ERP Quote Comparison Checklist and Free Worksheet

Compare ERP quotes by making the scope and cost assumptions match. Put recurring software, implementation, surrounding applications, and internal effort on separate lines. Then identify what is included, excluded, estimated, or still unanswered. The lowest subscription amount can leave expensive work elsewhere in the proposal.

Download the free ERP quote comparison worksheet. It is a blank CSV you can open in a spreadsheet application and fill in locally. The download does not require contact details. Keep confidential proposal details in your own copy.

Start with the exact product and project scope

Record the product, edition, modules, entity count, roles, locations, currencies, and intended go-live phase. Record the proposal date and expiration date too. If the proposals cover different requirements, make the differences visible before comparing totals.

This matters when a vendor name covers several products. For example, Epicor's ERP portfolio includes different products for manufacturing and distribution. A proposal should name the product and modules being delivered. Use the Epicor pricing guide as a starting set of questions, then use the actual proposal as your cost source.

Separate software from the complete solution

Ask each supplier to itemize the recurring subscription and its assumptions. For every required capability, identify whether it comes from the quoted product, a separate app, a partner solution, custom work, or a retained system.

• ▪Which roles require paid access, including occasional approvers?
• ▪Which entities, environments, and modules are included?
• ▪What changes when transaction volume or entity count increases?
• ▪Which integration and support subscriptions are separate?
• ▪Are payment, processing, storage, or export charges applicable?

These are questions to resolve, not claims that every ERP has every fee. A documented inclusion is as useful as an additional charge.

Make implementation deliverables comparable

Break implementation into data migration, configuration, integrations, reports, testing, training, and cutover support. Ask who performs each task and what output establishes acceptance.

Two migration proposals may both say history is included while describing different deliverables. One may contain detailed transactions and attachments; another may contain opening balances. Ask how users will retrieve records after the old system is retired and how migrated balances will be reconciled.

Record assumptions about your staff's availability and data readiness. A supplier fee does not capture internal cleanup, testing, and parallel operations. Keep those estimates visible, with an owner and a basis, instead of treating them as zero.

Compare the first year and the next year

Use the same start date and planning period for every option. Build one view for the first year and another for a normal subsequent year. Keep one-time fees separate from recurring commitments.

Identify introductory discounts, renewal terms, and scope-related price changes. Model one plausible expansion scenario, such as another entity or a larger user group, using quoted unit prices when available. If a figure is missing, mark it unknown and request it; do not silently substitute a competitor's price.

The worksheet deliberately contains no benchmark prices or automatic savings claims. Its purpose is to expose differences in scope and evidence before a total creates false confidence.

Track open questions to a decision

For every important gap, record the question, its owner, the evidence needed, and the next step. Use a simple evidence status: documented, demonstrated, estimated, excluded, or unknown.

A statement such as implementation included needs a deliverable list. An integration available statement needs tested objects and failure handling. A promised report needs an example that your team can reconcile. Move an item to resolved only when the evidence answers the actual requirement.

Avoid giving every checklist row equal weight. A missing capability that prevents shipping orders deserves different treatment from a preference about a dashboard. Have the process owner identify the requirements that must pass before the proposal can be accepted.

Use the worksheet with your shortlist

Begin with two proposals and one shared set of requirements. Work through the rows with finance, the operational owners, and the person who will run the implementation. Add rows for your distinctive requirements rather than collecting irrelevant features.

Use the ERP system catalog to inspect a candidate's research and sources. If Light is shortlisted, its pricing page explains why amounts remain undisclosed rather than assigning unsupported estimates. If you are still choosing candidates, the questionnaire can help organize a shortlist before you request comparable proposals.