KPMG has been named as a SAP Global Strategic Service Partner. This appointment marks a shift in how large-scale SAP transformations will be delivered. For ERP leaders wrestling with timelines, migrations and AI roadmaps, the message is clear: Implementation platforms and co-innovation matter as much as functional expertise.
How the GSSP Move Changes ERP Transformations
KPMG now sits in SAP’s top partner tier, bringing its cloud-native Velocity platform and AI-first delivery model into sharper focus for complex ERP programs. Instead of stitching together bespoke workstreams, project teams can plug into modular accelerators that standardize design, configuration, and testing across industries while leaving room for differentiation where it counts.
The firm’s early work with SAP Joule for Consultants shows why this matters day to day: project teams reported up to 14% faster delivery cycles and 1.5 hours saved per consultant per day as generative AI offloaded documentation, blueprinting, and impact analysis tasks. That productivity dividend shifts consultants from keyboard-driven configuration to higher-value activities like process reimagination, change stewardship and value tracking.
Market momentum is pushing these approaches to the foreground. In 2026, SAP customers are standardizing on RISE Private Cloud to balance predictable operations with managed innovation while Bluefield migrations, non-SAP consolidations and M&A-driven carve-outs stretch internal teams thin. Less than half of organizations follow the shared responsibility model for SAP Cloud ERP Private security, leaving misconfigured controls and compliance drift as post-go-live risks. That is driving demand for partners that can industrialize security, automation, and data migration in a single playbook.
For ERP leaders choosing among strategic integrators, the evaluation criteria are shifting. Proven accelerators, industry content, and AI-augmented delivery are now table stakes, alongside track records for weekend cutovers, clean data transitions, and resilient security baselines. KPMG’s Velocity approach lets clients adopt capabilities in stages, avoiding all-or-nothing programs that overload change capacity while still moving decisively toward cloud ERP.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Platformized delivery will define the next era of ERP transformation. KPMG’s GSSP status underlines SAP’s prioritization of modular, cloud-native implementation platforms over traditional labor-heavy models. ERP sponsors should weigh partners on reusable accelerators, automation, and AI tooling as much as rate cards, because delivery economics and risk profiles now hinge on industrialized methods rather than one-off heroics.
Industry-specific AI solutions become the real differentiator. Assets like KPMG’s Smart Journal Entry Assistant show that leading partners are packaging deep sector knowledge into repeatable tools, not just slideware. For vendors and system integrators, the competitive edge will come from IP that shortens design cycles and reduces custom code, while customers should demand evidence of production use, not prototypes.
Security-by-design is non-negotiable. The fact that most organizations underperform on the shared responsibility model exposes ERP landscapes to avoidable risk during and after migration. Transformation leaders must insist that partners embed continuous compliance monitoring, configuration baselines, and automated controls into their methodologies, treating security posture as a headline success metric alongside budget and timeline.
