More questions than you can shake a stick at

The Maze of Building or Buying an ERA System

Defining the problem

Computers and networks are now used to store, transmit and manage proposals and grants (duh!).

The total number of problems involved in using computers for the above purpose has increased, not decreased.

Computer applications and hardware require increasingly educated specialists to create, install and maintain them.

Where are we headed?

Pre Award Proposal Clearance – Electronic

Routing Grants.gov

System – to – System Adobe Acrobat

Other funding sources Post Award

Increased frequency and severity of audits

Both Sides Management and reporting

Let’s build a system!Let’s buy a system!

Do we build or do we buy?Do we buy or do we build?

You will appear to be a visionary if you build in one era and buy in the next

We have to buy

Five Years Later

We have to build

Where is the mandate coming from? From above ?

Concern with institutional performance Directly linked to funding and FTE changes

From your SRO staff? Are you churning thru staff? Overworked & concerned about web based systems?

From your PI’s Do they perceive problems with your Pre or Post Award activities?

From your Grant Administrators? Do your departments have sufficient staff with access to the

information they need to manage proposals and awards?

From your Business Office? Are there problems getting contracts signed? Purchases made?

Payments executed?

1st: Analysis

What do we do?

• Roles we play

Proposal Preparation?

Reporting?

Auditing?

How do we currently get technical support?

How are we handling things now?

What is our institutional culture?

Pre-Award, Post-Award, Both?

2nd: Options & Constraints

Build or Buy

Build Both Buy

How am I handling it now? What’s my volume?

How many proposals, how many awards, what else? Start over or enhance an existing system

Who should help me answer this question?

3rd: Technical SupportSupport

Home Grown

External IT Professional

Dept IT Professional

End User Computer Support

Network Support

Application Support

Computing Dept

Vendor

Contractor

Training

4th: Something to move the electrons about

Hardware

Workstations Computing Center Servers

Dept Based Servers

Vender Based Servers

Where will the information be hosted? How will it be accessed? Who is responsible for it’s integrity?

Support

Home Grown

External IT Professional

Department IT Professional

Our Decision Trees

Hardware

Workstations Computing Center Servers

Dept Based Servers

Vender Based Servers

Product

PurchasedDeveloped Both

2

3

4

Support (1/3)

Home Grown Advantages

Person knows your business Personal familiarity

Disadvantages Person may not have skills to develop complex system Multi-tasking will dilute effort

Support (2/3)

Department IT Professional

Wildcard The candidate you hire may not be the person who winds up working

for you

Advantages Depending on the skill level requested, person may have sufficient

skills to plan, design and implement systems New thoughts, new perspective

Disadvantages Does not know your business or language Break in period May want an occasional holiday, vacation or sick leave; requires

occasional care and feeding

Support (3/3)

Institutional Support Dedicated or shared Staff or students

Independent Contract Network Management Application Design

Vendor Support Hardware and network support for their applications

Support – What should you expect?

Phase One: Design a web based proposal preparation, submission and award management system.Time: 6 minutes

Support – Questions to look at What do you need done?

Network Management Server (web/e-mail/database) administrator Workstation setup and maintenance, user assistance

Application Development Start fresh Integrate or expand existing systems Maintain a purchased vendor system

Both

Evaluate the communication skills of the people you are considering. Can you understand them? Can they understand you?

Support – Questions to look at Based on the duties you expect to be performed, what

level of education, expertise and skills do you require?

How much should you pay?

How many positions do we need?

Resources for assistance: Your institution’s computing department Other local businesses that employ IT professionals

Hardware - Where will your information be hosted? What methods of access to your information

are required? Web Desktop Paper Reports Do you need secure access?

Who will be responsible for the integrity of the data? And yes, you do have to anticipate having

computer problems

Hardware OptionsLow cost ($$$ - $1,$$$)Low volume accessLAN access at best, Uploading to sponsor web servers easily Easy access to raw data in different formats

Moderate Cost ($3-4,$$$)IT Personnel STRONGLY recommendedModerate traffic, web is a realityModerately easy access to (read only) raw data

High cost, but it may be ‘funny money’ ($$,$$$)Lack of control, service issuesHigh volume accessDifficult to modifyCan you get access to the raw data so you can run your own reports or

use spreadsheets to analyze?

Moderate to High Cost ($$,$$$ - $$$,$$$)High volume accessModifications may be worse than tooth extraction without anesthesia*Can you get access to the raw data so you can run your own reports or

use spreadsheets to analyze?

Workstations

Computing Dept Servers

Dept Based Servers

Vender Based Solutions

Build, Buy or Both?

NCURA has been presenting a build or buy experience session at conferences for more than the last decade The sessions feature either an institution that built, or one

that bought. Some featured vendors, others developers

Boxing gloves were optional

Build, Buy or Both? There is no one right answer

Neither is cheap Build – continuous expense Buy – high upfront, somewhat lower ongoing

If Buying Solicit advice from those who have purchased before Include Grants.gov S-2-S modifications in your contract How close is the vendors solution to the way you do business today

or are you willing to change your way of doing business to accommodate the software?

Gap Analysis – Can the system be modified to your method of business?

If Building Are you patient and prepared to make mistakes? Get a long term vision together before starting

Both? If you have a developer, consider buying the framework of a system

with the source code, then modify it for your institution

Ever Changing Grants.gov

Three Two Options PureEdge (phased out) Adobe Acrobat (now supports V10 & X) System to System

Vendor System Requires $$$,$$$ up front and $$,$$$ maintenance May requires IT support for maintenance and customizations

Home Grown System Requires Application Developers, SRO Time + $$$,$$$ Grants.gov publishes assistance on web site