What criteria should be used when selecting an ERP software vendor?

What will be an ideal response?

An organization must carefully consider their current and future needs across the entire enterprise. In the beginning, this may just involve estimating the number of users who will be accessing the enterprise applications. Depending on the particular industry, some ERP vendors may have developed better industry "best practices" that will fit with the organization's business needs better. This assessment should look at the functionality that is needed and make sure the vendors can meet these needs. Once the list is down to 3 or 4 vendors, they should be invited to submit detailed proposals. Part of this process will involve the vendors installing their software on a company server or "sandbox" where some users can be invited to test out the software. Other criteria for considering the software should involve the quality of support and the procedure for installing upgrades and obtaining licenses. There should also be a sizeable pool of IT labor available at a reasonable price in order to maintain it after implementation.