Plug-and-Play Grant Management Software

Today I received an email inquiry regarding InfoStrat's Grants Manager Plus solution. The customer was looking for a plug-and-play grant management system.  I assume this meant that the system would require little configuration or customization.

I am not aware of any grant management system which could be called plug-and-play.  The reason is that a grantor usually has a number of business rules that they want the grant management system to automate, such as these:

• Eligibility determination for applicants.  Grant applications are often restricted to certain organizations or individuals, and the system should capture the eligibility rules and limit the number of applications which will not be eligible.
• Application forms. Many grant application forms are lengthy and may include branching or conditional fields.  
• Application review processes. The review process can vary from one program to another.  It may require multiple review steps and be handled by individuals or committees.
• Payment request processes.  Payment requests usually require backup data and documents, and payments may be triggered by milestones such as those in infrastructure projects. 
• Post-award reporting.  Grants often use metrics for grantees to measure their impact and accomplishments.  These metrics may be different for different programs or even different from one geographic area to another.