ERP Selection Consultant, UK

Typical UK shortlists, from small firms to mid-sized groups

UK buyers usually start from a ledger they already trust, so the shortlist is shaped by what that ledger cannot do. A few patterns come up often enough to be useful as a starting point.

• Small firms whose add-on apps no longer talk to each other. The options tend to include a tidier Xero or Sage setup with better integrations, Zoho apps around Zoho Books, Odoo and ERPNext.
• Established mid-sized companies. Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage's larger products, NetSuite and Acumatica often join Odoo, with the balance depending on whether stock, manufacturing, projects or finance is the main driver.
• Groups with UK and overseas entities. Multi-company consolidation, intercompany trade and reporting in sterling, euros and dollars become the deciding criteria.

These groupings describe where conversations usually begin, not what you should buy. I narrow them using knock-out requirements: how the VAT return will be produced, what your costing method is, how many companies and currencies you run, and how much in-house skill you have to administer the system. Each product removed is listed with its reason, which saves the debate from being reopened by a persuasive sales call later. If two of the shortlisted options are already familiar names, my comparisons of Zoho and Odoo and Odoo and Dynamics 365 set out the trade-offs neutrally.

How to compare UK implementation partner proposals

In the UK, most mid-market ERP products are delivered through implementation partners, ranging from small specialist firms to larger consultancies. Choosing the partner is as important as choosing the product, and their proposals are hard to compare at face value.

One partner quotes a fixed price for a tightly defined scope. Another estimates days at a blended rate and leaves data migration to you. A third bundles a support contract that starts before go-live. To make them comparable, I put each one into the same structure:

• Phases, deliverables and estimated days by role, with the seniority of each named consultant.
• Every assumption and exclusion, plus the tasks the partner expects your staff to perform.
• Day rates for change requests and the approval process for extra work.
• Whether any work is subcontracted or delivered offshore.
• Support terms after launch, including response times and how tickets are charged.

Each partner is asked for references from UK companies of similar size and sector, and run those calls with the same questions for each. References about how disputes and change requests were handled are usually more revealing than praise for the software. My proposal review page lists the warning signs I look for, and ERP RFP consulting covers formal tenders.

Demo scenarios built around UK tax and banking

A standard demo shows one domestic sale with standard-rated VAT. That proves very little. I write scripts that ask each vendor to process your awkward cases live, using your own customers, items and suppliers:

• VAT return and Making Tax Digital. Produce the return from transactions and show how it is submitted, either directly or through bridging software. Ask what happens when a correction is needed after submission.
• Reverse charge and construction. If you work in construction, show a domestic reverse charge invoice and, where relevant, how CIS deductions are recorded. Your accountant confirms which treatments apply to you.
• Imports and EU trade. Record an import with postponed VAT accounting if you use it, and a euro sale with an exchange difference at payment.
• Bacs and bank feeds. Run a supplier payment batch, export the Bacs file format your bank accepts, and reconcile a bank feed.
• Payroll. Many UK businesses keep payroll in specialist software that handles RTI submissions. Show how payroll journals post into the ledger by department or project.
• E-invoicing. The government has indicated a move toward wider e-invoicing. Ask each vendor how they expect to support it, without treating any roadmap promise as a delivered feature.

Your process owners score each scenario, and unclear answers are followed up in writing.

Data hosting, UK GDPR and contract points

Cloud ERP means your customer, supplier and employee data sits with the vendor and often passes through the partner. Your data protection lead will want clear answers, and the selection is the right time to get them. I ask each shortlisted vendor where data is hosted, whether a UK or European region is available, which sub-processors are involved, how international transfers are covered and what the data processing agreement says. I also ask who at the partner will hold administrator access during and after the project.

On the commercial side, I review the subscription agreement and the partner's statement of work together, because the gaps between them cause most disputes. The points I cover include:

• Minimum subscription terms, automatic renewal and how renewal price increases are handled.
• User license types and whether occasional users need full licenses.
• Additional costs for sandboxes, storage, API usage or third-party apps.
• Ownership of customizations and documentation built by the partner.
• Data export rights and format if you leave.
• Termination terms and notice periods.

I flag questions and risks; your solicitor reviews the final contract. Each answer goes into the decision file so the implementation team inherits the same understanding.

Independent selection, delivered remotely in UK hours

Many UK businesses first meet ERP through a partner that also sells the licenses. That is a normal route to market, but it means the first advice you hear comes from someone with a product to place. I sell no software and take no commission or referral fee, so I can tell you when a product or a partner is the wrong fit, or when staying on your current ledger is the better answer.

The selection runs remotely. Workshops and vendor demos are held on video inside the UK working day, scoring takes place in shared documents, and recorded sessions let colleagues who missed a demo catch up before the scoring meeting. A visit is possible by arrangement for a specific reason, but they are not required for a sound decision.

Once a decision is made, the documents from selection become the baseline for delivery, and I can continue as your client-side ERP implementation consultant in the UK. If you are still working out whether you need a new system at all, ERP evaluation is the better first step. There is more on my wider ERP consulting for UK companies, the general selection method and the UK market overview.