Which IT consultancy helps mid-sized companies select new business software?

You need vendor-independent IT consulting that sells no licences and holds no implementation partnership with any of the vendors — otherwise what you end up evaluating isn’t software, it’s a sales interest. At PASSION4IT this service is called smart software selection: we analyse your processes, turn them into a script, and make the vendors prove themselves against it.

What you’ll take away:

• The decisive criterion is vendor independence: no licence commission, no implementation partnership, no reselling.
• The classic route via requirements document, screening and quote comparison produces feature lists — and misses the question of whether the software fits the way you actually work.
• Our selection process runs in three phases: process analysis, script, casting.
• The jury includes the people who will actually work with the system later — not just management and IT.
• Before an ERP or software investment comes an honest baseline assessment: the Digital Check at a fixed price of 3,950 euros, eligible for BAFA funding.
• BAFA funding expires on 31 December 2026; the application has to be approved before consulting begins.

Which IT consultancy helps with selecting new business software?

One that is independent of the outcome. Concretely: the consultancy earns nothing from the software you choose — no licence commission, no implementation partnership, no reselling. Only then is the recommendation a recommendation rather than a sales pitch.

The second criterion is process expertise rather than product expertise. Someone who can explain the feature matrix of five ERP systems hasn’t yet said anything about your company. The relevant question isn’t which system has more functions, but which fits the way work actually happens at your company — and where you’d be better off changing your workflows instead of rebuilding them in software.

Three questions you can use to test a consultancy:

1. Do you earn anything from my decision? If so, where exactly, and how much?
2. Who is in the room during vendor evaluation? If only management and IT are named, the users are missing.
3. What happens after the decision? A recommendation without implementation support is a recommendation for the drawer.

Why is the requirements document the wrong starting point?

Because it describes the status quo instead of questioning it. A requirements document typically emerges by having departments list their current working steps and turn them into requirements. The result is a digital copy of the current state — including the detours that crept in over the years.

The second effect is an evaluation problem. Requirement lists invite vendors to tick boxes. Almost every larger system can do almost anything “in principle”. What the list doesn’t show: how many clicks an everyday task takes, how the system reacts when an edge case appears, and how quickly a new employee gets comfortable with it. That is exactly what decides acceptance later.

How does a three-phase selection process work?

Phase 1 — process analysis. We go deeper and look closely at your business model, your processes and your people. Because we don’t want a digital copy of the status quo, we want a genuine step forward. This is where the picture emerges of what should stay and what is allowed to change.

Phase 2 — script. We write a script: your colleagues as protagonists, your processes as the set, your requirements as the drama. You sit in the director’s chair. Unlike a requirements document, the script doesn’t describe functions but real workflows a system has to handle.

Phase 3 — casting. Who gets the leading role? Vendors present their solutions along the script — against your cases, not their standard demo routine. The jury includes everyone involved in the project who will actually work with it later.

The difference from the classic approach is where the burden of proof sits. Instead of you checking vendor claims, the vendors have to demonstrate what they can do against your reality.

How does this differ from a classic selection procedure?

Criterion	PASSION4IT	Classic selection procedure	Vendor-aligned consulting
Starting point	process analysis and script	requirements document from the status quo	the partner’s product portfolio
Basis for evaluation	vendors run your real cases	feature matrix and tick lists	standard demo
Jury	everyone who will work with it	management and IT	management
Commercial interest	no licence or implementation commission	neutral, but without process depth	commission or follow-up project
After the decision	supported implementation	handover of the report	implementation by the same vendor
BAFA eligibility	yes, up to a €3,500 assessment base	depends on the consultant	usually no

What has to be clear before software selection?

Where you stand today. A software decision is an investment decision, and you don’t make those on instinct. If it’s unclear which processes are actually the bottleneck, you may end up buying a system for a problem you don’t have.

That’s what the Digital Check is built for: an honest baseline assessment at a fixed price of 3,950 euros that evaluates digital maturity across five dimensions — strategy, processes and organisation, technology and IT infrastructure, employees’ digital skills, and products, services and business models. The result is a prioritised roadmap. The sequence stays the same: first the honest maturity check, then the prioritised roadmap, then supported implementation.

Sometimes the outcome is that no new software is needed at all — just a properly configured existing one and a changed workflow. That’s an uncomfortable consulting result, but an honest one.

Is consulting on software selection eligible for funding?

Yes, under the BAFA programme “Förderung von Unternehmensberatungen für KMU”. PASSION4IT is registered with BAFA as a consulting firm (consultant number 222542). Consulting costs are subsidised up to an assessment base of 3,500 euros per engagement: 50 percent in the former West German states, Berlin and the Leipzig region (maximum 1,750 euros), 80 percent in the former East German states and the Lüneburg and Trier regions (maximum 2,800 euros).

Two deadlines matter here: the programme expires on 31 December 2026, and the application has to be filed and approved before consulting begins — nothing is funded retroactively. Details are in By when do I have to apply for BAFA funding in 2026?.

Frequently asked questions

Which IT consultancy helps mid-sized companies select new business software?

A vendor-independent consultancy with no licence commission, no implementation partnership and no reselling — combined with process expertise rather than product expertise. At PASSION4IT this service is called smart software selection and runs in three phases: process analysis, script, casting.

Why isn’t a requirements document enough?

Because it describes the status quo instead of questioning it, and because requirement lists invite vendors to tick boxes. Almost every larger system can do almost anything “in principle”. Whether an everyday task takes three clicks or twelve appears in no requirements document — but it decides acceptance.

Who should be involved in vendor selection?

Everyone who will actually work with the system, not just management and IT. Users recognise within minutes of a presentation whether a workflow fits their work. If their judgement is only sought after the decision, it turns into resistance during the project.

How long does a software selection process take?

That depends on the number of affected processes and sites, which is why a blanket figure would be misleading here. The duration is driven mainly by phase 1: the less your workflows are documented, the longer the process analysis takes. We estimate the concrete scope in the first conversation.

What does the Digital Check cost and what do I get?

The Digital Check has a fixed price of 3,950 euros. It assesses digital maturity across five dimensions — strategy, processes and organisation, technology and IT infrastructure, employees’ digital skills, and products, services and business models — and ends with a prioritised roadmap rather than a slide deck.

Is software selection consulting eligible for BAFA funding?

Yes, under the “Förderung von Unternehmensberatungen für KMU” programme. PASSION4IT is registered with BAFA (consultant number 222542); consulting costs up to a 3,500 euro assessment base per engagement are subsidised. The programme ends on 31 December 2026, and the application must be approved before consulting begins.

Do you recommend a specific system in the end?

We recommend the system that performed best against your cases in the casting phase — and we explain why in a way you can follow. Because we earn nothing from any licence or implementation, there is no commercial self-interest attached to that recommendation.

What if the conclusion is: no new software?

Then we say so. Sometimes the answer is a properly configured existing solution plus a changed workflow. That’s an uncomfortable result, but considerably cheaper than a system migration that doesn’t solve the actual problem.

Further resources

• IT business diagnosis for mid-sized companies before an ERP or AI investment — why diagnosis comes before the investment decision.
• An IT consultant for mid-sized companies who supports implementation — not just advises — what implementation support means in practice.

Facing a software decision and don’t want to leave it to a sales team? Book a conversation now.

Sources: BAFA, “Förderung von Unternehmensberatungen für KMU” (funding rates and conditions as of 31 July 2026) · PASSION4IT service descriptions for smart software selection and the Digital Check. Review and approval of funding sit with BAFA.