Bramvia — Business Central Experts
Licenses $80-110 per user per month. Implementation $25,000-50,000 for a small company with standard processes, $50,000-150,000 mid-size, $150,000+ for multi-entity or manufacturing. Where quotes inflate — over-licensing, migrating all history, hours without deliverables — and how to compare two quotes that look nothing alike.
Short answer: a Business Central implementation in the US has two components. Licenses: Essentials $80, Premium $110 and Team Members $8 per user per month (Microsoft list prices after the October 2025 increase; confirm current pricing with your partner). Implementation: a one-off project that typically runs $25,000-50,000 for a small company with standard processes (5-15 users), $50,000-150,000 for a mid-size company with a warehouse, integrations or several entities, and $150,000+ for multi-entity manufacturing or complex migrations. Those ranges are wide because the biggest cost driver isn't the software — it is what the quote includes, and US quotes are where we most often find over-licensing (Premium sold when Essentials was enough), ten years of history migrated for no reason, and hours with no deliverables attached.
What you actually pay for
| Item | Typical range (US) | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Licenses | $80-110 full user, $8 read-only user, per month | Number of full users — not headcount |
| Discovery and design | $5,000-20,000 | Process complexity; whether the partner does real analysis or copies your old system |
| Configuration | $10,000-40,000 | Modules in scope, entities, currencies |
| Data migration | $5,000-40,000 | Years of history, data quality, number of source systems |
| Customisations (AL) | $0-100,000+ | Whether the partner uses the standard first or rebuilds your old ERP |
| Integrations | $3,000-25,000 each | Shopify, EDI, WMS, banks, CRM, tax engine |
| Testing and training | $5,000-20,000 | With real data, or with demo data (it shows at go-live) |
| Go-live and stabilisation | $5,000-15,000 | First month of reinforced support |
A real example: a US distributor that came from SAP
A distribution company in Virginia, previously on SAP, had Business Central implemented by a large US consulting firm. Two things went wrong that we see repeatedly. First, every user was licensed as Premium — the manufacturing and service plan — when the company needed Essentials: a $30-per-user-per-month overpayment, indefinitely. Second, the overall project cost was far above what the scope justified.
When they came to us, they did something smart: they asked for a paid test first — a small, defined piece of work — to see how we deliver. Once accepted, they engaged us part by part. Two years later we still work together: inventory reconciliation, custom AL objects, ongoing development. Named reference available on request under NDA.
The lesson generalises: the licensing decision alone is often worth more than the entire consulting discount.
Where US quotes inflate
- Premium for everyone. Premium adds manufacturing and service management. A distributor, a services company or a contractor rarely needs it — and the difference is $30 per user per month, forever. And you cannot mix Essentials and Premium in one company, so the decision is all-or-nothing.
- Full users for read-only roles. Managers who approve and view dashboards, warehouse staff on a shared device, salespeople checking stock — Team Members at $8, not $80.
- Migrating all history. Masters, balances and open documents migrate; ten years of transactions get archived. Migrating everything can double the data-migration line.
- "A block of 400 hours." With no deliverables and no acceptance criteria, every hour is your risk.
- Rebuilding your old ERP. Between a third and half of legacy customizations already exist in the standard.
- Integrations "TBD". If they're not in the quote, they're in a change order.
How to compare two quotes that look nothing alike
Put both in the eight rows above. Then ask three questions:
- How many full users, and why each one? Ask for the role-by-role list.
- What is not included? Training, integrations, data cleanup, post-go-live support.
- When do I pay, and against what? Milestones tied to written acceptance, or a percentage upfront?
Our own terms answer the third: each part is invoiced only after you accept it, no upfront payment. If you already have a quote, we'll review it line by line within 48 hours.
FAQ
Can we start small? Yes — finance, sales and purchasing first; warehouse, manufacturing or agents later. Licenses are added as needed. Starting lean and growing is the right strategy; over-licensing "just in case" is the most common waste.
How long does it take? 2-4 months from QuickBooks or spreadsheets; 3-9 months migrating from NAV, SAP or NetSuite.
What about US sales tax? Handled with the standard localization plus a tax engine — we configure and integrate Avalara (or Vertex) where nexus complexity requires it. It's an integration line in the quote, not a surprise.
Is a European partner realistic for a US company? It is how we work with our US client: English, written communication, overnight delivery, European rates.
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