Steve-

Your outline is good.  But I'm having second thoughts about what seemed initially a no-brainer:

If "you do not have IT professionals who can write sophisticated computer programs
for you, there is a high probability that you'll be leaning toward a vendor."

Having looked at a group of vendor S2S products, it seems that what is being sold is assorted components leading to paperless research administration that are all fancy wrapping for a single button on a browser that sends file X to Grants.gov.  I am sure that getting file X into the proper form ain't simple, but is the sophistication you speak of related more to the demands of integration with other pre and post submission processes?

Charlie

At 12:36 PM 12/7/2005, you wrote:
>This is an ideal topic for the Grants.gov Message forum @
>
>http://orsa.uoregon.edu/grantsgov/forums/index.cfm. I started a thread
>for it.
>
>
>In the future, perfect world, there will be two mechanisms to submit
>proposals to grants.gov.
>
>First: Use of the PureEdge Viewer, where persons complete forms and
>insert their documents into one larger file (or package) and transmit it
>to Grants.gov.
>
>Second: A 'system-to-system' interface where computer systems at the
>PI's institution gather the required information, package it, and then
>transmit it to Grants.gov.
>
>---------------------------
>
>Method one currently exists, but as testimony reveals, it is far from
>perfect.
>
>Method two is currently under deveopment, with several institutions
>participating in deveopment and testing. This is the method where vendor
>products can be useful.
>
>---------------------------
>
>If your institution wishes to continue to use the PureEdge 'solution,'
>then you will probably NOT need a vendor.
>
>If your institution wishes to not use the PureEdge software, and

>--------------------------
>
>GrantSlam has been marketed to us, but the product as it currently
>exists is not a good fit for us at the University of Oregon.  The
>general problem that they, and we are facing, is that we are trying to
>develop software to meet an ever changing design specification. A very
>erratically moving target.
>
>-------------------------------------------------
>
>Steve Shapiro
>University of Oregon
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On
>Behalf Of Lucretia Hollingshed
>Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 6:33 AM
>To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
>Subject: [RESADM-L] Question about GrantSlam?
>
>
>Good Morning,
>
>I wanted to ask you thoughts on GrantSlam.  Any information you can give
>me would benefit me.
>
>Is there anyone who received requests from faculty to use GrantSlam as
>the submission system to grants.gov?  Our faculty are insisting on using
>this program.  Our position is grants.gov does not need a system to be
>an intermediate to grants.gov so why waste the effort to use it.  If you
>have used GrantSlam for the initial pilots that were done last year
>eCGAP program is this necessary now?  The literature I have read states
>that GrantSlam 8 is coming out later June 2006 that allows you to submit
>for grants.gov requirements.
>
>Any thoughts you have about GrantSlam would be appreciated.  My thoughts
>are that GrantSlam is just a vendor and is trying to sell its services
>through the faculty.  Are there any benefits to having GrantSlam versus
>using grants.gov alone.
>
>Lucretia Hollingshed
>Preaward Specialist
>Grants & Contracts Office
>Mercer University
>Macon, GA  31207
>xxxxxx@mercer.edu
>
>
>======================================================================
> Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
>subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
>via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
>======================================================================
>
>
>======================================================================
> Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
> subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
> via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
>======================================================================

======================================================================
 Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
 subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
 via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================