ERP partner checklist

The ERP partner checklist

Ask every candidate the same ten questions and compare the answers in writing. Score each partner 1 (weak) to 3 (strong). Good answers are specific; red flags are vague.

QUESTION

GOOD ANSWER

RED FLAG

1Who, by name, will run our project, and have they delivered in our trade?

Names, roles and two projects in your industry.

“We’ll staff it after you sign.”

2Will the people who sell it be on the project after we sign?

The seller stays involved and is accountable for the outcome.

A hand-off to a delivery team you haven’t met.

3Will you build the demo with our data?

A demo built on your jobs, your cost codes, your billing.

A generic demo with sample data.

4What exactly is in scope, and what isn’t?

Every deliverable named in writing before you sign.

A one-page scope and “we’ll figure it out in discovery.”

5How do you price it, and what sits outside the fee?

Fixed fee after discovery, with exceptions named.

Hourly estimates with no cap.

6How will you handle our legacy data, and when will you look at it?

They examine your data before pricing migration.

Migration treated as a line item nobody has looked at.

7How much of our team’s time will this take?

Named people, hours and phases, before kickoff.

“Not much.”

8Can we call two clients in our trade who went live recently?

Names and phone numbers.

Logos only.

9Have you recovered a stalled implementation?

A specific story of what they changed.

They’ve never had to.

10What happens after go-live, and who picks up the phone?

The same account team, and support billed for time spent.

A separate help desk and prepaid hour blocks.

Total score (out of 30)

Partner A

Partner B

Partner C

Plain language: what is a partner?

Software companies build software. An ERP partner, which the industry calls a VAR (value-added reseller), sells, implements and supports it for your business. Gold Certified tells you a partner is established. It doesn’t tell you who will run your project.

Ask how they are paid

If consultants are measured on billable hours, the incentive is to exceed the budget. Ask who owns the outcome, and who stays after go-live.

“Instead of a generic demo, they used our actual data and showed us what the system could do for our business.” Todd H., VP, Bright Star Solutions