EDGE equipment holding period: keep a one-year claim diary

The EDGE equipment holding period begins when the claim is approved, not when the equipment is ordered, delivered or installed. A company should therefore keep the supported asset under control for one full year from that approval date and preserve evidence that it remains with the applicant and in business use.

Create the diary before the claim is submitted. Waiting for a later audit can leave nobody responsible for a relocated, replaced or disposed asset.

Fix the controlling date

The official EDGE frequently asked questions state that equipment bought with Automation support must be held for one year from the date the claim is approved. This is different from the project qualifying period and the deadline for submitting the claim.

Save the claim approval notice and record its date in an asset schedule. Add the last day of the holding period, the equipment description, model, serial number, approved deployment location and employee responsible for it. Where the Letter of Offer or activity page sets an additional condition, use the stricter project-specific requirement.

Do not calculate the year from memory. The application date, approval date, installation date, claim date and claim approval date can all differ.

Connect the grant file to the asset register

Match the approved item to the purchase order, supplier invoice, full-payment record, delivery note, installation evidence and claim line. Record the accounting asset number and physical identifier in both systems.

Photographs should show the supported item and its operating setting where that evidence is appropriate. Keep original files with dates and avoid editing an image in a way that obscures what was delivered. Software or integrated systems can have different identifiers, so do not force a physical-asset method onto a digital deliverable.

The EDGE claim evidence guide explains the wider completion file. This diary deals with the later custody period for supported equipment.

Define permitted use and custody

The official FAQ also says supported equipment or digital solutions should be used by the applicant entity and not by a subsidiary or related party. Tell operations staff which legal entity owns and uses the equipment, especially at shared premises or within a group.

Record the normal site, department and purpose. If employees of several entities work together, document the applicant’s use and obtain advice before allowing another entity to take possession or operate the supported item as its own.

Add the asset to insurance, maintenance and access records where relevant. Grant compliance should follow ordinary custody controls instead of sitting in a separate folder that the operating team never sees.

Use a monthly exception check

A short monthly check is more useful than a large review at year end. Confirm that the equipment is present, operational, used by the applicant and recorded at the approved site. Note repairs, downtime and temporary movement.

The owner should report disposal, sale, lease, loan, replacement, loss, damage, relocation or a business transfer before action is taken. Add the grant owner to the approval route for these events.

An exception does not always mean non-compliance, but it requires review against the Letter of Offer and current official guidance. Do not assume a supplier’s replacement unit or an insurance settlement automatically preserves support.

Control location changes

For pre-scoped equipment, EDGE treats deployment locations by postal code, and different unit numbers with the same postal code are treated as one location in the application rule described by the FAQ. That application rule does not remove the need to know where the supported asset is during the holding period.

Prepare a movement form with old and new locations, reason, date, custodian, asset identifier and grant review. Check whether official approval or notification is required before moving the item.

The EDGE deployment-location guide covers the initial tenancy evidence. The diary continues the record after claim approval.

Deal with failure or replacement honestly

If the equipment fails, keep service reports, diagnostic findings and warranty correspondence. Do not dispose of the failed unit until the grant terms and official route have been checked. A replacement should be linked to the original serial number, supplier obligation and business need.

Where an asset is stolen or destroyed, preserve the police, insurer, landlord or incident evidence that fits the event. Escalate promptly instead of recreating a record months later.

Record what happened, who decided the response and any communication with Enterprise Singapore. A complete chronology is stronger than a statement that the equipment was unavailable during a later check.

Include corporate transactions

A sale of business, asset transfer, restructuring or change of premises can affect custody even if the equipment does not physically move. Include supported assets in transaction due diligence and identify the unexpired holding period.

The EDGE continuing-eligibility guide addresses ownership changes at applicant level. Asset custody is a separate question and should appear in the transaction decision alongside any remaining claim or compliance exposure.

Do not value the grant as unconditional cash after approval. The project still needs to comply with the Letter of Offer, claim evidence and post-claim conditions.

Close the diary with evidence

At the end of the year, confirm the claim approval date, uninterrupted custody, current location, operational status and applicant use. Have the asset owner and grant owner sign the close record, then retain it with the project documents under the applicable retention rule.

The Singapore business support decision guide remains the enterprise-support cornerstone. For the EDGE equipment holding period, the practical question is simple: can the applicant trace the approved item from claim approval through one complete year of its own business use? A dated diary makes that answer clear.