ERP system finance
Fund an ERP implementation across the licences, consultancy and migration work, so a transformation project does not consume a year of cash.
- FCA regulatedAppointed Representative, FRN 1031964
- 60+ lendersWhole-of-market panel, not one bank
- 5.0 from 19 Google reviews
- No credit checkEnquiring leaves no mark on your file
Yes, and it is one of the larger unsecured technology facilities funders write. An ERP project is licences, consultancy days, data migration, process mapping and training. There is no asset in it at all: nothing can be identified, recovered or resold, and the system is configured specifically to your business. So the decision is made entirely on covenant, and because the sums are substantial it is read as a corporate lending proposition. There is no used market. The risk to plan for is overrun, as implementations routinely cost more and take longer than the original scope suggested.
Who finances this
Manufacturers and distributors whose stock, production and finance data live in disconnected systems, wholesalers outgrowing entry-level accounting packages, and multi-site groups trying to consolidate reporting. The trigger is often a supplier withdrawing support for a legacy system, an acquisition creating two incompatible platforms, or the point where month-end takes a fortnight of manual reconciliation. Private equity backed businesses implement ahead of a reporting requirement from their investors.
How lenders see it
ERP is the largest soft-asset facility I am likely to see from a mid-sized company, and I underwrite it like a corporate loan because that is what it is. Nothing here has a serial number. The licence is yours alone, the configuration is worthless to anyone else, and the consultancy days are gone as soon as they are billed. What I want is a business with the financial depth to carry a substantial commitment and the operational discipline to finish the project, because a half-implemented ERP damages a company rather than improving it. I ask who is leading it internally, whether the scope is fixed or time and materials, and whether there is contingency. Strong balance sheets get this done; thin ones do not.
Buying used
No. ERP licences and configuration cannot be transferred or resold, so there is nothing second-hand to fund and nothing a lender could recover.
Also in IT and technology finance
See everything we fund in IT and technology finance →
Machines we have funded
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central | Cloud business system for mid-size firms |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance | Finance modules for larger organisations |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation days | Partner consultancy included in the agreement |
| SAP Business One | Business system for smaller companies |
| SAP S/4HANA Cloud | Business platform for larger groups |
| Sage X3 | Business system for manufacturing and distribution |
| Sage Intacct | Cloud financial management software |
| Oracle NetSuite | Cloud business management suite |
| Epicor Kinetic | Business system built for manufacturers |
| Infor CloudSuite | Industry-specific cloud business software |
Can consultancy and implementation days be financed?
Yes, and on most ERP projects they are the largest single element. Funders will cover professional services as part of the overall facility. They attach no security value to them whatsoever, so the whole proposition rests on your accounts and the funder’s confidence that the business can carry the commitment.
What happens if the project overruns?
The original facility covers what was agreed, and additional scope usually needs a further application. This is why we push for a realistic budget with contingency at the outset rather than an optimistic figure. Going back to a funder mid-project for substantially more is possible but rarely as smooth as getting it right first time.
Is an ERP project harder to fund than hardware?
Materially harder, yes. There is nothing tangible in it and the sums are large, which makes it a pure corporate credit decision. Established businesses with strong figures place these facilities regularly. Younger or highly geared companies will find it difficult, and we would rather say that early than waste your time.
Can we fund it in phases as modules go live?
Yes, and phasing by module or site is a sensible way to structure both the project and the funding. Each phase is assessed on its own, which also gives the funder visible evidence of delivery before the next stage. Share the full roadmap at the start so nothing later comes as a surprise.
Does it matter which ERP platform we choose?
Not to the security position, since none of them can be recovered. It matters as context: a mainstream platform with an established UK implementation partner reassures an underwriter that the project is deliverable. A niche or heavily bespoke system attracts more questions about whether it will be completed and supported.
Tell us what you need
About a minute of plain questions, and no documents to dig out.
Prime is established and profitable with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining, the asset carries part of the risk, so finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Illustrative only, not a quote, a flat rate is not an APR, so the APR on a given agreement will be higher. VAT and fees excluded.
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An enquiry is a conversation, not an application. Nothing runs against your file until you tell us to go ahead.
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Conor reads every enquiry himself. We will call you within 24 business hours, and it will be the person who actually arranges the finance, not a call centre, and not a form that disappears.
A real person on your side
One adviser from your first enquiry to the money in your account. No call centres.
Your adviser
Conor HullMon to Fri, 9am–6pm
5.0 from 19 Google reviews
Thinking about ERP system finance?
A few questions, and we will tell you what the panel can do. No obligation, and no call centres.
