5M to £17.1M, over 3-5 years
Meanwhile, EBS on third-party support costs 50-70% less than Oracle support, with zero migration costs, zero retraining, and zero business disruption.
| Scenario | 5-Year Oracle Support Cost | 5-Year TPS Cost | Fusion Migration Cost (Years 1-3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £2M Oracle licence value | £2.2M (at 22% + 5% annual increase) | £550k–£660k (at 50-70% reduction) | £5M–£10M |
| £5M Oracle licence value | £5.5M (at 22% + 5% annual increase) | £1.375M–£1.65M (at 50-70% reduction) | £8M–£15M |
⚠ Why Your Fusion Business Case Doesn't Exist
Unless you're buying significant new functionality (unlikely), Fusion migration doesn't improve your financial position. It worsens it. Oracle positions Fusion as "inevitable" — but it's entirely optional. EBS will run for 10+ more years with third-party support. The business case for moving is absent.
Oracle Vendor Support vs GoVendorFree Third-Party Support
| Feature | Oracle Sustaining Engineering (EBS) | GoVendorFree TPS (EBS) |
|---|---|---|
| Break/Fix Support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom Code Support | ✗ Limited | ✓ Full |
| Custom Form/Report Support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Interoperability Support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Security Patches | Oracle patches only | ✓ 97%+ coverage without patches |
| Regulatory/Tax Updates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Performance Tuning | Premium only | ✓ Included |
| Dedicated Engineer | ✗ Ticket queue | ✓ Named engineer |
| Response Time (Critical) | 24-48 hours | ✓ 15 minutes |
| Cost (£2M licence value) | £440k/year | ✓ £132k–£220k/year |
| Annual Price Increase | 5-8% annually | ✓ Fixed or negotiated |
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Real-World EBS Third-Party Support Results
Case Study 1: Large Manufacturing Company (EBS Release 12.2)
Situation: £3.2M Oracle licence value, 200+ active users, heavy customisation (45% custom code), on Oracle Sustaining Engineering for 2 years. Annual support cost: £704,000.
Challenge: Business case for Fusion migration rejected (£12M estimated cost, 4-year timeline). Oracle's response: support cost increase notices, aggressive renewal tactics, audit visibility on custom modules.
Decision: Switch to GoVendorFree TPS in Q2 2025.
Outcome:
- Year 1 support cost: £176,000 (75% savings)
- Dedicated engineer assigned, named point of contact
- Response time: 15 minutes (critical), vs 24+ hours previously
- Custom code coverage for first time (previously excluded)
- 5-year projected savings: £2.64M
Case Study 2: Mid-Tier Financial Services (EBS Release 11i)
Situation: £1.1M licence value, legacy EBS 11i running since 2008, critical to operations, 60+ form customisations. On Oracle Sustaining Engineering, paying £242,000/year for patches-only support.
Challenge: Oracle's position: "EBS 11i is end-of-support, you should migrate." Reality: migration cost £5M+, timeline 3+ years, massive operational risk.
Decision: TPS contract with GoVendorFree, designed for legacy EBS environments.
Outcome:
How to Evaluate Third-Party Support for Your EBS Environment
1. Define Your Coverage Requirements
Question: What % of your EBS environment is customised? (Standard Oracle modules vs custom code/forms/reports/integrations)
Why it matters: If more than 30% is custom, third-party support's full coverage advantage is significant. Oracle's "standard support" leaves you vulnerable on your actual environment.
2. Map Your Current Oracle Support Spend
Get your Oracle support contract and identify:
- Total licence value (or support fee base)
- Current support rate (usually 22%)
- Any premium or uplift charges
- Support lifecycle status (Premier, Extended, Sustaining)
3. Model Your Third-Party Support Cost
Third-party support typically costs 50-70% less than Oracle. For a £2M licence value:
- Oracle cost: £440,000/year
- TPS cost: £132,000–£220,000/year
- 5-year savings: £1.1M–£1.54M
4. Evaluate the Transition
Key questions for any TPS provider:
- How do you handle the transition from Oracle support?
- What's included in knowledge transfer?
- Do you provide 30-60 day overlap support?
- What's your response time SLA?
- Do you support our version/release? (If on EBS 11i or 12.2, this matters.)
5. Confirm the Legal Position
Your Oracle licences are separate from your support contract. Cancelling Oracle support does not affect your licence rights. This is the established legal position in the UK, EU, and US. Confirm your provider has legal review on your specific contract terms.
Free Resource: Oracle Java Licensing Guide
Understanding Oracle's licensing position helps with your support decision. Download our guide on Oracle licensing and third-party support rights.
Download Guide →Frequently Asked Questions: EBS Third-Party Support
Q1: Will I lose access to Oracle patches if I switch to TPS?
A: Technically, yes — you won't have access to Oracle's patch portal. Practically, this doesn't matter for most vulnerabilities. Our engineers resolve 97%+ of security issues through configuration changes and compensating controls. For the rare vulnerability requiring an Oracle patch, you can maintain a limited Oracle support contract for that specific product. Most clients don't need this.
Q2: Does third-party support cover custom EBS code?
A: Yes — fully. This is where TPS differs most from Oracle. Oracle's "standard support" explicitly excludes custom code. GoVendorFree covers 100% of your environment: standard modules, custom forms, custom reports, user exits, concurrent programs, data model changes. This is central to our value proposition.
Q3: What happens during the transition from Oracle support?
A: We coordinate the overlap period (typically 30-60 days), ensure knowledge transfer is complete, and provide a named dedicated engineer before Oracle support ends. The transition is smooth and operationally invisible to your team.
Q4: Can I return to Oracle support later if needed?
A: Yes, but Oracle may charge back-support fees depending on your contract. This is true, and it's rare that clients want to return. The better question: are there specific contractual triggers requiring Oracle support coverage? If yes, this should be negotiated before you leave (not afterward).
Q5: What if we're on EBS 11i or an older release?
A: TPS is ideal for legacy EBS environments. Oracle's position on 11i is "end-of-support, migrate to Fusion." Our position: 11i is stable, profitable, and fully supportable. We have extensive experience with EBS 11i, 12.0, and 12.2. Legacy releases are well-covered.
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