Dan Rasky's description[1] of the make-or-buy decision on the PICA heat shield perhaps illustrates a bit of it.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06X2TZUKZU&list=PLpEqMkxe7X... (From the "Dan Rasky: SpaceX's Collaborative Design Approach" video of the "COTS: Dan Rasky" playlist of "Knowledge @ NASA".)