What drives the cost of a Business Central implementation?

Quotes for a Business Central implementation can lie far apart without any one of them being wrong. The difference usually lies in what is included. This article goes through the factors that typically drive the price, so you can describe your needs and compare quotes on equal terms. There are no amounts in the article, because they depend on your task. It applies whichever partner you choose.

Scope and modules

The more areas that go live, the more has to be set up, taught and tested. Finance alone is a smaller task than finance, purchasing, inventory, sales and production together. Write down which processes you want in the first phase and which can wait.

The number of companies, currencies and countries can also affect the work, because the setup has to be done and tested for each.

Decide what is necessary at start-up. A smaller scope at first gives a faster start and a lower starting price, but can mean extra work later. Ask the partner what they would recommend starting with, and why.

Ask also how the partner plans to start: a short clarification first or straight in. A clarification costs money, but can make the rest of the quote more precise.

Data from your old system

Data migration is often underestimated. How many customers, vendors, items and open entries must come across? How clean is the data? The quality of your data determines how much cleaning is needed.

Agree whether you clean the data yourselves or the partner does, and which historical data must be transferred. Less data is cheaper to move.

Decide early who owns the data and who approves it. Do not underestimate the time your own people need to check that the figures are right.

Integrations and customisations

Each connection to another system, for example a web shop, warehouse, bank or payroll system, has a price to build and to maintain. Describe for each what must be moved, how often and in which direction. Ask whether a ready-made app or standard connection exists.

Customisations add both build price and maintenance. See the article on customisation or standard. Reports and document layouts that are not in the standard can also be an item.

It is also good to clarify who owns an integration afterwards and who fixes it if the other system changes. This applies both to Microsoft's own connections and to those built specially.

What else affects the price

Check how much of the work can be done on your side. Many companies can contribute data cleaning, testing and training of their own colleagues and thereby change the price picture.

Training: how many users, and in what form
Project management and your own time to take part
Testing and approval on your side
Start-up support after go-live
Documentation you can use afterwards
Apps from AppSource and their licences

How to get comparable quotes

Write a short requirements description for everyone who will quote: processes, modules, number of users, companies, data, integrations and wishes for customisations. Ask for quotes that state what is included and what is outside. Ask whether the price is fixed or an estimate and what a change costs. See the article on fixed price or hourly rate.

Ask also what is not in the quote. That is often where the bill grows: training, data cleaning, testing and support after go-live.

At Addverk

Our prices are shown openly on the page about services and prices. Use the points above when you ask us and others for quotes.