Insights
SourcingApr 24, 2026· 5 min read
The TCO trap in enterprise software sourcing
Sticker-price comparisons are wrong more often than they are right. Here is the TCO model we run before every vendor decision.
CS
Casewell Source Desk
Editorial
Enterprise software sourcing decisions are made on sticker price more often than any procurement leader would admit. The reason is simple: TCO models are hard, and vendors go out of their way to keep the hard costs invisible.
Costs that hide from the sticker
- Implementation labor — internal and SI-led — for the first 18 months.
- Data migration and reconciliation, especially where the incumbent controls the schema.
- Change management, training, and productivity dip during cutover.
- Integration surface area against the top 10 systems already in your stack.
- Exit cost: what it takes to leave, three years from now.
How Casewell Source models this
The Source module builds a stacked TCO chart across 3 and 5 year horizons for every shortlisted vendor, plus an RFP scoring sheet with weighted criteria — before the first demo.
#Procurement#Vendor selection#TCO
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