When should a firm use the TCO and Vendor Selection Sprint instead of the self-serve Decision Kit?

Use the sprint when the choice must survive executive review, steering-committee challenge, or procurement pressure. The self-serve kit helps structure the problem; the sprint turns it into a leadership-grade recommendation.

What does the sprint actually produce?

PBW delivers a vendor scoring matrix, a 36-month TCO model, implementation effort and integration-complexity views, an operating-model fit assessment, and an executive recommendation memo.

Is the sprint platform-neutral?

Yes. PBW approaches the AIM-versus-CRD decision from operating fit, cost exposure, compliance architecture, and delivery risk rather than platform loyalty or vendor referral incentives.

OMS TCO & Vendor Selection Sprint

Turn the AIM vs CRD decision into a defensible operating-model choice.

A $15K-$30K advisory sprint for buy-side leadership teams evaluating Bloomberg AIM, Charles River IMS, implementation cost exposure, platform fit, and steering committee approval risk.

Review My AIM/CRD Decision Run the Free TCO Model First

Fee range $15K-$30K

Scoped by vendor shortlist, stakeholder count, integration complexity, and decision-pack depth.

Timeline 2-4 weeks

Enough time to pressure-test the model without turning selection into a full implementation diagnostic.

Buyer COO / CFO / CTO

Built for leadership teams that need the budget, platform, and operating-model rationale to survive review.

Why this exists

The vendor demo rarely exposes the real cost of the decision.

AIM and Charles River can both look right in a demo. The decision gets harder when you map the platform against compliance-rule ownership, IBOR readiness, custodian feeds, FIX routing, data migration, team capacity, change management, and the hidden 36-month cost curve.

The sprint turns those moving parts into an executive decision pack: what the platform will cost, what it will demand from the operating model, and which risks must be priced before the SOW is signed.

You are comparing Bloomberg AIM and Charles River before vendor selection.

The business case needs a 36-month cost model beyond license and vendor PS.

Stakeholders disagree on whether platform fit or budget exposure matters more.

A steering committee needs a clear recommendation, not another comparison grid.

Deliverables

Decision support with implementation reality built in.

Vendor scoring matrix

Weighted AIM vs CRD scorecard tied to workflow, compliance, data, integration, reporting, and support-model fit.

36-month TCO model

License, implementation, integration, data migration, staffing burden, support, and year-two/three operating costs.

Implementation effort estimate

High-level phasing, internal resource demand, vendor dependency, and likely critical-path workstreams.

Integration complexity rating

FIX, custodian, accounting, IBOR, compliance, reporting, and downstream data-flow exposure by platform.

Operating-model fit assessment

Where the selected platform supports the target state, and where process change or remediation is required.

Steering committee memo

Recommendation, trade-offs, budget implications, and next-step options written for executive review.

Where it sits in the ladder

This is the facilitated decision lane after the free TCO signal.

The calculator gives an initial range. The Decision Kit gives a self-serve framework. The sprint turns those inputs into a PBW-led recommendation that can survive leadership review and carry forward into a diagnostic or advisory sprint when warranted.

Run the TCO Calculator View the Decision Kit Scope the Sprint

Decision Kit vs sprint

Use the kit when the team can self-drive. Use the sprint when the decision has real political and financial weight.

Self-serve

Decision Kit v2.0

Best when the internal team can run the evaluation, score the vendors, and build the rationale using PBW's framework.

Review the Decision Kit

PBW-led

TCO & Vendor Selection Sprint

Best when the recommendation must hold up under executive, board, procurement, or contract pressure and the cost of a bad choice is already material.

Scope the Sprint

FAQ

A few questions that usually surface before the platform decision hardens.

Why use the sprint instead of only the self-serve Decision Kit?

The kit helps structure the issue. The sprint is for situations where the recommendation has to survive executive scrutiny, budget review, and competing stakeholder views on platform fit and cost.

What is the real output?

PBW produces a decision pack: vendor scoring, 36-month TCO, implementation-effort and integration-complexity views, operating-model fit analysis, and an executive recommendation memo.

Is the sprint vendor-neutral?

Yes. The work is anchored in operating fit, compliance architecture, cost exposure, and delivery risk rather than platform allegiance or referral incentives.

Does this replace a later readiness diagnostic?

No. It resolves the platform and budget question. If the program proceeds, a readiness diagnostic or advisory engagement may still be the right follow-on before implementation execution begins.