A life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) template in Excel to compare the whole-of-life cost of up to four options or vendors. Enter capital, maintenance, software, spares, energy, downtime risk, replacements and end-of-life costs, and get the net present value, nominal total, equivalent annual cost and a ranking for each option. Set up for control systems (PLC / DCS / SCADA) and easy to adapt to switchboards, UPS, generators, pumps or any other asset.

The cheapest system to buy is often not the cheapest to own. Annual support contracts, software subscriptions, hardware refreshes and downtime can add up to more than the purchase price. This workbook puts every cost on the same basis, so tenders can be compared on whole-of-life cost, not just the capital price.

What’s included in the LCCA template

Setup: project details, base year, analysis period up to 40 years, discount rate, and escalation rates for general (CPI), labour, energy and hardware costs.
Cost inputs: 22 ready-made cost items with room for 45, for up to four options. Each item is one-off, annual, periodic (every few years) or end of life, with its own start year, end year, interval and escalation.
Energy block: average load, operating hours and energy price give each option’s yearly energy cost.
Downtime block: expected unplanned downtime hours and the cost of lost production per hour give each option’s yearly downtime risk.
Cash flow: the escalated cost of every item in every year, with discount factors and present value, calculated automatically.
Summary: capital cost, operating and lifecycle cost, life cycle cost (NPV), nominal total, equivalent annual cost and rank, with a breakdown by category.
Charts: life cycle cost by category, and cumulative present value year by year.
Vendor commitments: warranty, guaranteed spares availability, platform lifecycle status, discontinuation notice, security patch support, migration path, local engineers, response times, maintenance visits, training days and licence type, side by side.

Built for real decisions

Use it at tender stage: ask vendors to fill in the cost inputs, then compare offers on NPV alongside the technical evaluation.
Use it for business cases: compare repair, upgrade or replace options for an ageing system.
Residual or resale value can be entered as a negative cost at end of life.
Pairs with the Control System BOQ and the Control System Tender Evaluation, so price, compliance and whole-of-life cost are all covered.

File details

Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) for Excel 2016 or later, Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice 7 or later. No macros.
Choose your country: currency labels and tax update across the file. 17 countries built in.
Yellow cells are inputs. Formulas on the summary sheets are protected without a password, so they can’t be overwritten by accident.
Instructions sheet in every file, plus a Read Me PDF with a one-minute quick start.
Instant download after purchase. Re-download any time from My Account.
Licensed for use on your own projects. Not for resale or redistribution.

This template is a tool to save you time. It is not financial or engineering advice. Check discount and escalation rates, cost assumptions and vendor commitments for your own project.

whole of life cost

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) Excel Template – Whole-of-Life Cost Comparison