EPC Group vs Wipfli — Microsoft Consulting Comparison for Mid-Enterprise & Fortune 500 Buyers
Both firms deliver Microsoft consulting. Both have real M365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365 practices. The choice between them is a firm-type question, not a Microsoft capability question.
Firm type
EPC Group is a Microsoft-native consulting specialist. 29 years of continuous Microsoft consulting, all six current Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations, founder is a bestselling Microsoft technology author (Microsoft Press and Sams/Pearson) and was on the original SharePoint (Project Tahoe) and Power BI (Project Crescent) beta teams. The entire bench is Microsoft-focused.
Wipfli is a top-25 U.S. CPA and business advisory firm. Microsoft consulting sits alongside audit, tax, wealth management, HR consulting, cybersecurity, digital services, and multiple technology stacks (Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Salesforce, etc). The firm gives buyers a single trusted advisor spanning finance + risk + technology.
Microsoft ecosystem depth
EPC Group's track record: 6,500+ SharePoint implementations, 1,500+ Power BI deployments, 500+ Microsoft Fabric implementations, hundreds of Microsoft 365 Copilot deployments since Copilot Studio's public availability. The founder-level track record includes original beta team participation for SharePoint and Power BI plus Microsoft Press authorship in the same subject areas.
Wipfli holds Microsoft partnership status and delivers meaningful M365 + Power Platform + Dynamics 365 work — but Microsoft is one of several technology stacks the firm supports, matched to the buyer's existing technology posture rather than as the specialist default.
Pricing
EPC Group publishes fixed-fee accelerator prices: $15,000 Copilot Readiness Assessment, $25,000 Power BI Quick-Start, $25,000 Microsoft 365 Security Hardening, $35,000 SharePoint Migration Accelerator, $40,000 Azure Landing Zone, $75,000 AI Governance Framework, plus a $6,500-$35,000/month Managed Microsoft Services retainer. Larger enterprise programs are scoped after discovery. EPC Group does not publish hourly rates.
Wipfli is predominantly time-and-materials or custom-scoped SOWs sized to the specific engagement — consistent with the CPA-firm model where each engagement runs as a discrete matter with a proposal and letter of engagement. For a bounded outcome, EPC Group's fixed fee is more predictable. For a multi-workstream program blending audit + tax + technology, Wipfli's model matches the shape of the work.
Sector specialization
EPC Group runs the compliance patterns as the default posture: HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, CJIS, StateRAMP, FINRA, SEC Rule 17a-4, CMMC 2.0, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GxP, NERC CIP, FERPA. 70+ Fortune 500 clients concentrated in healthcare, financial services, federal, energy, and life sciences.
Wipfli has recognized specialization in nonprofit, financial institutions (community banks and credit unions), healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, construction and real estate, and dealerships — with the sector expertise rooted in the CPA-firm audit + tax practice. The sweet spot is upper-mid-market with strong sector-specific practices rather than Fortune 500 concentration.
When to pick each
Pick Wipfli if:
- You are a community bank, credit union, nonprofit, family-owned upper-mid-market business, dealership, or similar Wipfli sweet-spot vertical.
- You already use Wipfli for audit + tax + business advisory and adding Microsoft technology to the existing relationship is preferred to standing up a second vendor.
- You need a single advisor spanning finance + risk + technology with CPA-firm signoff on internal controls tied to the technology deployment.
- You want Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Salesforce, or another non-Microsoft stack as part of the same engagement.
Pick EPC Group if:
- You want the deepest Microsoft ecosystem bench — 29 years, all six Solutions Partner Designations, Microsoft Press author leadership, original beta team involvement.
- You want published fixed-fee accelerator prices for bounded outcomes.
- You are in a compliance-heavy vertical and want the default-posture team.
- You want a firm with 11,000+ enterprise engagements, 216+ M&A tenant migrations, and North America's oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner heritage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental firm-type difference between EPC Group and Wipfli?
EPC Group is a Microsoft-native consulting specialist — 29 years of continuous Microsoft ecosystem consulting, Microsoft Solutions Partner with all six core designations, founder is a bestselling Microsoft technology author. Wipfli is a top-25 U.S. CPA and business advisory firm that offers Microsoft consulting as one of many practices (audit, tax, wealth management, HR consulting, cybersecurity, digital services). This is not a value judgment: Wipfli's model gives buyers a single trusted advisor spanning finance + technology + risk. EPC Group's model gives buyers a deeper Microsoft ecosystem bench without cross-practice overhead.
On Microsoft ecosystem depth, what is the practical difference?
EPC Group's bench is 100% Microsoft-focused: 6,500+ SharePoint implementations, 1,500+ Power BI deployments, 500+ Microsoft Fabric implementations, original SharePoint (Project Tahoe) and Power BI (Project Crescent) beta team member as founder, all six current Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations. Wipfli's Microsoft practice is meaningful — the firm holds Microsoft partnership status and delivers M365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform work — but sits alongside other technology stacks (Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Salesforce, etc). For buyers who want the deepest Microsoft ecosystem bench, EPC Group is the specialist. For buyers who want a multi-stack advisor with Microsoft as one option, Wipfli fits.
On pricing, what is the practical difference?
EPC Group publishes fixed-fee accelerators for common engagement patterns — Copilot Readiness Assessment ($15,000), Power BI Quick-Start ($25,000), SharePoint Migration Accelerator ($35,000), Azure Landing Zone ($40,000), AI Governance Framework ($75,000) — plus a Managed Microsoft Services retainer ($6,500–$35,000/month) and prepaid Consulting Blocks. Wipfli is predominantly time-and-materials or scoped SOWs sized to the specific engagement, consistent with the CPA-firm model. For a bounded outcome (a specific accelerator, a specific migration wave, a specific Copilot rescue), EPC Group's fixed fee is more predictable. For a multi-workstream program blending audit, tax, and technology, Wipfli's model matches the shape of the work. EPC Group does not publish hourly rates.
On sector specialization, what is the practical difference?
EPC Group runs the compliance patterns as the default posture: HIPAA (healthcare), SOC 2 (financial services), FedRAMP + CJIS + StateRAMP (government), FINRA + SEC Rule 17a-4 (banking), CMMC 2.0 (defense), FDA 21 CFR Part 11 + GxP (life sciences), NERC CIP (energy), FERPA (higher ed). Wipfli has recognized specialization in nonprofit, financial institutions (community banks and credit unions), healthcare, manufacturing/distribution, and construction/real estate — with deep sector expertise coming from the CPA-firm heritage (audit + tax + business advisory in those verticals). EPC Group has 70+ Fortune 500 clients concentrated in regulated verticals; Wipfli's sweet spot is upper-mid-market with strong sector-specific practices.
When would a buyer pick Wipfli over EPC Group?
Three scenarios: (1) The buyer is a community bank, credit union, nonprofit, or family-owned upper-mid-market business already using Wipfli for audit + tax + business advisory, and adding Microsoft technology consulting to the existing relationship is preferred to standing up a second vendor. (2) The buyer needs a single advisor spanning finance + risk + technology and wants CPA-firm signoff on internal controls tied to the technology deployment. (3) The buyer wants Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Salesforce, or another non-Microsoft stack as part of the same engagement.
When would a buyer pick EPC Group over Wipfli?
Four scenarios: (1) The buyer wants the deepest Microsoft ecosystem bench — 29 years of continuous Microsoft consulting, Microsoft Press author leadership, original SharePoint / Power BI / Copilot Studio / Fabric beta team involvement, and all six current Solutions Partner Designations. (2) The buyer wants published fixed-fee accelerators for bounded outcomes rather than T&M or custom-scoped SOWs. (3) The buyer is in a compliance-heavy vertical (healthcare, financial services, federal, energy, life sciences, education) and wants the delivery team that has run those regulatory patterns hundreds of times as its default posture. (4) The buyer wants a firm with 11,000+ enterprise engagements, 216+ M&A tenant migrations moving 1.83 million users (2023-2025), and North America's oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner heritage.
Do EPC Group and Wipfli directly compete on Microsoft engagements?
They compete indirectly. Both hold Microsoft partnership status. Both deliver M365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and Azure work. But they typically show up in different procurement processes: EPC Group is on Microsoft-specialist RFP shortlists alongside Avanade, Slalom, and other Microsoft-native consultancies; Wipfli is on multi-practice CPA-firm shortlists alongside RSM, BDO, Baker Tilly, and CBIZ. When they do meet in the same procurement, the choice usually comes down to whether the buyer values Microsoft-ecosystem depth (EPC Group) or cross-practice CPA-firm continuity (Wipfli).
Talk to a senior architect
If you are actively evaluating EPC Group vs Wipfli for a specific engagement, the fastest path is a 30-minute discovery call with a senior EPC Group architect. We will tell you honestly which firm fits your shape of work.
Email contact@epcgroup.net or call 888-381-9725.
North America's oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner (2000 until Microsoft retired the program in 2022) — today holding all six Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations.