ERP software: selecting a system and a partner to implement it in Ireland

Most ERP products are sold and implemented through partners rather than by the software maker itself. The partner configures the system, migrates your data, trains your staff and usually provides first-line support afterwards. Two partners implementing the same product can give very different results, so ask who exactly will work on your project, how many similar implementations they have done in your sector, and whether they are certified by the vendor.

Be clear whether you are asking for help choosing a system or for a quote to implement one you have already chosen. A partner tied to one vendor will naturally propose that vendor. If you are still undecided, say so and ask how the partner would assess fit.

Describe your processes as they work today, including the workarounds. The partner needs to know how orders arrive, how stock is counted, how jobs are costed, how month-end works and which reports the directors rely on. Numbers matter too: users, transactions per month, warehouses, companies in the group and currencies.

Sector details change the answer. A manufacturer needs bills of materials and production planning; a wholesaler needs pricing agreements and batch or serial tracking; a construction business that pays subcontractors under the Construction Industry Scheme needs CIS deductions and returns handled correctly. List every system that has to connect: web shop, bank feeds, payroll, EDI with major customers, courier platforms.

• modules needed now and later: finance, inventory, production, sales and CRM, HR
• number of named users and their roles
• legal entities, currencies and sites
• integrations and the data that flows through them
• reports and dashboards that must exist on day one
• where the system is hosted: vendor cloud, partner hosting or your own servers
• who in your business can give time to the project

Configuring a system means using its built-in settings. Customising means changing or adding code. Customisation can fit the software to an unusual process, but every change has to be tested and sometimes rewritten when the vendor releases an upgrade. A good partner will challenge whether a process should change instead of the software.

The contract usually has two parts: the licence or subscription, often per user per month, and the implementation services, quoted as a fixed price or on time and materials. Read what happens when you add users, what the annual price increases are, and how you export all of your data in a usable format if you leave.

Moving data is where time disappears. Customer and supplier records, item codes, price lists and open orders all need cleaning before they are imported, and that work mostly falls on your staff. Decide early how much history to bring across, and whether you migrate opening balances only or full transaction history.

Plan a trial migration, testing by the people who will use the system, and training for key users who can then help their colleagues. For a period after go-live, expect questions to spike; the support terms should cover that.

The GDPR applies to your IT projects; in Ireland the Data Protection Commission is the supervisory authority. If a supplier processes personal data on your behalf, you need a data processing agreement.

Irish companies are registered with the Companies Registration Office. Ask for the company number and VAT number, and check whether prices are quoted with or without VAT.

Source: dataprotection.ie · eur-lex.europa.eu · revenue.ie

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