ERP Vendor Quote Comparison Worksheet (Five Year Normalised)
ERP quotes arrive in different shapes: perpetual licence plus maintenance, per user subscription, tiered bundles, fixed price and time and materials services. This worksheet puts every line on a five year basis so you compare cost, not presentation.
| Vendor | Quote line | Type | Unit price | Quantity | Years charged | Annual uplift (%) | Five year cost (approx) | Assumption / exclusion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$1,188,000 | |||||||||
$650,000 | |||||||||
$264,000 | |||||||||
$313,200 | |||||||||
$540,000 | |||||||||
$190,800 |
Filter by vendor in Excel after export and sum each vendor's lines to compare totals. The uplift formula applies the average increase over the years charged as a simple approximation; replace it with year by year figures if your quote gives a price schedule. Always add internal staff time, training, data migration and contingency, which are rarely in vendor quotes.
Quote review from a technical angle
Optional: have a specialist review your quote lines for missing integration, data and AI related costs.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the worksheet
Enter one row per line item from each vendor quote: vendor, item, price type, unit price, quantity, years charged and expected annual uplift. The sheet estimates the five year cost per line. Add your own lines for what vendors leave out, such as infrastructure, backup, integration licences and third party tools. After exporting to Excel, filter by vendor and total each section to compare.
- One time fees use years = 1
- Subscriptions use years = 5 and the real uplift cap
- Include your own costs on separate lines
- Note every exclusion in the last column
Normalising different pricing models
A perpetual licence has a large up front fee and annual maintenance, commonly a percentage of the licence. A subscription spreads the cost and includes upgrades, but rises with users and often with annual uplift clauses. Over five years the totals can be similar, but cash flow and risk differ. Treat infrastructure, support tiers and extra modules as part of the comparison, because a lower base price often hides add-ons.
Hidden costs to add
Quotes seldom include internal staff time, backfill for key users, training, data cleansing, testing environments, extra integrations, custom reports, change management, post go-live support and contingency. For many ERP programs the services and internal costs exceed the software cost. Add them as lines for every vendor using the same assumptions so the comparison stays fair.
Common mistakes
Comparing year one cost only, ignoring uplift caps, forgetting that user counts grow, and treating a time and materials estimate as a fixed price. Ask each vendor to confirm in writing what is included, what the uplift cap is and what triggers repricing. Use the summary here for orientation, then build a full total cost model for the finalists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the five year cost estimated?
Each line multiplies unit price, quantity and years charged, then applies an approximate average uplift across the years. It is a quick comparison, not an accounting forecast. For precise figures use the year by year price schedule from the vendor.
Should I discount future costs?
For a finance view, yes: compute net present value with your discount rate for the finalists. For first stage comparison, undiscounted five year cost is clear enough and avoids debate about the rate.
Why five years?
It captures the first renewal cycles and most of the maintenance or subscription uplift without becoming speculation. Many organisations also compare ten years for a core ERP; change the years column to do that.
What if vendors quote different user counts?
Ask them to requote on the same user mix: full, limited and occasional users. Otherwise the totals are not comparable. Document your assumption in the notes column.
If you want a modelled five year total that also includes AI, reporting and integration costs on your current Infor or NetSuite platform, Netray can help build it.
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