CostPilot: ERP TCO Governor & License Rightsizer
10/10
Demand Score
ERP programs commonly exceed budget by double digits; CFOs require immediate savings and predictability this quarter, not next year.
9/10
Blue Ocean
Competition Level
$3k-12k
Price/Month
Predicted customer spend
10 days
Time to MVP
Difficulty: Moderate
The Problem
Continuously reconciles ERP spend (licenses, infrastructure, SI fees) with real usage telemetry (logins, transactions, batch jobs, module utilization). Predicts budget overruns mid‑cycle and proposes
Competitor Landscape
- Apptio
- Snow Software / Snow License Manager
- Zylo
- ServiceNow Technology Cost Management
- SAP License Administration (USMM/SLAW)
Must-Have Features for MVP
SAP/Oracle/D365 usage connectors and data normalizer
Predictive overrun alerts with explainability
License optimization and role right‑sizing engine
Automation recipes with approvals (deprovision/downgrade)
Maintenance backlog deflection and SLA tuning
Scenario modeling and ROI tracker
Procurement and contract milestone integration
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Parsing vendor‑specific license terms and metrics
- Access to detailed usage telemetry from ERP and middleware
- Resistance from module owners to rightsizing actions
- Coordinating with procurement/renewal timelines
Risk Level: Low
🎯 Keys to Success
- % reduction in total ERP run‑rate
- License utilization uplift and shelfware reduction
- Avoided overage/renewal costs realized before quarter end
- Time to first savings (<30 days)
Ready to Build This?
This moderate-difficulty project could be your next micro-SaaS success.