“Should we buy an ERP or have something built?” We hear this question every week, and we are in an unusual position to answer it: at ABR we build custom order and business management systems, and we also make an ERP, Qila. So we have no reason to push you one way. Here is how we help clients decide.
The short answer
Buy for the parts of your business that work like everyone else’s: accounts, GST, purchasing, stock, payroll. Build for the part that makes you different and that no package handles well. Combine the two when you need both, connecting them through an API so data is entered once.
What an ERP gives you that custom software rarely does
Accounting, tax and payroll are full of rules that change and edge cases that matter: credit notes, partial payments, exchange differences, depreciation, statutory deductions, year-end closing. A mature ERP has already solved them, and keeps solving them with updates. Building all of that from scratch is slow and expensive, and getting it slightly wrong has consequences with your accountant and the tax department.
A good ERP also comes with things you would otherwise have to specify and pay for one by one: roles and permissions, approval workflows, an audit trail, backups, print formats, reports and dashboards.
What custom software gives you that an ERP can’t
Some processes are your competitive edge, and they don’t fit any package’s idea of a sales order. A few examples from our own work:
- a sign maker whose customers design their product online, with live pricing that flows into production;
- a field-service business whose technicians need a simple phone app with photos, signatures and GPS;
- a school or clinic with a parent or patient portal shaped around its own way of working.
Forcing these into a generic system usually ends in workarounds and spreadsheets on the side, which is what you were trying to escape. That is where a custom order management system or business management system earns its keep.
The middle ground: a configurable ERP
The line between “buy” and “build” has moved. A configurable ERP lets your administrator add fields and forms, define approval routes and set automation rules without code, so many processes that once needed custom development can now be set up in the ERP itself. Before commissioning custom software, check whether configuration covers it: it is faster, cheaper and keeps everything in one database.
Comparing the two honestly
- Time to start: an ERP can be live in days or weeks; custom software usually takes weeks to months, though a focused first module can go live quickly.
- Cost: an ERP is a licence plus set-up; custom software is a development project plus ongoing care. Compare both over five years, not just the first invoice.
- Fit: an ERP fits standard processes very well and unusual ones less well; custom software fits exactly what you specify, no more and no less.
- Maintenance: ERP updates come from the vendor; custom software is maintained by whoever built it, so choose a partner who will still be around.
- Ownership: with custom software you own the code; with a self-hosted ERP you own the data and the server it runs on.
Questions that settle it
- Is this process the same as in most businesses like ours? If yes, buy.
- Do customers or field staff use it directly? A custom front end is often worth it.
- Does it involve accounts, tax or payroll? Keep that in an ERP.
- Can a configurable ERP do it with forms, workflows and automation? Try that first.
- Will we need to change it often? Configuration you control beats a change request every time.
Combining them
Many of our clients end up with both: an ERP as the system of record for money, stock and people, and a custom website, portal or app on the front that sends orders into it. With a REST API and signed webhooks on the ERP side, the two stay in step without retyping.
Where to start
If your processes are mostly standard, look at Qila ERP, our self-hosted ERP with a no-code Designer, workflows and automation. If your core process is unique, see our custom OMS and BMS development. Not sure? Tell us how you work and we will recommend honestly, even if the answer is “a spreadsheet is fine for now”.
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