How do you make the case for a slightly pricier IT purchase?

Put the comparison in terms of total cost, not just the unit price. Include support response times, replacement availability, staff time spent troubleshooting, loaner equipment, and the cost of downtime. Even a rough estimate is more persuasive than saying the cheaper option feels risky.

Keep the assumptions visible. If the difference really is only a few dozen euros, show what would have to go wrong for the more expensive choice to pay for itself.

Make the trade-off explicit and let the decision-maker own it. Offer two or three options with the price, warranty and support differences, plus the likely operational impact. If they choose the cheapest one, document that choice and its limitations without turning it into a confrontation.

Small savings can disappear quickly if the vendor is unreliable, but don’t assume the pricier seller is automatically better. Check whether the equipment is covered by the expected warranty, whether support is actually responsive, and whether the supplier is approved for your compliance requirements. A documented vendor comparison helps separate real value from a higher price tag.

Look at the pattern across a whole batch, not one laptop. A small per-device saving may be meaningful at scale, but so can a modest increase in failures or the time spent arranging replacements. Track failure rates and support effort by supplier, then use that when the next purchase comes around.