An equipment reseller with limited manufacturing capacity is introducing a new product line that requires a custom fabricated part. Which of the following would be the FIRST action that should be take

Submitting an RFI (Request for Information) is a step taken after deciding to procure externally to gather information from potential suppliers.

A make-or-buy analysis is a fundamental decision-making process where an organization evaluates whether to produce goods or services in-house or purchase them from an external vendor. Given the limited manufacturing capacity and the need for a custom part, this analysis is the critical first step to strategically decide the procurement approach, assessing factors like cost, capacity, expertise, and quality.

Creating an RFP (Request for Proposal) is a formal procurement step used to solicit bids from vendors, which only occurs after the decision has been made to buy the part externally.

Developing detailed drawings and submitting them for production implies either an internal production decision or an external procurement decision has already been made, and this is a later stage of design and execution.