Buy vs Build in Grant Management
When organisations plan new grant management systems, one question surfaces time and again: should we buy a proven solution, or build one on existing platforms?
Clear policy direction
Governments across Europe have set out strong guidance on this choice. In the UK, the Technology Code of Practice emphasises buying commodity software where it exists, and only building bespoke solutions when there is a clear need. EU and national digital strategies take a similar stance, highlighting interoperability, standards, and cost-effectiveness.
Why build is tempting
With platforms such as Microsoft Power Platform, Oracle Fusion, Workday, SAP, or ServiceNow already in place, building grant processes onto them can appear attractive. These platforms are licensed, widely adopted, and marketed as low-code environments that promise speed and flexibility.
The challenges of building
But experience shows that extending enterprise platforms into full lifecycle grant management brings risk:
- Complex governance and release management overheads
- Weaker user experience for external applicants and reviewers
- Projects that grow in scope and cost over time
- Gaps in meeting the sector-specific compliance and audit needs of funders
The case for buying
Specialist GMS platforms like AIMS are built for the complete grant lifecycle — from call design and application, through review and award, to payments and monitoring. They deliver quicker implementations, lower long-term risk, and sector-specific functionality out of the box.
Not buy or build, but buy and align
Buying doesn’t mean abandoning platforms. The right approach is often to buy and integrate: adopting a specialist GMS as the system of record for grants, while aligning with enterprise finance, HR, and analytics systems already in place.
AIMS’ position
With over 30 years in the grant management market, AIMS combines the strengths of a proven, configurable solution with the ability to align to broader digital strategies. For funders, this means:
- Confidence in a system designed for grants
- Flexibility to configure to unique programmes
- Alignment with enterprise IT investments
- Compliance with UK and European digital standards
For organisations weighing buy vs build, the evidence and policy direction point the same way: buy and align. And AIMS is designed to deliver exactly that.
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