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?

1 st : 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?

2 nd: Options & Constraints Build or Buy BuildBothBuy 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?

3 rd: Technical Support Support Home Grown External IT Professional Dept IT Professional End User Computer Support Network Support Application Support Computing Dept Vendor Contractor Training

4 th: Something to move the electrons about Hardware WorkstationsComputing 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 PurchasedDevelopedBoth 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/ /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 Options Low cost ($$$ - $1,$$$) Low volume access LAN access at best, Uploading to sponsor web servers easily Easy access to raw data in different formats Moderate Cost ($3-4,$$$) IT Personnel STRONGLY recommended Moderate traffic, web is a reality Moderately easy access to (read only) raw data High cost, but it may be ‘funny money’ ($$,$$$) Lack of control, service issues High volume access Difficult to modify Can you get access to the raw data so you can run your own reports or use spreadsheets to analyze? Moderate to High Cost ($$,$$$ - $$$,$$$) High volume access Modifications 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