Beyond Features: How Process Scope Shapes a Successful GMS Tender
When grantmaking organisations begin looking for a new Grant Management System (GMS), the starting point is often a long list of functional requirements. Features matter, of course – from online applications to reviewer portals and reporting dashboards. But experience shows that it’s the process scope – the way applications are received, reviewed, approved, paid, and monitored – that often determines whether a system succeeds.
Over the past 30 years, we’ve worked with funders across research, culture, health, and the public sector. A consistent challenge we see is that tenders and RFPs tend to under-specify areas such as workflows, volumes, integrations, compliance, and future growth. This can lead to unclear expectations during procurement or gaps in delivery once a system is in place
To help address this, we’ve created a free Implementation Scope Questionnaire. It’s designed as a practical tool that any grantmaker can use to:
- Map current and future processes in more detail.
- Clarify volumes, workflows, and resourcing needs.
- Anticipate configuration, governance, and adoption issues.
- Write clearer, more complete tender documents.
The questionnaire covers core areas such as application workflows, review processes, monitoring and evaluation, claims and payments, reporting, accessibility, compliance, and even AI readiness. It goes beyond a “feature tick list” to prompt deeper thinking about how your organisation works today, and how you want it to evolve.
Whether or not you are planning to issue a tender, this resource can help you better understand your needs and have more productive conversations with potential partners.
Download the free GMS Implementation Scope
By including process scope alongside functional requirements, grantmakers can ensure their tenders set the stage for stronger partnerships, smoother implementations, and systems that genuinely support their mission.
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Whole-of-Government Grant Management: Three Shared Service Models That Work
Across government, grant management is under pressure from every direction: rising demand, tighter assurance requirements, higher expectations of transparency, and the practical challenge of running dozens (sometimes hundreds) of schemes across departments, agencies and arm’s-length bodies. A common theme sits underneath most of these challenges: fragmentation. The Problem: Why Public Sector Grant Management Is Fragmented The […]
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Compliance Across the Grant Management Landscape: Different Sectors, Different Challenges
Compliance in grant management isn’t one-size-fits-all. While public funders face statutory regulations like the AI Act, Data Act, or Procurement Act, other grantmakers — from medical charities to family foundations — operate under different governance, ethical, and regulatory pressures. Understanding these variations is key when selecting or configuring a grant management system (GMS). Education & […]
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Compliance Beyond the Public Sector: Challenges for Research, NGOs and International Development
When we think about compliance in grant management, most attention falls on public sector obligations like the AI Act, Data Act, Procurement Act, or NIS2. But for research councils, charities, and international development agencies, sector-specific compliance frameworks are just as critical — and sometimes more complex. Research Sector NGOs & Charities International Development Cross-Cutting Themes […]
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Reliability by Design: How AIMS Stayed Online When Others Went Down
In recent months, major outages have been reported across some of the world’s leading cloud platforms, including Azure and AWS, affecting thousands of organisations worldwide. Systems went offline, websites froze, and essential grant workflows were disrupted — reminding everyone how dependent modern operations have become on large-scale cloud providers. At AIMS, we took note — […]
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Future-Proofing Compliance in Grant Management: What Funders Need to Know for 2025–2027
Compliance, particularly in the Public Sector, is no longer a background task. For funders in the UK and EU, regulations around artificial intelligence, data, procurement, accessibility, and cybersecurity are reshaping how grant management systems (GMS) must be designed, delivered, and governed. Choosing the right system today is about future-proofing for tomorrow’s obligations. Artificial Intelligence Act […]
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Making End-of-Year Reporting Easier for Grantmakers
As we enter Q4, grantmaking organisations everywhere are busy compiling reports, analysing outcomes, and preparing for annual reviews. End-of-year grant management reporting can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the grant cycle, but it’s also one of the most valuable. It’s the moment when data turns into insight, helping funders measure impact, identify […]
