Two-phase Singapore ERP grant application procedure. Though they share a Business Grants Portal login, the most common error companies make is applying before figuring out which application path to take. Incorrectly doing so can delay a project for weeks as the proposal is reworked, or even result in a vendor contract that silently disqualifies the application.
Here, we examine the two possible paths, the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) for mainly ready-to-go, off-the-shelf ERP software packages, and the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) for large-scale and bespoke ERP transitions. After approval for either grant, don't forget the documentation requirements that commence from Day One of the project, not from the finish.
Step 1: Work out which scheme your ERP project actually fits
Make sure you’re honest about the purchase before you even come close to the Business Grants Portal. If you’re buying an off-the-shelf (or fairly near off-the-shelf) ERP package that is already listed as an approved vendor solution on the GoBusiness Gov Assist portal and you only need configuration-type modifications rather than heavy customization work, you’re in the PSG domain. It’s quick, the vendor is already qualified and it’s a relatively lightweight application to complete.
If you’re developing a built-for-purpose ERP that matches your unique workflow, crosses over business entities, requires bespoke workflow logic to be created or is part of a broader business transformation process (like a Singaporean manufacturer integrating disparate production scheduling, inventory and finance systems), you’re in the EDG realm.
There is no approved vendor list for EDG, and the application document looks a lot more like a business plan than a purchase order. Some businesses will need a combination of both: an off-the-shelf ERP package procured via PSG complemented with a custom workflow layer procured via EDG but they are two distinct applications and governed by separate rules, so they can’t be filed as one.
Applying through PSG: the shorter route
If you've confirmed your ERP solution sits on the pre-approved list, the process is fairly linear:
Scroll through the list of pre-approved solutions under "GoBusiness Gov Assist" on the GoBusiness portal, choose the ERP package (or accounting/inventory modules as part of the ERP suite) that will serve your purpose. Make sure that the Quotation made out to the specific entity name registered on the ACRA of your company.
Receive a formal quotation from the approved vendor according to the package specification listed on the platform. If the vendor wants to customize the pre-approved package more, then that customization part would be out of scope of PSG, so you should verify that it needs to be handled by the EDG component separately.
If your company isn’t a registered user already, please register with Corppass as you’ll need it to conduct business on the Business Grants Portal.
Submit on BGP with vendor quote & Company base registration details, sign NO vendor contract, deposit/payment without its submission. Applications submitted retrospectively are NOT approved, i.e. payments already made.
PSG can take anywhere from a few weeks to longer for the processing of the PSG to depend on application volume. However, PSG’s processing time is usually a lot quicker than EDG.
Once you've been issued with, and have agreed to the Letter of Offer, move on to signing the vendor contract and implementing.
Once the ERP solution is live, submit a claim on BGP along with the respective bills and certificate of deployment, prior to your due date.
The appeal of PSG is that most of the vetting has already happened at the solution level. The trade-off is the S$30,000 annual cap per company, shared across all PSG applications in the same financial year (1 April to 31 March), which for anything beyond a fairly modest ERP package may only cover a portion of your actual cost.
Applying through EDG: the fuller process
EDG asks more of you upfront because there's no pre-vetted solution or vendor to lean on. The application has to stand on its own.
Determining your category should be straightforward. Most ERP implementations are under Innovation & Productivity then the Automation sub-category which encompasses the integration of sophisticated software solutions.
The business case should be the first step before selecting a vendor. It's where most of the ERP-integrated EDG applications went wrong: Enterprise Singapore was looking for a diagnosis of where we are (our problem) and a definition of where we're going (what the ERP will transform and where the forecast lies: revenues, staff compensation, what we're forecasting the workforce to be 3 years out). It shouldn't simply be: " we are implementing an ERP" but rather "we are spending x person hours in finance and the warehouse re-cross referencing and tying together different spreadsheets for stock and invoices and therefore cannot close the month efficiently to this level."
Focus on delivery: Shortlist and judge providers for their ability to deliver, not the suitability of the product. Given that your application process for EDG covers the capability of your service partner, references with Singapore ERP project experience make for a more compelling proposal. Don’t be afraid to ask for Singapore-based customer references that have used a proposed partner to implement a similar ERP solution in the past.
Download your project proposal template from Enterprise Singapore, the Enterprise Singapore - Innovation & Productivity (for the majority of ERP projects), and get it properly executed rather than treated as a template formality. Your proposal and the supporting quotations you submitted are reviewed.
2. Get your compulsory supporting documents These usually comprise:
• A recent ACRA Business Profile (no more than six months old)
• Audited financial statements or certified management accounts of your Company for the last financial year.
• Group Financial Statements of your ultimate parent company (if any).
• Your project proposal
• A quotation from the ERP vendor indicating the proposed hardware and software cost breakdown by item.For the management consultancy element of your project, and only if it is provided separate from any services supplied by your ERP vendors as part of the implementation, ensure that the management consultant has been accredited with the Singapore Accreditation Council TR 43 or SS 680 standard. The ERP vendor's management consultants and technical advisors, market researchers and field workers do not need this qualification.
You can apply to register on Corppass and upload to BGP. Please be reminded that the third-party company, which may include a Grant Consultant, is not permitted to upload or apply for registration on behalf of your company, but it's the applicant company that must conduct transactions on the portal.
Check that the project truly hasn't been started. There has been no work performed, no vendor has been paid and there is no contract signed (written or verbal informal) before the application date. You will want to check this against your internal dates, as discovery sessions or "handshake" agreements with a vendor can be taken to count as commencing.
We process all full applications within 8-12 weeks, you can check on the status by clicking into ‘My Grants’ on BGP. Should there be insufficient information or details in your application, Enterprise Singapore may request clarification or a re-submission of the application.
After signing and accepting the Letter of Offer, execute the vendor agreement and start implementation.
What changes once your project is grant-approved
Here the vast bulk of "advice on line" ends and the actual, day-to-day part of the grant-supported ERP project takes over. As EDG and PSG are both funded based on reimbursement (grant payment released only after the project has ended and claim has been filed), the documentation you collect along the way is essentially what the grant is paying you back for.
Set up your PayNow Corporate account (or GIRO particulars) to have claims channeled into very early on, as first time claimants would need to register this before funds can be processed-claims made via PayNow (within 14 business days compared with up to 8 weeks if using GIRO) tend to appear much quicker.
Document progress of project delivery instead of reconstructing it retrospectively. For an ERP implementation, this means collecting the consultant's/vendor's delivery reports, evidence of systems implemented and systems going live, and for an EDG project, tracking the individual milestones as listed in the Letter of Offer. It is almost impossible to have such records readily available once finance starts managing operations on the new ERP system.
Claims should be made within 6 months of the end of the project eligibility period, indicated on your Letter of Offer, so the application is certainly not for an infinite duration. It does require EDG claims to be checked both by an officer from the pre-qualified Enterprise Singapore auditors that you need to procure to verify your cost documents, and simultaneously by an officer from Enterprise Singapore to evaluate the completed project deliverables – in the latter case, this may involve a visit to your office.
Where vendor selection intersects with the application itself
Since EDG does not mandate a panel (and pre-approval under PSG seems only to extend to standard configuration), the vendor you pick is actually doing twice the work-they are helping implement the ERP but also helping solidify the business case in an acceptable way that gets ES to assess. Implementers that are Odoo-based like SerpentCS, on the other hand, deal with localizing for GST/IRAS, which impacts the ERP itself regardless of the grant-a business unit office with any country operation will need properGST treatmentandstatutory reportingimmediately; a post-implementation job can always be done. The choice of which specific vendor on which platform depends on industry and depth of customisation your business truly demands. However, these are separable from their capability to assist a grant application.
The practical takeaway
The actual act of applying, which is all about form filling and sending docs off, is the easy bit. What actually gets your ERP grant application in the money is much before that – picking the correct grant programme to fit the ERP type project you have, designing a compelling business case that describes the operational problem, not the software solution and sequencing the vendor interaction such that no money changes hands and no agreements are signed until you have a Letter of Offer. Get these three right and all of the process afterwards, whether it be through the more speedy PSG catalogue-based route or the EDG full, more in-depth proposal, is just about filling out the right boxes.
FAQ
Yes. Whether you're applying through PSG or EDG, you need a Corppass account to transact on the Business Grants Portal. If your company isn't already registered, that's one of the first things to set up before submitting either type of application.
Not for the same cost items. Some businesses do need both, for example, an off-the-shelf ERP package procured via PSG combined with a custom workflow layer procured via EDG, but the blog is clear these are two distinct applications governed by separate rules, not one combined submission. You decide up front which scheme a given cost component fits, rather than filing one application covering both.
The blog lists these as the usual compulsory supporting documents:
A recent ACRA Business Profile (no more than six months old)
Audited financial statements or certified management accounts for the last financial year
Group Financial Statements of your ultimate parent company, if applicable
Your project proposal
A quotation from the ERP vendor, with hardware and software costs broken down by item
If there's a separate management consultancy component (distinct from the ERP vendor's own implementation work), that consultant needs Singapore Accreditation Council TR 43 or SS 680 certification. The ERP vendor's own consultants, technical advisors, market researchers, and field workers don't need this qualification.
No. The blog specifically notes that a third-party company, including a grant consultant, is not permitted to upload or apply on the company's behalf. The applicant company itself must be the one conducting the transaction on the Business Grants Portal, even if a consultant helped prepare the materials.
It depends on the scheme. PSG is generally quicker, though processing time varies with application volume, running anywhere from a few weeks upward. EDG applications are processed within 8 to 12 weeks once complete, and you can check status under "My Grants" on BGP. If information is missing or unclear, Enterprise Singapore may request clarification or ask for a resubmission, which extends the timeline further.
After. Both EDG and PSG operate on a reimbursement basis, meaning the grant is only paid out once the project is complete and a claim has been filed, supported by documentation of project deliverables. This is why the blog stresses collecting evidence (vendor delivery reports, proof of go-live, milestone tracking against your Letter of Offer) as you go, rather than trying to reconstruct it afterward. Claims must be submitted within 6 months of the end of the project eligibility period stated in your Letter of Offer. Disbursement is faster via PayNow (within 14 working days of claim approval) than GIRO (up to 8 weeks).
Your project is considered to have "commenced" and becomes immediately ineligible. This applies to signing a contract (even an informal or verbal agreement), making any payment or deposit, or starting work with the vendor before submission. The blog specifically warns that discovery sessions or "handshake" agreements to secure vendor capacity while the application is still being prepared can count as commencement, and this is flagged as one of the most common ways ERP projects accidentally disqualify themselves.
