TCO & ROI Modeling
Three-to-five year total cost of ownership analysis covering licensing, implementation, integration, training, and ongoing operations — with NPV and payback period calculations for each option.
Business Advisory
Build or Buy
Strategy
Independent, AI-era Build vs. Buy advisory—evaluating TCO, time-to-value, AI readiness, and architecture fit to deliver a defensible, future-ready decision.
The Forsys Evaluation Framework
Make platform decisions with confidence and data
Our structured methodology eliminates guesswork from platform investment decisions — combining TCO modeling, capability benchmarking, and risk analysis into a single defensible recommendation.
Every enterprise faces the build-or-buy decision when modernizing its revenue stack. In the AI era—defined by agentic architectures and rapid platform evolution—we guide enterprise technology evaluations across Salesforce, Conga, Oracle, and custom solutions. Our framework reveals the true cost, risk, AI readiness, and long-term value of every path.
- Independent evaluation — no platform bias
- Full 3-5 year TCO and NPV modeling
- Weighted scoring against your specific requirements
- Executive-ready deliverables and decision artifacts
Evaluation Dimensions
01
Process Fit
How well does each option align to your current and future business
processes?
02
Total Cost
Full TCO including licenses, implementation, integration, and ongoing
maintenance
03
Time-to-Value
Realistic timeline to go-live and achieve target business outcomes
04
Risk Profile
Implementation complexity, vendor stability, customization debt, and
change risk
Key Capabilities
Every dimension of your platform decision — covered
Platform Capability Benchmarking
Feature-by-feature scoring of packaged solutions against your prioritized requirements — covering functional fit, integration capability, scalability, and vendor roadmap alignment.
Custom vs Packaged Trade-off
Risk and velocity analysis comparing custom development against packaged platforms — assessing implementation timeline, long-term maintenance burden, and flexibility vs standardization trade-offs.
Vendor Selection & Scoring
Structured RFI/RFP management with weighted vendor scoring matrices. We manage vendor demonstrations, reference checks, and commercial negotiations to deliver an objective final recommendation.
Our Approach
A structured path from confusion to confidence
Our Build vs Buy engagements follow a proven six-step process refined across 200+ technology evaluations.
Define Requirements & Constraints
We work with your stakeholders to capture functional requirements, integration needs, budget parameters, and timeline expectations — the foundation of every evaluation.
- Requirements workshops with key stakeholders
- Current-state system and integration audit
- Budget and timeline constraint definition
- Success criteria and decision criteria agreement
Market Landscape Discovery
We map the vendor landscape and shortlist viable options across packaged SaaS, platform extensions, and custom build approaches relevant to your use case.
- Vendor landscape mapping
- Long-list development and initial scoring
- Custom build feasibility assessment
- Reference customer identification
Capability Benchmarking
Each shortlisted option is scored against your requirements across functional fit, integration capability, scalability, and vendor health — producing a weighted comparison matrix.
- Detailed feature-fit scoring
- Vendor demo facilitation
- Integration and API capability assessment
- Vendor financial and roadmap review
TCO & Financial Modeling
We build detailed three-to-five year TCO models for each option, covering all cost dimensions — from licensing and implementation through to ongoing support and upgrade cycles.
- License and subscription cost modeling
- Implementation and integration cost estimation
- Training and change management costs
- Ongoing maintenance and upgrade projections
- NPV and payback period analysis
Recommendation & Decision Artifacts
We present findings in an executive-ready format — a clear recommendation backed by data, with the trade-off analysis and risk register needed for confident decision-making.
- Executive recommendation with supporting analysis
- Trade-off summary and risk register
- Vendor negotiation guidance
- Implementation readiness assessment
Implementation Transition
Once the decision is made, we support the transition to implementation — including vendor contracting guidance, implementation team selection, and project kick-off planning.
- Contract and commercial negotiation support
- Implementation partner selection
- Implementation roadmap and governance
- Knowledge transfer to implementation team
Business Outcomes
Decisions that pay off — from day one
40%
Reduction in implementation cost from right platform selection
HiTech — CPQ Platform Modernization
60%
Faster vendor selection with structured RFP methodology
Manufacturing — ERP Modernization
25%
Faster time-to-value with right-fit platform vs custom build
SaaS — Billing Platform Selection
3×
More confident executive decisions with data-backed analysis
Financial Services — Revenue Platform Selection
Customer Story
Delivering results that matter
Platform Selection That Saved $1M in Implementation Costs
A global manufacturing enterprise needed to modernize their CPQ and Order Management systems. Forsys ran a comprehensive Build vs Buy evaluation comparing Salesforce CPQ, Conga CPQ, and a custom build — delivering a TCO model that revealed significant hidden costs in the custom path and guided a confident platform decision.
40%
Reduction in implementation costs
60%
Faster vendor selection cycle
$1M
First-year savings realized
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
-
What factors determine a “build vs. buy” decision for enterprise software?
Organizations evaluate four core pillars: Process Fit (unique competitive advantage vs. standardized workflows), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Time-to-Value, and Risk Profile (maintenance debt and vendor lock-in). Unique, core-differentiating intellectual property typically justifies building, while standard operations favor buying.
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How does the AI era impact the build vs. buy framework?
Modern “buy” options offer built-in, agentic AI architectures and rapid platform evolution that are incredibly expensive to build and maintain independently. A modern evaluation must assess whether a custom build can realistically keep pace with a vendor’s native AI product roadmap.
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What is included in a 3-to-5 year TCO modernization model?
A comprehensive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model goes beyond initial licensing or development costs. It factorially calculates implementation, integration architectures, employee training, ongoing cloud infrastructure, internal support overhead, and the long-term cost of technical and customization debt.
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How does Forsys maintain objectivity during vendor selection?
Forsys provides completely independent, platform-agnostic advisory with zero vendor bias. We utilize a structured, data-backed RFI/RFP management process with weighted scoring matrices based entirely on your prioritized functional requirements, scalability needs, and budget constraints.
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What are the typical business outcomes of a structured platform evaluation?
A data-backed assessment mitigates execution risk entirely. On average, Forsys clients realize a 40% reduction in implementation costs by selecting the right-fit platform, achieve a 60% faster vendor selection cycle, and experience significant accelerated time-to-value compared to unguided paths.
Ready to make a confident platform decision?
Get a free Build vs Buy scoping session. We'll map your evaluation framework in 2 weeks.