Intology

Independent ERP advisory & selection

Independent ERP Consultancy UK Vendor-Neutral Selection You Can Trust.

Intology runs ERP selections that aren't paid for by the winning vendor. No reseller commissions, no implementation upsell, no pre-baked shortlist. Just senior consultants sitting on your side of the table from business case through contract signature.

See the five-stage selection
No vendor commissions No implementation bid Senior, embedded, board-ready

What "independent" actually means at Intology

Most UK ERP advisory is funded by the vendor that wins. Intology's commercial model is structurally different - and that difference is what makes the recommendation worth paying for.

No reseller relationships

Intology takes no commission, kickback or referral fee from any ERP vendor or implementer. The recommendation is the recommendation.

No implementation upsell

We don't bid for the implementation that follows. That separation is what makes the selection trustworthy in the first place.

Senior practitioners only

Embedded with your CFO, CIO and operations leadership - not a partner-and-graduate pyramid. The people in your evaluation are the people doing the work.

Vendor coverage across the stack

Working knowledge of SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Fusion / NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Workday, Infor, IFS, Sage Intacct, Epicor and Unit4 - plus the major UK implementation partners.

Why most UK ERP selections fail before they finish

The selection is where the value of the programme is won or lost. These are the four failure modes we see most often when we're called in to assure a live selection.

Vendor-led selections

Most ERP "advice" in the UK is paid for by the winning vendor. The shortlist looks broad but the conclusion is pre-baked.

Requirements written by IT, not the business

When finance, operations and supply chain aren't deeply involved, the RFP measures the wrong things and the demos prove the wrong outcomes.

TCO that excludes the awkward numbers

Five-year TCO models that quietly leave out integration, data migration, change costs and the partner's day-rate inflation post go-live.

Implementation partner picked by the vendor

Letting the software vendor recommend their own delivery partner removes the leverage you need to run a fair, competitive partner process.

Intology's five-stage ERP selection

A repeatable, board-defensible process that runs from strategic intent through to signed contract. Stages can be sequenced or compressed - never skipped.

Stage 1

2-3 weeks

Strategy & readiness

Confirm the case for change, map current and target operating model, and pressure-test ERP readiness across data, processes, governance and capacity. Output: a one-page strategic brief the board will sign.

Stage 2

2-3 weeks

Business case & TCO

Full business case with realistic five-to-seven year TCO covering licence, infrastructure, integration, data migration, change, training, run costs and partner inflation. Investment committee-ready.

Stage 3

3-4 weeks

Requirements & RFP

Business-led requirements catalogue (functional, non-functional, integration, regulatory) translated into a weighted RFP and scoring rubric. Vendor longlist agreed against objective criteria.

Stage 4

4-6 weeks

Demos, references & due diligence

Scripted, scenario-based demos run against your data and processes. Reference calls with comparable UK clients. Implementation partner DD run separately from the software DD - so you control both.

Stage 5

2-4 weeks

Contract & commercial support

Commercial review of licence terms, SaaS uplifts, support tiers, partner rate cards and SOW. We sit on your side of the table through negotiation and signature.

What you receive at the end

A board-defensible decision pack the audit committee, sponsor or accounting officer can sign off without rework.

  • Strategic ERP brief and target operating model summary
  • Investment-grade business case with five-to-seven year TCO
  • Weighted requirements catalogue and scoring rubric
  • Vendor longlist, shortlist and demo evaluation matrix
  • Reference-call notes and implementation-partner due diligence
  • Risk register, mobilisation plan and recommended assurance approach

Frequently asked questions

The six questions UK CFOs and CIOs most often ask before commissioning an independent ERP selection.

Are you really vendor-neutral?+
Yes. Intology takes no commissions, kickbacks or referral fees from any ERP vendor or implementation partner, and we do not bid for the implementation that follows the selection. That separation is what makes the advice independent.
Which ERP vendors do you cover?+
We work across SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Fusion and NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations / Business Central, Workday, Infor, IFS, Sage Intacct, Epicor and Unit4 - plus the major UK and international implementation partners (Big Four, Accenture, Capgemini, DXC, Hitachi, Columbus, Cooper Software, HSO and others).
How long does an independent ERP selection take?+
End-to-end, typically 12-18 weeks for a mid-market organisation depending on scope, sites and the number of shortlisted vendors. We can compress it where there's a board deadline, but we won't compress steps that matter (demos, references and TCO).
What size of organisation do you work with?+
Mid-market to large enterprise, typically £25m-£2bn revenue or equivalent public sector scale. Including PE portfolio companies, multi-site manufacturers, services businesses, NHS trusts and central government.
Can you run an assurance review on a selection we've already started?+
Yes. We're regularly brought in for an independent assurance review on a live selection - to check that the shortlist holds up, the TCO is honest, the demos are testing the right scenarios and that the implementation-partner process isn't being run by the software vendor.
What happens after the selection?+
We hand over a fully-documented decision pack and, if you want, stay engaged in an independent programme assurance role through implementation. We will not bid for the implementation work itself - that's the line that keeps the selection trustworthy.

Independent advice. No agenda.

Book a free 30-minute transformation review with a senior Intology consultant. We'll talk through where you are in the ERP selection, what could go wrong and what an independent selection would look like for your organisation - no obligation.

Book a Free Transformation Review+44 (0) 330 043 1642