ERP for professional services firms.
Lightbridge ERP is an independent, vendor-neutral ERP advisory firm for professional services firms. We run the needs assessment, lead vendor-neutral ERP selection across the platform landscape, and own program management and technical leadership through delivery. We accept no vendor kickbacks, so the recommendation fits how your firm bills, staffs, and recognizes revenue, not a reseller quota.
Lightbridge ERP selects the right platform for a services firm without vendor bias.
Professional services firms run on a tight set of mechanics: project accounting, resource utilization, work-in-progress, complex billing, and revenue recognition under ASC 606. The wrong ERP forces the firm to bend its operating model around the software.
Most ERP advice comes from resellers who earn commission on what they sell. Lightbridge ERP accepts no vendor kickbacks and carries no reseller quotas or partner-tier incentives. The recommendation is driven by fit for how the firm bills and delivers, not by a vendor compensation plan.
The selection runs across the full platform landscape. NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, and Acumatica are all on the table for services firms. The data decides, not a sales target. Review the ERP selection methodology and the platforms Lightbridge ERP covers.
Lightbridge ERP professional services capabilities.
Needs assessment and roadmap
Current-state assessment of how the firm sells, staffs, delivers, and bills, translated into weighted requirements and a sequenced technology roadmap.
Vendor-neutral selection
Evidence-based platform selection across NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Dynamics 365, Oracle, Acumatica, and more. No kickbacks, no quotas, scored on fit.
Project accounting
Work-in-progress tracking, project profitability, cost allocation, and billing automation for time-and-materials, fixed-fee, and milestone engagements.
Resource management
Resource allocation, skills-based staffing, utilization tracking, and capacity forecasting across practice areas.
Revenue recognition
ASC 606 revenue recognition for multiple billing models, led in-house by senior finance professionals: T&M, fixed-fee, milestone, retainer, and subscription.
Utilization reporting
Billable versus non-billable analysis, target versus actual utilization, and the direct connection between utilization, realization, and profitability.
Multi-currency billing
Foreign currency invoicing, exchange rate revaluation, and multi-currency project profitability for firms with international clients and subsidiaries.
Program leadership of delivery
Lightbridge owns program management and technical leadership through implementation, regardless of which platform and which delivery team executes.
Lightbridge ERP leads delivery for services firms on any platform.
Selection is the start, not the finish. Lightbridge ERP owns program management and technical leadership through implementation so the firm has one accountable owner from requirements to go-live: scope, design, configuration governance, data migration, testing, and cutover.
For NetSuite and for EPM and FP&A work, hands-on delivery is in-house. For other ERP platforms, hands-on delivery runs through rigorously vetted partners under Lightbridge program management and technical leadership. The firm is never handed off to a vendor and left to manage the program alone.
Lightbridge ERP: common questions about ERP for professional services
- How does Lightbridge ERP select an ERP for a professional services firm?
- Lightbridge ERP starts with an enterprise needs assessment: how the firm sells, staffs, delivers, bills, and recognizes revenue today, and where the current system fails. We translate that into weighted requirements, then run a structured, evidence-based selection across the platform landscape. Because Lightbridge accepts no vendor kickbacks and carries no reseller quotas, the shortlist reflects fit for project accounting, utilization, and ASC 606, not which product pays a commission. See the ERP selection methodology and the platforms we cover.
- Is Lightbridge ERP a NetSuite-only firm for professional services?
- No. Lightbridge ERP is vendor-neutral and evaluates the full platform set for services firms, including NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, and Acumatica, among others. NetSuite is one strong option for project-centric firms and is a Lightbridge in-house delivery practice. The right platform depends on firm size, billing models, international footprint, and the depth of project accounting and resource management the firm needs.
- Who delivers the implementation once a platform is selected?
- Lightbridge ERP owns program management and technical leadership on every engagement, regardless of platform. For NetSuite and for EPM and FP&A work, hands-on delivery is in-house. For other ERP platforms, hands-on delivery runs through rigorously vetted partners under Lightbridge program management and technical leadership. Either way, one accountable owner runs the program: requirements, design, configuration governance, data, testing, and go-live.
- How does Lightbridge ERP handle ASC 606 revenue recognition for services firms?
- ASC 606 revenue recognition is a core competency, led in-house by senior finance professionals including CPAs and former controllers. Lightbridge ERP configures the chosen platform to handle the five-step model for services revenue: contract identification, performance obligation identification, transaction price, allocation, and recognition. This covers time-and-materials, fixed-fee, milestone-based, retainer, and subscription billing, with audit-ready support for the close.
- Can Lightbridge ERP support resource utilization and project profitability reporting?
- Yes. Lightbridge ERP designs utilization and project profitability reporting that tracks billable versus non-billable hours, target versus actual utilization by practice area, work-in-progress, and resource forecasting. These reports tie back to project accounting so the firm sees the direct relationship between utilization, realization, and profitability, on whichever platform the selection lands on.
- What types of professional services firms does Lightbridge ERP work with?
- Lightbridge ERP serves consulting firms, accounting firms, law firms, architecture and engineering firms, IT services companies, and marketing agencies. Each engagement is scoped to the firm type. A law firm has different billing, trust accounting, and matter management requirements than a project-based consulting firm, and the needs assessment and platform selection reflect those differences rather than a one-size template.
- Does Lightbridge ERP support multi-currency billing for international services firms?
- Yes. Lightbridge ERP configures multi-currency billing on the selected platform, including foreign currency invoicing, realized and unrealized gain and loss tracking, exchange rate revaluation, and multi-currency project profitability. This matters for services firms with international clients, cross-border delivery, or non-USD functional currencies at subsidiary entities, where both transactional billing and consolidated reporting up to the parent must hold together.
- Why does vendor neutrality matter when choosing an ERP for a services firm?
- Most ERP advice comes from resellers and VARs who earn commission on the platform they recommend, which biases the result toward what they sell. Lightbridge ERP accepts no vendor kickbacks and carries no reseller quotas or partner-tier incentives. For a services firm, that means the selection is driven by fit for project accounting, utilization, billing complexity, and revenue recognition, so the firm does not inherit a platform that was chosen to clear a vendor target.
Lightbridge ERP for professional services firms.
Tell us how your firm bills, staffs, and recognizes revenue. Lightbridge ERP will run the assessment and show you which platform fits, with no vendor bias.