Small business grants: a supplier comparison for advisers, accountants and contractors

Grant suppliers solve different problems. Compare them by task and evidence rather than putting advisers, software, accountants and delivery contractors into one score. This framework compares supplier types; it does not review named companies.

What to take away

Compare suppliers by task and evidence, not by one combined score.
Define which stage an adviser covers and who drafts, approves and submits answers.
Test the software workflow, permissions, export, backup, support and exit before buying.
Price the same scope and assumptions, then model no award, reduced award, delay and full award.
Use identical reference questions and repeat checks if ownership, staff or terms change.

Grant adviser

An adviser may screen opportunities, structure an application, review evidence or support claims. Define which stage is included and who drafts, approves and submits each answer.

Assess relevant schemes, named staff, method, conflicts, references, capacity, data handling and total possible fee. Reject guaranteed-award claims. The applicant remains responsible for the declarations it signs.

Accountant or finance specialist

An accountant may help with forecasts, project costs, tax, VAT, accounting treatment and financial evidence. Confirm the scope and relevant qualification or experience. Routine year-end work does not automatically cover grant terms or project cash flow.

HMRC's grant and subsidy guidance shows that tax treatment depends on the nature of a receipt. Ask the adviser to record assumptions and the documents reviewed.

Software supplier

Software may manage research, drafts, projects, evidence or reporting. Test the actual workflow, permissions, version history, export, backup, support and exit. Compare the plan and configuration the business will buy, not a feature available only in a demonstration account.

Use the NCSC small organisations guide and ICO guidance to frame security and personal-data questions.

Delivery contractor

A delivery contractor provides the funded goods or work. Assess specification, price, capacity, dependencies, acceptance, evidence, intellectual property, data, subcontracting and warranty. Follow the award's procurement and conflict rules.

The government's grant-agreement guidance expects central government agreements to address eligible expenditure, counter-fraud, audit and assurance. The signed recipient agreement controls the actual purchase.

Evaluation specialist

An evaluator defines questions, methods, data and analysis. Check methodological skill, independence, access to participants, publication rights and conflicts. Do not commission an impact claim when the project cannot support a suitable comparison.

The Magenta Book is government evaluation guidance. Use it to challenge a proposal's process, impact and value-for-money plan, while keeping the scope proportionate.

Use one comparison sheet per task

State the requirement, mandatory conditions, evidence requested, scoring scale and total cost basis before seeking proposals. Score functional fit, competence, capacity, controls, commercial terms and exit. Keep notes that explain each mark.

Separate facts from judgement. "Provides UK support hours in the quoted contract" is evidence; "felt responsive" is an observation from a defined contact, not a service-level result.

Compare total cost on scenarios

Ask each supplier to price the same scope and assumptions. Include setup, meetings, revisions, travel, licences, expenses, VAT and post-award support. For a success fee, define the trigger and calculation base.

Model at least no award, reduced award, delayed receipt and full award. A quotation with a low initial fee may become the most expensive under the likely result. Record which costs the business pays even if the funder rejects the application or the scheme treats them as ineligible.

Do not score an unpriced promise as included. Ask the bidder to confirm any assumption or exclusion that could change delivery.

Check references consistently

Use the same questions for each reference: scope, named staff, timetable, errors, changes, security incidents, invoicing and exit. Confirm that the referenced work resembles the proposed task. A positive comment about training says little about grant-accounting advice.

Write the date, respondent and limits of each check. Do not publish a private reference without permission.

Disclose referral fees, gifts, free access and prior relationships. Repeat checks before contract if ownership, staff or terms change. This draft has no live internal links and requires named-supplier evidence before it can support a real procurement decision.

Before you act

State the requirement, mandatory conditions and scoring scale first.
Confirm the adviser's scope, method, conflicts and total possible fee.
Ask the accountant to record assumptions and documents reviewed.
Test the software plan and configuration you will actually buy.
Price setup, revisions, licences, VAT and post-award support.
Write the date, respondent and limits of each reference check.

Common questions

What should an applicant check before hiring a grant adviser?

How should a business compare total supplier cost?

Ask each supplier to price the same scope and assumptions, including setup, meetings, revisions, travel, licences, expenses, VAT and post-award support. Model no award, reduced award, delayed receipt and full award. A low initial fee may become the most expensive under the likely result.

Why does a positive reference about training prove little?

A positive comment about training says little about grant-accounting advice. Confirm that the referenced work resembles the proposed task, and use the same questions on scope, named staff, timetable, errors, changes, security incidents, invoicing and exit. Write the date, respondent and limits of each check.