> ## 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.

# Use cases

#### Renewal Negotiation

**Go into a renewal with alternatives priced and usage data ready.**

Teams that treat renewals as a deadline usually renew by default. Archways gives you the market and usage picture before the notice window closes, so the renewal becomes a negotiation instead of a formality.

Customers going in with the market mapped and alternatives priced see up to 15% off renewal cost and up to 12 weeks of reactive coordination avoided per renewal cycle.

#### **​Software Rationalization**

**Move from "these tools look similar" to a specific, timed action.**

Most rationalization efforts stop at a list of overlapping tools. Archways ties each overlap to ownership, cost and the next point of action, usually a renewal, so consolidation actually happens instead of sitting in a spreadsheet.

On average, up to 20% of the tools evaluated already overlap with something already owned.

#### **​Software Evaluation**

**Structure an evaluation against your existing stack, not a blank page.**

Before comparing vendors, Archways checks whether the need can already be met by something you own. Evaluations start from the current portfolio instead of a fresh RFP, and customers typically cut evaluation time by up to 60%.

#### **​Build vs Buy**

**Cost the alternative before defaulting to one side.**

Teams either default to buying because building never gets prioritized properly, or default to building because nobody's actually costed the alternative. Archways puts the real trade-offs — cost, time-to-value, maintenance, opportunity cost, in-house expertise, integration burden — in front of the decision before it gets made by default, and can carry straight into a Software Evaluation if buying wins out.

#### **​Capture Demand**

**Turn "we need something for X" into a checked, structured request.**

A one-line request usually turns into either a rushed purchase or a request that stalls for lack of detail. Archways turns it into structured requirements through a guided conversation and checks it against what's already owned, so duplicate purchases get caught at intake instead of after a contract is signed.

#### **​AI Vendor Risk Review**

**Assess AI exposure across your vendor estate ahead of EU AI Act obligations.**

Vendors add AI features without announcing them. Archways surfaces which tools in your stack use AI, how they're used, and what evidence is missing before your next renewal or approval.

#### **​Quick answers**

**Do I need a specific trigger to use Archways, or is it always-on?** Most teams start from a specific trigger — an approaching renewal, a new software request, or a risk/compliance review — rather than running Archways as a constant background scan. The decision history it builds carries forward into the next trigger.

**Which use case should we start with?** Renewal negotiation is the most common entry point, since it has a natural deadline and immediate savings potential, but any of the six can be the starting point depending on what's driving the decision.


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