ERP vendor selection: the right choice, before it gets expensive.
The ERP decision binds your company for ten years or more – yet it is often made after two glossy demos and a gut feeling. We guide you through the selection in a structured way: requirements, market screening, shortlist, demos built on your real processes, proposal comparison and contract negotiation. Vendor-neutral and on your side – we sell no licences and receive no commission from any vendor.
Seen both sides
We have led ERP implementations on the vendor side and run pre-sales workshops ourselves – we know how demos are built and what to watch for.
No commissions
No partner agreements with SAP, Microsoft or system integrators. Our only compensation comes from you – which is why our recommendation is committed to you alone.
More than ERP
We apply the same approach to CRM, accounting and industry solutions – software selection is a method, not a gut feeling.
Why ERP selections go wrong.
The problems of an ERP implementation rarely arise during the project – they are built in during the selection phase:
The demo decides
Vendors show what shines – not what your processes need. Without your own script, you see the same polished standard scenario in every demo.
Requirements stay vague
“We need something modern” is not a requirements specification. What wasn’t in the tender comes back later as a change request – with a price tag.
Apples against oranges
Licensing models, daily rates, cloud fees, customisation effort: proposals are deliberately hard to compare. The cheapest price is rarely the cheapest price.
The partner matters more than the product
Two Business Central or SAP partners can be worlds apart. Selections often stop at the product and ignore who will actually implement it.
Conflicts of interest among advisors
Whoever earns on licences or follow-up projects rarely recommends neutrally. Many “selection consultancies” are extended sales channels.
No negotiating position
Talking to only one vendor isn’t negotiating – it’s accepting. Structure and competition in the selection are hard cash in the contract.
What we take on in the selection.
A structured process from requirements to contract signature – at a scale that fits your company size:
- Requirements & specification – We capture processes and requirements with the departments – prioritised into must and can, in language vendors can actually quote against.
- Market screening & longlist – Which systems and partners fit your industry, size and IT strategy? We screen the market and justify who makes the list – and who doesn’t, and why.
- Shortlist & tendering – A structured request to the most promising vendors – with an identical data basis so the proposals become comparable.
- Scripted demos – Vendors show your scenarios, not their favourite slides: we write the demo scripts from your real processes and score them systematically alongside you.
- Proposal & TCO comparison – Licences, implementation, customisations, operations over 5–10 years: we bring the proposals down to a comparable total-cost basis – including the items that tend to end up in the fine print.
- Negotiation & contract – Statement of work, acceptance criteria, daily rates, exit clauses: we negotiate at your side and make sure the contract protects the project – not just the vendor.
System experience
SAP S/4HANA · Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central · industry ERP (incl. CSB) · plus hands-on CRM and accounting evaluations (incl. Salesforce, DATEV).
Right-sized
A 40-person business doesn’t need a six-month tender. We scale the approach to your size – thorough, without bureaucratic theatre.
Seamless transition
On request we stay on board after the selection – as external project management for the implementation we helped choose.
Facing an ERP decision?
Then invest one hour in an initial conversation before you invest years in a system. We’ll tell you honestly how thorough your selection needs to be – and how lean it can afford to be.
We know the other side of the table.
Perhaps the biggest difference to classic selection consultants: we have worked on the vendor side ourselves – led ERP implementations for mid-sized e-commerce companies, run international pre-sales workshops, positioned systems and built demos.
We therefore know first-hand how proposals are calculated, which efforts tend to be estimated optimistically, how demo scenarios are built around weaknesses, and which contract clauses the change orders will hang on later. In your selection, that knowledge works for you – not against you.
And because we develop software ourselves, we also assess the technical side on substance: architecture, interfaces to your system landscape, customisability versus closeness to standard, data migration. In the end, an ERP selection is both – a commercial and a technical decision. We can examine both halves.
Typical triggers
Legacy system being discontinued · growth outgrowing the inventory system · Excel holding the business together · a successor wanting clean systems.
Also as a second opinion
Proposal already on the table? We review it before you sign – see Business Central Consulting & Second Opinion.
Where we work
On site in Saxony (Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz), remote across the DACH region.
The selection process in five steps.
Assessment
Processes, system landscape, goals, timeframe – and the honest question of whether you really need a new ERP or the old one properly implemented.
Capture requirements
Workshops with the departments, a prioritised requirements specification, clear must-have criteria – the basis for everything that follows.
Screen the market & request proposals
Longlist, shortlist, structured tender to the right vendors and implementation partners.
Demos & comparison
Scripted demos with your scenarios, reference calls, TCO comparison – scored in a traceable decision model.
Negotiate & decide
Contract negotiation at your side, a decision paper for management – and, on request, a direct transition into project management of the implementation.
Frequently asked questions about ERP vendor selection.
What does an ERP vendor selection cost?
Significantly less than a wrong decision: depending on company size and depth, the selection support is a project of a few weeks of consulting effort, spread over several months of calendar time. After the initial conversation you receive a fixed-price offer with a clear scope. In our experience, the negotiation gains on the vendor contract cover the cost several times over.
Are you really neutral?
Yes – structurally: we have no partner agreements, sell no licences and receive no referral commissions. Our only client in the selection is you. If the best system for you is one we have never worked with, we recommend it anyway.
Which systems do you cover?
The method is system-independent. We have deep hands-on experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and SAP environments as well as industry ERP such as CSB; beyond that we have supported CRM and accounting selections (incl. Salesforce, DATEV). What matters is the structured evaluation – not our preferences.
How long does a selection take?
For the German mid-market, typically three to six months from requirements capture to contract signature – depending on complexity and internal availability. It goes faster if requirements are already in good shape; it slows down without a decision structure. We manage both.
We already have a proposal – is this still worth it?
Especially then: a single proposal without comparison is the weakest negotiating position. As a minimal option we review the proposal on the table as a second opinion – scope, effort, contract risks – and, where needed, obtain targeted comparison proposals.
Do you also support the implementation after the selection?
Yes, that is the natural next step: as external ERP project management on your side, we manage the implementation partner we selected together – backed by everything we learned in the selection phase.
Ten years of system commitment deserve more than two demos.
Describe your starting point – you’ll get an honest assessment of what your selection should look like and what it costs.
Request ERP selection support.
Briefly describe your industry, company size and what prompted the search – we’ll get back to you with an assessment of approach, duration and cost.
We usually reply within 24 hours.
Remote & on site – working across the DACH region (DE, AT, CH), with international project experience.
Related services.
ERP Project Management
After the selection: managing the implementation on the client side – through to go-live.
Learn moreBusiness Central Consulting & Second Opinion
Specifically for Dynamics 365 Business Central: independent review of proposals and projects.
Learn moreIT Project Management
The overview: external project management, interim management, project rescue.
Learn more