Dublin City Council

• The unique flexibility of the workflow tool allows DC to manage the complicated ecology of local authority housing funding in a responsive and simple way
• The permissions module allows the team to maintain stringent control over accountability and access to data.
• Their contract includes a bespoke level of commitment and support of the AIMS team to non-technical users.

The challenge

In 2009, the housing department of Dublin City Council were under enormous pressure and were struggling with vast amounts of applications. Due to a backlog of over 2,500 paper grant applications, the department had no choice but to close their grant scheme. It is widely recognised that this sector is subject to fluctuating demands on their funding pots, and at times the need had become overwhelming to their existing grant management systems.

The lack of efficiency in processing applications was directly generating further inefficiencies across the entire department. DCC needed to find a way to free up their resources and speed up their processes. In addition to this, DCC faced another challenge when it came to their regular auditors reports. The department continuously fell weak in areas of control and accountability and recognised they needed to make a change. 

Funding for local authority housing doesn’t follow the grant making procedures common to most organisations. DCC needed a workflow system with the flexibility to meet their particular process and regulatory requirements.

The solution

DCC chose AIMS as their solution in 2009 due in large part to the unique flexibility of the workflow tool. This allows them to manage the complicated ecology of local authority housing funding in a responsive and simple way. AIMS provides a rich solution for DCC, ‘bulletproof in its controls.’ AIMS is an essential part of their accountability and control, as well as the management of day-to-day activities and creating reports.

AIMS allows DCC to pull in administrative resources from other teams when required, as the system allows for as many users as is required at any given moment, without extra cost. The permissions module allows the team to maintain stringent control over transparency, accountability and access to data.

DCC also chose to benefit from the wide experience of the AIMS team in understanding both the objectives and the challenges of grant management in the local authority sector, which has provided them with a fit-for-purpose solution.

Their contract includes a bespoke level of commitment and support of the AIMS team to non-technical users. The administration of their AIMS system is managed by the AIMS team.