Research Report: The Challenges, Benefits, and Best Practices of Effectively Adopting ERP Systems: A Procurement Perspective

There is a growing trend of public entities adopting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This report provides greater understanding of ERP systems, including their scope, logical frame, and operational capacities. Additionally, it develops a framework of the most difficult challenges facing organizations when adopting ERP systems and provides procurement professionals with practical steps and best practices to follow for procuring an ERP system. The report is motivated by market trends and conversations with professionals who expressed their disappointment in how the procurement modules perform within these systems. It was compiled using research from reviewed publications, interviews of procurement professionals, and a survey that solicited input from 1,000 agencies on their experiences implementing an ERP software system within their organization. After reading this report, procurement professionals will have a better understanding of how ERP systems operate and what steps to take when procuring one for their organization.