Independent ERP advice
Independent ERP advice puts your processes and choices first, with no stake in the sale of any particular software package. ERP Company is an independent consultancy and staffing firm: we advise you and provide ERP specialists. On this page you can read how to test independence and when support makes sense.
What it is and is not
How advisers earn
How to test it yourself
What is independent ERP advice?
On this page, by independent ERP advice we mean advice from a party that does not earn from the outcome of your choice: no licence income, no implementation hours and no ties to a vendor. Ask how an adviser is paid instead: by the hour, for a fixed price or in some other way.
Test that definition in every conversation. Ask how someone is paid and what happens when the advice runs against their own interest.
What it is not
- Not the same as objective. Ask an independent adviser, too, about preferences and experience that may colour the advice
- Not the same as cheap. Ask about the business model, not only about the rate
- Not the same as the party that builds it. Ask whether the adviser also wants to take part in the build, and weigh that
- Not the same as a badge, partner status or certification. Ask who issues it, and what that says about the tie with a vendor
Do not ask whether someone is called independent. Ask what happens when the advice costs them money.
Ask two questions about every piece of advice. What does this party earn if you decide to do nothing? And what if you choose a package from someone else? Weigh the advice with those answers.
When does independent advice pay off, and when not?
Below are four situations to weigh up, each with what you want to achieve with advice and the question you ask before you skip it.
When it helps and when not
| Situation | What you want to achieve | Ask before you skip it |
|---|---|---|
| Before choosing a system | Having your requirements sharp before you go to market, and a shortlist based on fit rather than familiarity. | Are your processes conventional, is your size modest and is there a system that is common in your sector? Then ask what a selection process would still change about your choice. |
| When choosing a partner | Testing candidates on behaviour rather than on the quote, and settling the escalation route before you sign. | Do you know the firm from previous projects and is the staffing settled by name? Then weigh what an extra test adds. |
| During implementation | Having progress judged by someone who is not building. | Do you have an experienced project lead who organises dissent and has the mandate to do so? Then weigh whether that role is already filled. |
| When a project stalls | Establishing where the problem lies: in the brief, in the staffing or with the partner. | Is there someone internally who is not yet part of the discussion and is free to say what they see? Then ask that person for a view. |
We say this with a stake in it: we sell this advice. The table also shows when you can consider skipping it.
How do advisers earn their money?
Ask every adviser how the fee is calculated. Below are five questions you can ask, each with a follow-up question.
Questions about the fee
| Ask whether the adviser | Follow-up question |
|---|---|
| charges by the hour | What is the scope, and how can you tell that the advice is finished? |
| charges a fixed price for the project | Which assignment belongs to that price, and does the scope leave room for the awkward questions? |
| receives a fee from a vendor | From which vendors, and on which sale? Compare the answer with the definition of independent advice at the top of this page. |
| also wants to carry out the implementation after the advice | Is “do nothing” a possible outcome, and does the adviser also want to bid for the implementation after the advice? |
| links part of the fee to an agreed outcome, such as go-live | How does the adviser weigh that agreement against the question of whether the system is ready to go live? |
We work on hours or on a fixed price, and receive no fee from software vendors. You are welcome to put that question to us, just like the tests below.
How do you test independence?
Five questions to test the independence of an adviser. Feel free to ask them in a first conversation.
Ask how they earn if you choose a different system
Do not only ask whether they are a partner of a vendor. Ask what happens to their revenue under each outcome.
If the answer turns to their own expertise, ask the question again.
Ask about the last time they advised against buying
Ask for a specific case in which the adviser advised against a purchase, and what happened then.
Also ask whether the adviser missed out on a follow-up assignment as a result.
Ask who writes the recommendation and who has read it
Ask whether the adviser at the table knows the reasoning first-hand, or whether the advice comes from a central method that someone else applies.
Ask the adviser to retell the trade-off behind the recommendation in their own words.
Ask whether they may build it afterwards
Ask whether the firm also wants to carry out the implementation after the advice. If so, take that into account when you assess the advice.
Record in the assignment whether the same firm may bid for the next stage.
Ask for a reference they do not arrange
Ask for a client who is not on the website, and call them yourself. Ask not about satisfaction, but about any moments of friction.
Call the reference without the adviser present.
Going deeper per topic
Advice is about something. These two pages cover the decisions it helps with.
Frequently asked questions
- What is independent ERP advice?
On this page, we use the term for advice from a party that does not earn from the outcome: no licence income, no implementation hours and no ties to a vendor.
Also ask about the preferences and experience that may colour the advice.
- How do you know whether an ERP adviser is genuinely independent?
Ask how they earn if you choose a different package, and ask about the last time they advised against a purchase. Consider those answers alongside any badge.
If there is a badge or partner status, ask who issues it, and what that says about the tie with a vendor.
- What is the difference between an adviser and an implementation partner?
On this page we use this distinction: the adviser helps you choose and can judge progress, the implementation partner configures the system.
If one firm does both, agree who judges progress, and take into account that the firm also earns from the implementation.
- When do you not need independent advice?
Ask what a selection process could change about your choice, in particular if your processes are conventional, your size is modest and there is a system that is common in your sector. If your answer is very little, consider skipping it.
We say this with a stake in it: we sell this advice.
- What should independent ERP advice cost?
Ask an adviser about the scope of the assignment and about the model, for example hours or a fixed price. Also ask whether a fee from a vendor comes with it, and compare the answer with the definition at the top of this page.
Ask not only about the rate, but also about what the adviser earns under each outcome.
Further reading
This page covers what independent advice is and how to test it. The articles below go deeper into the separate questions.
- Diagnosis first, then the choice of package
- What it is, and above all what it is not
- Why the party that builds should not also judge progress
- ERP second opinion (service)
This page was last reviewed on 11 October 2026.
Advice with no stake in the outcome
We do not sell licences and do not implement ourselves. Feel free to ask us what we earn if you decide to do nothing.
We work on hours or on a fixed price. We receive nothing from software vendors, and you are welcome to check that.