A step-by-step checklist from requirements to signature, covering pricing, Canadian tax and privacy points, data export and exit terms.
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This checklist follows the order in which most Canadian small and mid-sized businesses buy an ERP: define needs, price comparable offers, check Canadian tax, records and privacy duties, then lock down the contract and project plan. Tick items as you go and keep notes on what each vendor answered in writing.
How to use it. Work through each group before moving to the next. The pricing items are designed so that every vendor quotes in the same structure, which makes the quote comparison method much easier. The tax and privacy items are the ones most often left until after signature, when they are harder to fix.
Worked example. A 40-person distributor with staff in Ontario and Quebec uses the checklist to discover that one shortlisted vendor bills in US dollars, hosts backups outside Canada and renews automatically with 60 days' notice. Those three answers change the comparison: the buyer adds an exchange-rate buffer, schedules a privacy impact assessment and sets a calendar reminder for the notice date.
Limits. A checklist cannot tell you which product fits your processes. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. See the ERP selection checklist guide for the reasoning behind each step.
Failure Patterns and Official Sources
What section 230 of the Income Tax Act and CRA guidance mean for cloud ERP data held abroad, retention periods, audit trails, Quebec records and Canada's e-invoicing status.
Failure Patterns and Official Sources
What Quebec's Charter of the French Language, Ontario's AODA and federal accessibility law mean when choosing ERP software, and how to test language and accessibility.
Failure Patterns and Official Sources
The ERP subscription contract terms Canadian businesses should check before signing: term, auto-renewal, data export on exit, SLA credits, liability caps and price changes.
Cost Estimates and Selection Checklists
Whether to run payroll inside your ERP or integrate a payroll provider, the Canadian and Quebec deductions involved, integration options, costs and testing.
Failure Patterns and Official Sources
What PIPEDA and Quebec Law 25 require when your ERP SaaS holds personal information: accountability, privacy officer, PIAs for transfers outside Quebec, and hosting choices.
Failure Patterns and Official Sources
The recurring reasons ERP projects overrun or disappoint, early warning signs, and the Canadian regulators and official portals that matter when buying ERP SaaS.
