An ERP demonstration can make purchasing, inventory and financial reporting look straightforward. The harder questions emerge when your team needs to migrate opening balances, connect existing systems or close the first month in the new platform.
Choosing an ERP implementation partner in the UAE means assessing the people and delivery plan behind the software. For CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and operations leaders, the decision should connect business requirements with clear responsibilities, tested workflows and accountable support.
Use the questions below to compare shortlisted providers on the same basis before signing an implementation agreement.
How do you choose an ERP implementation partner in the UAE?
Choose a partner that can demonstrate relevant process experience, name the delivery team, explain its implementation method and document responsibilities for migration, integrations, testing and support. Request evidence of UAE tax configuration and applicable e-invoicing readiness. Compare written proposals using a shared scorecard, then validate critical requirements through demonstrations and reference checks.
Start with three to five business outcomes, such as reliable stock availability, faster month-end reporting or consistent approvals across branches. Translate each outcome into a process the partner must demonstrate and your team must approve.
1. Are you evaluating the software vendor or the implementation partner?
An ERP vendor develops and maintains the product. An implementation partner helps configure it around business processes, move data, train users and support deployment. One organisation may perform both roles, but responsibilities still need to be explicit.
| Responsibility | Question to ask |
| Product licensing | Who supplies the licence, subscription and renewal terms? |
| Configuration | Who documents and configures our workflows? |
| Extensions | Who maintains custom developments after upgrades? |
| Product defects | Who escalates issues to the software publisher? |
| Operational support | Who handles incidents after implementation? |
If a provider claims a vendor relationship or certification, verify its current scope through the relevant publisher. A commercial relationship alone does not establish that the proposed team has delivered comparable projects.
2. Have you implemented processes like ours?
An industry logo is a starting point. Ask for examples involving the workflows that create complexity in your business.
A distributor might need landed-cost allocation, purchasing approvals and stock transfers. A retailer might prioritise point-of-sale reconciliation, returns and branch inventory. A project-based business may need cost allocation and approval controls across contracts.
Ask the partner to demonstrate one complete scenario using representative sample data. For example: purchase goods, receive a partial delivery, allocate additional costs, transfer stock and trace the accounting entries.
Then ask what worked through standard configuration, what required extensions and what remained outside scope. Relevant experience should produce specific answers about decisions and limitations.
3. Who will actually deliver the project in the UAE?
The consultants presenting the proposal may have different responsibilities from those configuring the system. Request a delivery structure showing the project manager, finance consultant, operational consultants, integration specialists and escalation contact.
Clarify:
- Which activities require on-site attendance?
- Where will the delivery and support teams work?
- Which working hours and languages are covered?
- Are subcontractors involved, and who manages them?
- What happens if a key consultant leaves?
An ERP implementation company in Dubai may use a regional delivery team. Evaluate whether that model meets your workshop, training and support needs. Put agreed attendance and availability into the statement of work.
4. How will you define scope and control changes?
A useful implementation plan explains how the team moves from discovery to configuration, migration, testing, training and go-live. Each stage needs deliverables, customer responsibilities and approval criteria.
Ask for a requirements register that distinguishes standard functionality, configuration, integration, custom development and exclusions.
For example, “inventory included” leaves important questions unanswered. It should specify whether scope covers multiple warehouses, serial numbers, batch tracking, stock valuation and approval workflows relevant to your operation.
Request a change-control process covering who can approve additions, how costs are estimated and how timelines change. Your own finance and operations leads also need time allocated for decisions and testing.
5. Who owns data preparation and migration?
“Data migration included” can mean loading a customer list or transferring several years of detailed transactions. Ask exactly which records, balances and historical periods are included.
| Migration area | Evidence to request |
| Master data | Templates, mandatory fields and duplicate-handling rules |
| Financial balances | Reconciliation method and finance approval |
| Inventory | Quantity and value checks by relevant location |
| Open transactions | Treatment of unpaid invoices, orders and commitments |
| Historical records | Agreed migration scope or accessible archive |
| Cutover | Trial loads, final extraction timing and rollback criteria |
Assign a business owner to each dataset. The partner may provide mapping and loading tools, while your team validates accuracy and approves corrections.
A trial migration should expose problems before cutover. Agree how exceptions will be logged, corrected and retested, and who signs off the results.
6. How will you address UAE VAT and e-invoicing requirements?
Ask the partner to demonstrate the tax treatment and reporting scenarios relevant to your business, including invoice fields, credit notes, tax codes and traceability from transactions to reports. Your finance team or tax adviser should validate the configuration.
Treat VAT configuration and e-invoicing readiness as separate evaluation items. The UAE Ministry of Finance e-invoicing portal explains that e-invoices use structured data; a PDF or emailed invoice alone does not meet that definition.
Ask how the proposed ERP will connect with an Accredited Service Provider where required, which party maintains that connection and how failed transmissions will be managed. Request a demonstration of the intended workflow and written confirmation of any dependencies.
Review the Federal Tax Authority’s e-invoicing information and current Ministry guidance with your adviser to establish applicable scope and deadlines. Avoid accepting a general “UAE compliant” statement as proof that your specific requirements have been addressed.
7. What will integrations require after the initial connection?
List the systems that must exchange information with the ERP: CRM, e-commerce, payroll, banking, warehouse applications or business intelligence tools.
For each connection, ask:
- Which system owns each record?
- What data moves, in which direction and how often?
- How are duplicates, rejected records and interruptions handled?
- Who monitors failures and resolves them?
- What happens when either system changes?
Request interface documentation, testing responsibilities and recurring charges. A connector may still require mapping, configuration and ongoing maintenance.
Also ask about data access, user permissions, backups and restoration. Confirm which responsibilities belong to your organisation, the implementation partner and the hosting provider.
8. How will users test the system and prepare for go-live?
Training should cover the work each role performs. Finance staff, warehouse users and managers need different scenarios and permissions.
Ask for user acceptance testing based on complete business processes. Your team should be able to identify a failed scenario, record the issue and confirm the correction before approving release.
Agree go-live criteria in advance. These might include reconciled balances, successful critical integrations, completed training and resolution of blocking defects.
The cutover plan should identify the decision maker, operational downtime, final migration sequence and fallback conditions. “Ready” needs an agreed meaning before the launch date approaches.
9. What happens after go-live?
Ask how initial stabilisation differs from ongoing support. Confirm the duration, staffing and activities included in each.
A service-level agreement should distinguish response time from resolution targets. It should define severity levels, coverage hours, escalation routes and responsibilities for third-party issues.
Also clarify whether support includes configuration changes, refresher training, regulatory updates, upgrades and integration maintenance. Ask how requests are logged and how your team can see their status.
Request an example escalation scenario: if invoicing stops during a business day, who responds, who investigates and how is management updated?
10. What is the full commercial commitment?
Compare proposals over the same period and scope. A lower initial implementation fee may exclude work another provider has included.
Request separate costs for licensing, implementation, migration, integrations, extensions, training, hosting and support. Identify assumptions about users, entities, branches, transaction volumes and customer resources.
Ask what triggers additional charges and how renewals or scope changes are handled. Confirm your rights to export business data and obtain configuration or integration documentation if you change providers.
The aim is a comparable commitment with understood dependencies. A short proposal with broad promises can leave substantial delivery questions unresolved.
Use this ERP partner-evaluation scorecard
Score each shortlisted provider from 1 to 5 using documented evidence: 1 means a major gap, 3 means adequate evidence and 5 means strong, directly relevant evidence. Use the same reviewers and scenarios for every provider.
| Evaluation criterion | Weight | Evidence to assess |
| Process and industry fit | 20% | Relevant demonstration and reference discussion |
| Delivery team and availability | 15% | Named roles, experience and attendance commitments |
| Scope and project governance | 15% | Requirements register, milestones and change control |
| Migration and reconciliation | 15% | Trial-load plan, checks and sign-off responsibilities |
| UAE tax and e-invoicing readiness | 10% | Relevant scenarios and documented dependencies |
| Integration and security approach | 10% | Interface ownership, access and recovery plans |
| Training and ongoing support | 10% | Testing plan, training scope and service agreement |
| Commercial clarity and exit terms | 5% | Comparable costs, exclusions and data-export rights |
| Total | 100% |
Calculate each weighted contribution as score ÷ 5 × weight, then add the contributions for a result out of 100. This is a proposed procurement aid, not an industry accreditation.
Set mandatory requirements separately. An unresolved critical integration, unacceptable access controls or missing financial reconciliation plan should prevent approval regardless of the total score.
Discuss your ERP requirements with Aramis Solutions
Prepare a short brief covering your entities, branches, current systems, operational difficulties and required integrations before requesting a proposal.
Businesses considering connected finance, inventory, procurement and operational workflows can explore PACT ERP. Organisations evaluating SAP can review Aramis Solutions’ SAP services and discuss the product and implementation scope relevant to their requirements.
Contact Aramis Solutions to discuss your ERP requirements and the evidence needed to assess a suitable implementation approach.
Frequently asked questions
An ERP consultant may advise on requirements, selection or process design. An implementation partner typically takes responsibility for agreed delivery activities such as configuration, migration, testing and training. Providers can offer both services. Check the contract to establish who advises, who executes and who approves the results.
Assess the delivery model against your requirements. Some projects need regular on-site workshops or training; others can use remote delivery effectively. Confirm UAE working-hour coverage, relevant process knowledge, attendance commitments and escalation arrangements rather than relying solely on an office address.
A shortlist of three can make detailed comparison manageable, although the appropriate number depends on procurement rules and project complexity. Give each provider the same brief, demonstration scenarios and evaluation criteria so differences in scope and evidence remain visible.
Software alone cannot establish compliance. Correct tax treatment depends on configuration, transaction data, business processes and applicable requirements. Have your finance team or tax adviser validate relevant scenarios and confirm e-invoicing responsibilities, integrations and deadlines separately.
Request the statement of work, named delivery roles, milestone plan, migration scope, integration responsibilities, testing and acceptance criteria, training plan, support terms and itemised commercial proposal. Resolve critical assumptions and exclusions before committing.
