Karl,
I could not agree with Don more. With the elimination of the CS line, my organization is considering alternative software. If we were given the opportunity to test packaging, deployment, and implementation on even a trial basis without having to involve procurement, that would be huge. I like the suggestion above requesting that a deployment certification be available. You could take that a step further and set it up as a requirement for a limited access account that can package and test the products, but obviously only license their purchased products.
Thanks,
Scott