ERP selection advisors (in German Auswahlbegleiter) are independent consultancies that support buyers through the ERP procurement process without being tied to a specific vendor. Their value is structural neutrality: they are paid by the buyer, not by the eventual implementation partner, and their methodology is built around clarifying requirements before vendors are invited to bid. For German Mid-Market organisations evaluating an ERP investment that may bind operations for the next decade, an experienced selection advisor often pays for itself by shortening the evaluation cycle and improving fit between the chosen product and the actual process landscape.
What selection advisors do
A typical selection engagement spans three to six months and covers requirements analysis, market scoping, structured RfI/RfP, scripted demo days, reference checks and contract review. The advisor acts as a translator between the operational side of the business — finance, production, logistics, sales — and the vendor sales teams. Deliverables usually include a documented process catalogue, a weighted requirements matrix and a comparative scoring of two to four finalists. Established DACH-focused advisors such as Trovarit, Schwetz Consulting and the ERP arm of BARC publish methodology that has matured over many comparable engagements.
Difference from implementation partners
An implementation partner — for example a Microsoft Dynamics or SAP partner — earns its revenue from configuring and rolling out a specific product. That is a legitimate role, but it cannot also be a vendor-neutral selector. Genuine selection advisors do not take referral fees from ERP vendors, do not maintain implementation practices for any single product family, and publish their compensation model. When evaluating an advisor, the relevant question is not how many ERP products they know but how clearly they document conflict-of-interest boundaries.
When external selection support pays off
External selection support is most valuable when internal IT lacks recent ERP-procurement experience, when the project crosses several business units with conflicting priorities, or when the budget bracket exceeds roughly half a million euro of total cost of ownership. For smaller projects with a clear-cut process landscape, internal selection with a structured RfI template is often sufficient. The Mid-Market-typical pattern is one full-time internal project lead supported by an advisor for three to six person-months across the engagement.
Criteria for choosing an advisor
Useful criteria when shortlisting a selection advisor: published methodology with named phases and deliverables; written conflict-of-interest policy; sector experience in your industry; references from completed selections in the last three years; and a fixed-price or capped-hours commercial model rather than open-ended time-and-materials. Avoid advisors who present a preferred shortlist before the requirements workshop is complete — that pattern indicates a pre-existing partner relationship behind the scenes.
Established DACH advisors and their focus
The German-speaking selection-advisor market is concentrated around a handful of established firms with distinct profiles. Trovarit, an Aachen-based spin-off of the RWTH research environment, is best known for its annual ERP in der Praxis user-satisfaction study and a structured selection methodology widely used in industrial Mid-Market projects. Schwetz Consulting in Karlsruhe has a long-standing focus on small and mid-market manufacturing buyers with a pragmatic, low-overhead selection process. BARC (Business Application Research Center) is principally a research and analyst firm but also runs vendor-neutral selection projects in the BI and ERP space. Beyond these, regional consultancies and individual practitioners cover specific industries; the relevant question is always neutrality and methodology rather than name recognition.
Industry and company-size focus
Most DACH selection advisors specialise by industry or by company size rather than by ERP product. The clearest segmentation is between discrete manufacturing, process industry, project-driven services and wholesale or retail trading. Industry-specific advisors bring pre-built process reference catalogues (typical demand-planning flows for series manufacturing, batch and recipe management for food and chemicals, project-time recording for engineering services) that materially shorten the requirements phase. By revenue band, selection support is most common between roughly 20 million and 500 million euro of customer turnover; below that, internal selection is often sufficient, and above that, in-house procurement teams typically run the process with advisors playing a more limited subject-matter role.
Which ERP systems do ERP selection advisors & assessors specialise in?
You will find the industry focus and supported ERP systems in the provider description. For selecting a suitable implementation partner, see the ERP consultant overview. The exact details depend on the industry, company size class and customisation depth of the specific ERP setup.
What does consulting from ERP selection advisors & assessors cost?
Daily rates for ERP consultants in the DACH region typically range between 800 and 2,500 EUR, depending on seniority and specialisation. Detailed terms should be requested directly from the provider. Licence costs typically account for 25-35% of total project costs; the rest is split across implementation, training and data migration.
What industry experience do ERP selection advisors & assessors have?
Industry focus areas and references can be found in the provider description. This is a key selection criterion for ERP consulting projects. Industry specialists have preconfigured master data structures and compliance modules that drastically reduce customisation effort.
Which methodology do ERP selection advisors & assessors use?
Traditionally, waterfall models (clear phases: requirements → design → implementation) are used; modern providers work with agile methods and sprints. The provider typically documents its methodology in its profile. The exact details depend on the industry, company size class and customisation depth of the specific ERP setup.
Where are ERP selection advisors & assessors located?
The distribution of locations is relevant for on-site appointments, language and time zone. You will find the geographical presence in the provider profile. The exact details depend on the industry, company size class and customisation depth of the specific ERP setup.
