- Compare a deliverable and its acceptance criteria, not just a rate.
- Distinguish staff augmentation, fixed scope and ongoing operations.
- Make dependencies, exclusions and exit arrangements visible.
An original decision framework, not a survey
Vendor publications, including OpenAI’s April 2026 enterprise Codex announcement, describe evolving tools and deployment. They do not make two service proposals directly comparable. Procurement needs defined scope, verifiable commitments and a view of total cost.
The framework below is an INKWAY methodological proposal. Its weights are illustrative and should be adapted with business and technical teams. It claims no supplier ranking or customer survey result. The aim is to improve the questions asked before a decision.
Compare the same commitment
Staff augmentation supplies capacity and skills integrated into your organisation. A fixed-scope engagement concerns defined delivery scope and conditions. An operations contract concerns service continuity. A proposal can combine these models, but responsibilities should remain clear.
Ask for deliverables, assumptions, required client contributions and acceptance criteria. For an AI agent, specify evaluated cases and authorised actions. For a website, define pages, languages, administration and journeys. For an application, include platforms and distribution constraints.
Ask for relevant evidence
Examine a relevant project and the supplier’s exact role. Distinguish demonstrations, published references and measured outcomes. An example close to your constraints can be more useful than a long technology list. For quantified results, ask for scope, period and calculation method.
Also assess transferability: documentation, access, code ownership, exportable data and handover to another team. Exit arrangements should become a testable deliverable. An advertised export that has never been restored does not establish continuity.
Make total cost understandable
Separate design, implementation, licences, hosting, AI consumption, maintenance and support. Specify currency, applicable taxes, assumed volumes and variable elements. A daily rate becomes meaningfully comparable only alongside estimated effort and defined responsibilities.
Attach commentary and evidence to scores. Address essential requirements before calculating a weighted total: an average should not conceal a missing prerequisite. Finish with open questions and accepted risks so the decision remains understandable after procurement.
| Criterion | Illustrative weight | Expected evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business fit | 25% | Journeys and acceptance criteria |
| Skills and delivery | 25% | Team, role, method and relevant reference |
| Architecture and operations | 20% | Access, tests, maintenance, backups |
| Total cost | 20% | Assumptions, recurring and variable costs |
| Handover and exit | 10% | Documentation, exports and restoration |
Sources & methodology
This insight combines cited publications with editorial analysis. Illustrative examples are not client results. Vendor features and terms may change.