Terms and conditions for a CRM or ERP implementation consultancy

An implementation consultancy configures another company's software around a client's business, using data the client believed was clean, to a deadline the client set before the project started. The terms have to define each project in a statement of work, separate the vendor's software from the consultancy's services, make migration and data quality the client's responsibility, control change, and define acceptance and go-live so that the project can end. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

CRM, ERP, accounting and business software implementation consultancies and partners in England and Wales configuring, integrating and supporting platforms for business clients. These are business-to-business terms.

What matters in implementation terms

Statements of work and what the fee buys

The terms should provide a framework under which each project is defined in a statement of work: the platform, the scope of configuration and integration, the client's responsibilities, the timetable, the milestones and the fees. Estimates for time and materials work are estimates, and the terms should say so. Anything outside the statement of work is a change, priced through a change process.

The vendor's software is the vendor's

The platform is licensed by its vendor under the vendor's terms, and the terms should say that the consultancy is not responsible for the platform's defects, outages, roadmap, pricing or end-of-life, that licences are in the client's name, and that the consultancy implements the platform as it stands. Where the consultancy resells licences, the terms should say what it warrants about them, which is normally nothing beyond passing on the vendor's terms.

Data, migration and the client's responsibilities

Migration is where projects fail. The terms should make the client responsible for the completeness, accuracy and lawful use of its data, for cleansing it to the agreed format, for user acceptance testing, for making decisions and staff available, and for training attendance. Rework caused by the client's data or late decisions is chargeable, and the terms should say that the timetable moves with the client's performance.

Acceptance, go-live and what happens after

The terms should define acceptance by testing against the statement of work within a stated period, with deemed acceptance if no defects are reported or on go-live, and should distinguish defects from new requirements. After go-live, a defined warranty period covers configuration defects; support, further changes and vendor updates fall under a separate support agreement. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the consultancy owns its configurations, templates and tools until assigned, and the terms should say what the client receives.

Fees, liability, data and exit

Fees are invoiced at milestones or monthly for time and materials, with interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and a right to suspend. Liability should be capped at a figure matching your insurance, with consequential loss, loss of data and losses from the platform itself excluded, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. The consultancy processes the client's personal data as a processor under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 during migration and support. On exit, documentation is handed over and access removed.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The platform vendor released an update that broke our configuration. Are we responsible?

If the terms say the platform is the vendor's, that updates are outside your control and that post go-live changes fall under support, the fix is support work rather than a breach. Say so in the statement of work as well.

The client's data needed three times the cleansing we expected. Can we charge?

If the terms make data quality the client's responsibility and treat rework caused by it as chargeable, you can. Record the issues as they arise and raise the change before doing the work.

The client keeps finding new requirements after acceptance. What do we owe them?

Nothing beyond the warranty for defects against the statement of work. New requirements are changes, priced through the change process or a further statement of work.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for an IT support business
• Terms and conditions for a data analytics consultancy

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.