Independent ERP Advice: What It Is, When You Need It and How to Recognise It
Almost every ERP advisor in the Netherlands claims to be independent. On websites, in pitches, in proposals. “We’re not tied to any vendor.” “We only look at what’s best for your organisation.” It sounds familiar. But what does it actually mean?
Independent ERP advice means the advisor has no financial stake in your final software choice. No reseller margin, no partner commission, no hidden kickback tied to a specific vendor. The advice is aimed purely at what fits your organisation, your processes and your people.
That sounds obvious, but in practice it rarely is. Many parties who call themselves independent do in fact have commercial arrangements with one or more software vendors. Sometimes openly, sometimes hidden behind a formal split between advisory and implementation inside the same group.
In this article you’ll read what independent ERP advice is and isn’t. When you need it and when you don’t. The seven criteria you can test to judge whether an advisor is genuinely independent. And how ERP Company fills that position itself, without vendor ties and without a hidden agenda.
What is independent ERP advice?
An independent ERP advisor meets three factual conditions. One: there is no reseller contract with a software vendor. Two: there are no vendor incentives that move with your choice. Three: the advisor holds no official certified partner status with a specific vendor such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, AFAS or Exact.
These three conditions together form the test. If even one is missing, the position is no longer fully independent, no matter how strongly a party claims otherwise in its marketing.
What independent advice is not: an implementation partner that “also knows other systems”. A certified Microsoft reseller who says “we can also advise on AFAS” is by definition not an independent advisor, regardless of intent. Their revenue model sits with the licences of their primary vendor. That removes any appearance of neutrality, even if they personally believe they advise honestly.
A proper ERP package and partner selection by an independent party starts from your situation, your industry and your processes. Not from a software catalogue.
Independence is not a marketing claim. It is a measurable, verifiable position. Either you earn as an advisor based on which software the client chooses, or you do not. There is no middle ground.
Why independent ERP advice matters
ERP projects are company-wide, long-running and expensive. The software choice you make will stay with you for ten to fifteen years. A wrong choice is not just costly in licences and implementation. It restricts your operational agility for a long time.
That is why the quality of advice in the selection phase is decisive. And that is precisely where non-independent advisors create a problem.
First, hidden vendor interests skew the advice. An advisor who earns a higher margin on platform A than on platform B will rarely advise incorrectly on purpose. They will, however, unconsciously weight the arguments that point to platform A more heavily. Human bias works against your interest here.
Second, the selection process gets steered by reseller margins. We regularly see shortlists drawn up by vendor partners that land remarkably consistently on the platform they themselves deliver. Statistically improbable. Practically explainable.
Third, implementation choices get steered by licence revenue. More modules means more licences, which means more revenue for the partner. An independent advisor can help you scope only the modules you actually need. A licence-selling partner has less commercial interest in that restraint.
A real example from our practice. An organisation in wholesale received an implementation proposal from a vendor partner that sat roughly 30% above the neutral market level. Not because the partner was untrustworthy, but because their portfolio naturally leaned toward certain choices. An independent assessment up front saved substantial budget and produced sharper modular choices.
This is the core reason an independent assessment up front pays off, even though the advice itself costs money. The saving is not in the cost of the advice. The saving is in the wrong licence choice you avoid.
The seven criteria for true independence
Based on our experience with selection projects and second opinions, we have set out seven criteria you can use to test an ERP advisor before placing your trust in them. Not a marketing checklist, but factual questions to which an honest answer is non-negotiable.
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Do you have an active reseller contract with a software vendor? A yes means no independent position. Full stop.
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Are you an officially certified partner of Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, AFAS, Exact or a comparable vendor? Partner certification comes with obligations. Marketing cooperation, sales targets, priority for the own platform. Not compatible with independent advice.
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How is your fee structure built? An independent advisor bills hours or a fixed fee for the selection. No success fee tied to a specific software choice. No hidden commission on licences.
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Can you give project examples across multiple platforms? A true independent has a varied portfolio. Ask concretely: how many projects did you do in the past three years on Microsoft Dynamics 365, how many on SAP, how many on AFAS, how many on Exact? A balanced spread is a strong signal.
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Do you work with kickback models or finder’s fees? Some resellers pay referrers per closed deal. Invisible to you, but a commercial incentive that shapes the advice. Ask directly.
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Who owns your firm? An advisory firm that is part of a vendor organisation, even under a different name, cannot operate independently in any structural sense. Ownership shapes culture.
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Can you give references from clients who, on your advice, chose a platform you do not implement yourself? This is the most conclusive criterion. An independent advisor doing their job well sometimes recommends platforms they cannot implement themselves. They then refer the client to the right implementation partner. A vendor partner does not do that as a structural practice.
A perfect seven out of seven is not always realistic. Five out of seven with a transparent explanation of the other two can be acceptable. Three or fewer is a red flag, regardless of the marketing claim.
When you need independent advice and when you don’t
Not every ERP project requires an independent pre-phase. It is an investment, and the return must match. We see four situations where the return on independent advice clearly outweighs the cost.
The first is a genuine selection. You know you have to switch but not which platform. Two to four candidates are in scope, each with strengths and weaknesses. Here, a neutral assessment is indispensable. A vendor partner cannot do that objectively, by definition.
The second is a second opinion on a stalled or failing implementation. When the current partner steers toward their own solution and the organisation drifts further from its original goal, an independent assessment is the only instrument that restores balance. This second opinion sits outside the incumbent partner and looks at what is truly in the organisation’s interest.
The third is a complex, multi-platform IT environment. When you run systems that could potentially live on multiple ERP platforms, or integrations with legacy software, the architectural choice demands broad platform expertise. A single-platform partner cannot judge that neutrally.
The fourth is a deliberate governance choice by the board. Some organisations take the position that the party who advises should not be the party who implements. This is a healthy separation of interests, similar to the split between accountant and bookkeeper.
When you probably don’t need independent advice: on a small, standard implementation with no strategic impact and an existing, satisfied partner relationship. Or when you have worked for years with a party that knows your industry and your organisation inside out, and the project is low complexity. In those cases, the extra advisory layer is not cost-effective.
Our rule of thumb: as soon as the total budget of the ERP project is substantial and the strategic impact stretches across multiple years, an independent pre-phase is an investment that more than repays itself.
The difference with an implementation partner or vendor advisor
Three roles are routinely conflated in the market, yet they differ fundamentally. Keeping the distinction sharp helps you engage the right party for the right role.
| Dimension | Independent advisor | Implementation partner | Vendor advisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial interest | Hours or fixed fee, no licence margin | Licence margin plus implementation hours | Licence margin plus partner commission |
| Platform scope | Broad expertise, multiple systems | Deep expertise, one to two systems | Deep expertise, one system |
| Project approach | Vendor-neutral selection and governance | Full implementation and managed services | Sales and implementation support |
| Cost structure | Transparent hours or fixed fee | Mix of hours, licences and project mark-ups | Often subsidiary to licence revenue |
| Exit conditions | Free of platform ties | Investment in platform-specific skills creates lock-in | Strongly bound to vendor roadmap |
| Willingness to give a second opinion | Standard part of the work | Rare, since the interest is in continuation | Almost never, since the interest is in the own platform |
An independent advisor and a strong implementation partner are complementary. The advisor helps you choose and manages governance. The implementation partner then does the actual work. Combining both roles in one party always means a conflict of interest, however well-intentioned.
In the selection phase of your new ERP system, this distinction is decisive. A full treatment of the entire ERP selection process makes the step-by-step approach concrete, including where independent advice fits in.
Independent advice during selection versus during implementation
Independent advice works differently in the selection phase than in the implementation phase. Both exist, but the purpose differs.
In the selection phase, the goal is to make the right platform choice without bias. The independent advisor draws up the longlist, runs the shortlist comparison, moderates the demos and formulates the final recommendation. They guide the RFP and protect the scoring against non-factual criteria. Their value lies in objectivity and methodical discipline.
In the implementation phase, the role shifts to governance, quality control and escalation. The implementation partner is the party doing the work, while the independent advisor watches over scope, judges architectural choices and flags risks early. When a project starts to stall, they give a second opinion that sits outside the incumbent’s interest. Their value lies in candid critique and methodical escalation.
A well-structured ERP implementation programme benefits from both roles, provided they are kept separate. An organisation that forgets governance, or hands it to the same party doing the implementation, accepts a structural blind spot. For some organisations that is acceptable. For most it isn’t, certainly on larger projects.
In practice we see that the independent governance layer costs a fraction of the total project budget, while in most projects it prevents substantial cost overruns by enabling timely course corrections.
How ERP Company delivers independent advice
It is fair that you test how we ourselves fill the independent advisor role. It is not a marketing claim on our side, it is an operational choice.
ERP Company holds no Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, AFAS or Exact certified partner status. This is not an accidental omission in our positioning. It is a deliberate position. A partner certification carries commercial obligations that we consider incompatible with our advisory role.
Our scale makes this position viable. With 265+ specialists, we hold deep platform expertise across every common ERP system. Our consultants have worked across multiple platforms in their careers, often at implementation partners before joining us. That breadth is exactly what independent advice demands: you cannot make an objective comparison without having worked with the systems yourself.
Our fee structure is transparent. We bill hours or a fixed fee for selection or governance work. No licence margin, no sales commission, no success fee tied to a specific software choice. Our revenue does not depend on which platform you choose. That is the operational guarantee behind the independence.
We focus on three markets: manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, and services and maintenance. Within those markets, we guide ERP projects from selection through go-live and into post-implementation governance. Sometimes we do the full cycle, sometimes only the selection or only the governance. What fits your situation is a conversation we have up front, whether you outsource the implementation or run it in-house.
Frequently asked questions
What does independent ERP advice mean exactly?
Independent ERP advice means the advisor has no financial stake in your final software choice. No reseller contract with a software vendor, no vendor certification, no kickback model that moves with your choice. The advice is aimed purely at what fits your organisation, your processes and your people. Independence is not a marketing claim, it is a factual position you can test against seven concrete criteria.
Is an ERP advisor who delivers multiple platforms automatically independent?
No. An implementation partner with multiple platforms in its portfolio is broad but not necessarily independent. Its revenue model still sits with the licences and implementation hours of those platforms. Independence requires the absence of that commercial link. An advisor who delivers no platform at all, but has worked with them all, is independent. That distinction is essential.
What is the difference between independent advice and an implementation partner?
An implementation partner does the actual work: configuration, data migration, training and go-live. Their depth sits in one or two platforms they know inside out. An independent advisor guides the selection, watches over governance and gives second opinions. Their breadth sits in multiple platforms they have worked with. Both roles are valuable, but combining them in one party creates a conflict of interest.
When is a second opinion on an ERP implementation worthwhile?
A second opinion is worthwhile when an implementation stalls, when scope has drifted without the organisation noticing, or when the current partner steers toward a solution that no longer fits the original goal. The independent assessment looks at the facts without the weight of the running contract. Sometimes the advice is to continue with adjusted governance, sometimes to reduce scope, sometimes to change partner. Our ERP change management work often connects directly to these moments.
What does independent ERP advice cost in relative terms?
Relative to total project cost, independent advice is a fraction. The selection phase with independent guidance typically sits between 2 and 5% of the total ERP project budget. The governance layer during implementation sits in a comparable range. In our experience the investment repays itself many times over through better platform choices, sharper scope and avoided budget overruns. Concrete amounts depend on the organisation and the project.
How do you recognise that a consultant is genuinely independent?
By testing the seven criteria from this article factually. No reseller contract, no vendor certification, transparent fee structure, projects across multiple platforms, no kickback models, ownership independent of any vendor, and references from clients who chose, on the advice, a platform the advisor does not implement. At a minimum of five of the seven with a transparent explanation of the other two, independence is sufficiently safeguarded. Below five it is a red flag, regardless of the marketing.
Does ERP Company hold official vendor certifications?
No. ERP Company deliberately holds no Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, AFAS or Exact certified partner status. No reseller contract, no partner commission, no kickback models. This is an operational choice that fits our role as independent advisor and governance party. The depth of platform knowledge comes from the experience of our 265+ specialists, many of whom previously worked at implementation partners and bring that expertise without the commercial obligations.
Let’s spar about an independent assessment
A good ERP choice starts with an honest conversation about your situation. What your processes look like, what industry you sit in, what your growth plan is and where the operational pinch points are. Only then do software candidates come into view.
We are ERP Company. Independent, no vendor ties, no hidden agendas. With 265+ specialists who built their careers across multiple platforms and now bring that experience to your selection or governance. No sales pitch. An honest conversation about what your project actually needs.
Are you in the selection phase, weighing platforms, or sitting in an implementation that is losing its balance? Get in touch for a no-strings exploration. One conversation often gives more direction than three proposals from vendor partners.
See our ERP package and partner selection service for more on how we guide organisations to the right platform and the right implementation partner.