> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.archways.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build vs Buy

**Decide whether to build or buy, with the trade-offs made explicit.**

Archways helps teams work through whether to build a capability internally or buy a third-party product, so the decision is made on cost, time and risk rather than instinct or whoever argued loudest in the room.

​Use it when:

* A team is considering building a capability in-house instead of buying software for it
* Engineering and procurement disagree on whether a need justifies a new purchase
* A build decision needs to be revisited as the team, budget or requirements change

​What's included:

* **A guided conversation** with Archways' AI Guide, structured around the trade-offs that actually decide a build-vs-buy call: cost, time-to-value, ongoing maintenance, opportunity cost, in-house expertise, and integration burden
* **Context pulled from your own stack** — Archways already knows what you own, so the conversation accounts for existing tools and capabilities rather than starting from zero
* **A direct path into Software Evaluations** if the conversation points toward buying — the same session can pivot into scoring and shortlisting vendors without starting over

#### **​Quick answers**

**What does Archways' build vs buy support actually do?** It's a guided conversation with Archways' AI Guide that works through the real trade-offs — cost, time-to-value, maintenance burden, opportunity cost, in-house expertise and integration effort — grounded in what your organisation already owns.

**What happens if we decide to buy instead of build?** The conversation can move directly into Software Evaluations, so the team doesn't lose the context already gathered and can go straight into scoring and shortlisting vendors.


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