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Make vs Buy Analysis Tool
One of the most consequential procurement decisions. Get a structured, multi-factor analysis before you commit to either path.
What Make vs Buy Analysis Does
The make vs buy decision is deceptively complex. Unit cost comparisons miss capability gaps, hidden transaction costs, strategic dependency risks, and long-term flexibility trade-offs. EXOS Make vs Buy Analysis structures the decision across five dimensions — cost, internal capability, production speed, quality assurance, and strategic fit — and weights them against your specific business context. The output is a structured recommendation with sensitivity analysis: what changes if labour costs rise, if a key capability is acquired, or if the outsourced supplier fails.
Key capabilities
- Five-Dimension Framework — Cost, capability, speed, quality, and strategic fit assessed simultaneously — not just unit economics.
- Sensitivity Analysis — Model how the decision changes under different cost, capability, and supply risk scenarios.
- Strategic Fit Scoring — Assesses whether in-house production aligns with core competency strategy or creates distraction risk.
- Switching Cost Modelling — Quantifies the cost and complexity of reversing the decision if circumstances change.
Who it is for
- CPO / Head of Procurement: Needs a defensible, multi-factor analysis to support a board-level build-or-buy recommendation.
- CFO: Evaluating capital allocation between internal investment and outsourcing for a core production capability.
- Operations Director: Deciding whether to insource a previously outsourced function as part of a supply chain resilience strategy.
- Category Manager — Manufacturing or IT: Assessing whether a specialist component or service is better built internally or sourced from the market.
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