We are considering implementing a new ERP or transitioning our current ERP to the cloud.  Curious if anyone has any insight into 3rd party consultants they have used with this project and some of the pros / cons of each? We are looking at engaging with either BCG, Deloitte, KPMG, Hackett Group, BDO.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)Enterprise ApplicationsStrategy & Architecture
2.6k views6 Upvotes10 Comments
SVP - Software Engineering in Finance (non-banking), 201 - 500 employees
I worked at BCG in the past (internal IT leadership) and leveraged our own consultants for various digital transformation projects (including ERP) but also leveraged other consulting companies for implementation work.

With all consulting companies, it often comes down to the specific people who are staffed. That said, BCG consultants will be hood with exec level leadership and stakeholder engagement and communication - ie they will hold their own presenting to c-suite, coming up with pretty PowerPoint decks, etc.

However, they will likely be too expensive for the tech implementation and would suggest augmenting those skills with other experts in those technologies. They do have BCG.X for the implementation part and they are good, but they tend to do better with custom, innovative ideas and wouldn’t have as much expertise configuring and customizing a cloud based ERP solution like SAP, Oracle, etc. if that’s what you’re looking for.
3 1 Reply
Director of Finance, 10,001+ employees

From a Strategy & Vision perspective did you find that BCG was significantly better than a Big 4 consulting firm?  They tend to be much more expensive and to your point, they prefer to use different System Integrators for the project.

Global Chief Cybersecurity Strategist & CISO in Healthcare and Biotech, Self-employed
Really pay attention to the SOW and how exchanges come in. I prefer to go the second tier as they are normally faster and I don't see cost over runs. Pay close attention that you are not being billed for a senior person to train up a junior person - In my experience many of the big 4 are sneaking that way. Here's an article from a few years ago that I share with others https://www.erpfocus.com/erp-consultant-guide.html
2
Director in Manufacturing, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
We migrated to using Capgemini hosting services “cloud” for SAP and it went very well. I’d put them on your RFP list
1 2 Replies
Director of Finance, 10,001+ employees

I noticed they were HQ in Paris, France but they are global.  Are they more focused on technology than other Big 4 consultants or a BCG?

1
Director in Manufacturing, 1,001 - 5,000 employees

We used them for our on premise Data Center and when we decided to shutdown our largest on premise data centers they won the RFP. Then won the SAP hosting RFP. We do try to reduce the number of vendors we use so it fit that strategy

2
CIO in Energy and Utilities, 11 - 50 employees
I have worked with several consultant firms in Mexico, USA, India and Brasil.; for a global ERP deployment. Long story short: we started working with an AAA firm with global presence to take advantage of their know-how and ended up working with a small, local firm and helped them to develop the necessary skills and competencies. Great experience and successful approach.
2
CIO in Consumer Goods, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
Having had poor experiences with 3rd party consultants on other projects the decision I took was to go with an ERP vendor partner, with proven experience and reference partners that I could reach out to prior to making a decision.  This offered both onshore and offshore capabilities, which works really well with our global footprint.  Genuinely feel a proper partnership and pulling in the same direction.
2
Enterprise and Security Architect in Software, 10,001+ employees
I have done this precise exercise as a CIO for a global IT Services company. There are two parts to deciding on this - technology skills on the choice and implementation of a Cloud (SaaS or hosted) ERP and, IMHO more important, the ability to do change management with all your internal leaders and CxOs. Please connect directly for more insights.
CFO, Self-employed
My team and I transitioned to a cloud-based ERP and partnered with a 3rd party vendor. We selected the vendor following an RFP process. Although it takes time and money, the RFP was well worth it as the team got to collectively decide and pick the vendor, they were most comfortable with. I recommend the process; it worked out well for us.

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