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Why we quote a Business Central implementation after discovery
A number given on the first call is a guess, and guesses in ERP work tend to grow. The real effort depends on things nobody knows yet. How many legal entities do you run, and how clean are the customer and item records? Which systems must talk to Business Central, and how much of your current process should survive the move?
So the first step is a short discovery: a few working sessions with finance, operations and whoever owns the data. What comes out is a scope that names every process, report, integration and migration object we will deliver. We price the quote against that list, and you can hold us to it line by line.
If you want a sense of the general cost components before talking to anyone, our guide to Business Central implementation cost walks through them. This page is narrower: it describes how we price our own engagements and what the paperwork looks like.
Eight inputs that move a Business Central implementation quote
Process scope
Which areas go live: general ledger only, or also purchasing, sales, inventory, warehouse, jobs or manufacturing.
Companies and entities
Each legal entity adds setup, and intercompany postings or consolidation add design and testing.
Integrations
Ecommerce, payroll, banking, EDI or CRM links, and whether a ready connector exists or we must build something.
Data migration
How many record types move, how much history you keep, and how much cleansing the source data needs first.
Customization
Extensions written in AL for gaps that standard features and AppSource apps cannot close.
Reports and documents
Invoice layouts, management packs and Power BI dashboards beyond what ships with the product.
Training approach
Train-the-trainer for a small key-user group, or role-based sessions for every department.
After go-live
Hypercare through the first month end. Any support arrangement after that is optional and sits outside the Business Central implementation pricing.
What the written Business Central implementation scope holds
- ✓Every business process in scope, named and described in your own terms
- ✓The integrations we build or configure, with the direction data flows for each
- ✓Migration objects: which master records, open items and balances move, and how much history
- ✓Custom extensions and reports, each with a short functional description
- ✓Assumptions and responsibilities on both sides, including who supplies and signs off test data
- ✓The change process once work is under way: request, estimate and approval
Who bills you for which part of a Business Central implementation
From first call to a signed Business Central implementation quote
- 1
Introductory call
We learn what you run today, what hurts, and any dates that matter, such as a system end of support or a fiscal year end.
- 2
Discovery sessions
Short working sessions with each department, mostly over video, to map processes, data and integrations.
- 3
Scope and quote
You receive the written scope with the Business Central implementation pricing attached. It comes with a list of assumptions we would like you to challenge.
- 4
Sign-off
Both sides agree the document. Configuration starts only after that.
- 5
Change control
We write up and price new requests during the project before anyone works on them. The total never drifts without your approval.
Business Central implementation pricing questions
Why won't you give a ballpark on the first call?
Because it would not be worth much to you. A finance-only project and a multi-entity rollout with warehouse and integrations sit far apart. The first call rarely shows where you sit. A short discovery ties your figure to a document instead of a guess.
Is discovery itself charged?
That depends on its size, and we agree it with you up front. A light finance discovery differs from a detailed fit-gap across several companies. Either way, you know before it starts whether we bill for it and what you receive. The output is yours to keep, even if you choose another partner.
Do you sell the Business Central licenses?
Licenses are a separate purchase from our services. Microsoft sells Business Central subscriptions through Cloud Solution Provider partners. In the scoping talk we explain how your project will handle licensing. We also help you pick which users need Essentials, Premium or Team Members access, since the wrong mix is a common, avoidable expense.
What happens if the scope turns out to be wrong?
We correct it in writing through change control. If we missed something discovery should have caught, we say so openly. If the business asks for something new, we estimate it and wait for approval. Your Business Central implementation pricing grows only with a signed change.
Can we lower the cost by doing some of the work ourselves?
Yes, and many clients do. Data cleansing, test scripts, end-user training and report building are all tasks a capable internal team can take on. The scope records who owns each task, so nothing falls between two chairs. We will tell you honestly which tasks are safe in-house and which usually go wrong without experience.
Talk to us about your project.
Tell us what you run today and what has to change. A senior consultant replies with a written next step.