EDGE project eligibility audit before 30 September 2026

An EDGE project eligibility audit should confirm the business objective, the right activity, the applicant facts, the proposed costs and the commitment date before the company files. Enterprise Singapore states that EDG, MRA and PSG cease on 29 September 2026, while EDGE becomes the business grant route from 30 September. A project team should not assume that an unfinished legacy application automatically fits EDGE.

The audit is a decision record, not a prediction of approval. It should identify what the official activity page confirms, what remains uncertain and what management must change before it commits to a supplier.

Start with the EDGE project eligibility audit question

Write the project objective in one sentence without mentioning a grant. For example, the company may need to reduce manual processing, improve financial controls, develop a new product or enter a named overseas market. This test separates a real business project from a purchase shaped only to fit funding language.

The current Enterprise Singapore EDGE page says the programme covers eight business areas and more than 100 activities. However, support levels differ by activity. The company must therefore select the exact activity and read its current scope rather than rely on the programme headline.

Record the intended result, baseline, measurement period and person accountable for delivery. If the team cannot explain the operating change, it is too early to choose costs or seek quotations.

Confirm the applicant facts

Prepare a current entity summary with the UEN, ownership, group structure, annual turnover, employee count and Singapore operations. Use a current ACRA record and recent financial information. Do not carry eligibility assumptions from an earlier EDG, MRA or PSG project into the new file.

EDGE offers support of up to 70% for SMEs and up to 50% for non-SMEs, but the official page says the actual level depends on the activity. The audit should state the company’s size position and leave the rate open until the selected activity confirms it.

Also identify connected applicants and recent grant support. The current annual cap is up to S$100,000 in total across activities, refreshed on 1 April. Finance should check whether approved or planned projects may use the same annual capacity.

Match the activity to the work

Compare the proposed deliverables with the selected activity description line by line. Separate advisory work, software, equipment, training, travel, internal manpower and other components. A broad transformation label does not make every cost supportable.

Ask whether the project combines two different decisions. A system implementation and an overseas market study may need separate treatment even when one vendor quotes both. Splitting the scope can also make ownership, milestones and evidence clearer.

Keep a short list of exclusions and unresolved items. This prevents the team from quietly adding attractive but unsupported costs after management approves the budget.

Check commitment timing

Before the launch date, the company should avoid treating a draft application as permission to start. Record every quotation, letter of intent, purchase order, contract, deposit, invoice and work commencement date. Ask the supplier to confirm what has and has not been accepted.

The existing EDG page continues to state that legacy applications and ongoing projects will be processed, while the EDGE page says claims for those projects can follow completion. That continuity does not prove that a new commitment made under one route can move to another.

Where timing is unclear, pause the commitment and obtain written clarification through the official channel. A procurement deadline created by a vendor is not a reason to guess.

Test the budget and reimbursement plan

EDGE support is reimbursement based. The business must therefore plan to complete the activity and make full payment before claiming. The audit should show gross cost, excluded cost, expected support, tax treatment, cash requirement and the period until reimbursement.

Check whether the supplier quote identifies quantities, rates, milestones and taxes. Compare related-party vendors, bundled fees and foreign currency terms with the activity requirements. A single round number makes later claim testing difficult.

Finance should also record whether another grant, tax incentive or subsidy supports the same cost. The company must avoid double support and keep the accounting treatment consistent with the final approval.

Use a compact audit record

Resolve the audit before submission

Assign each open point to one owner and set a due date. The commercial lead should own the result, procurement should own supplier terms, finance should own funding and cost records, and the authorised applicant should own the final declaration.

Attach the approved project brief, selected activity page, quotations, applicant facts and cash-flow worksheet to the decision record. Date every attachment and note which version management considered. If an official requirement changes after the review, reopen the affected finding instead of overwriting the earlier decision. This gives the company a clear history from initial fit assessment to application and later claim preparation.

The EDGE evidence handover guide explains how to transfer the approved file into delivery. The legacy grant claims guide covers projects that remain under the earlier schemes. The Singapore business support decision guide is the pillar cornerstone.

A completed EDGE project eligibility audit gives management a clean answer on project fit, funding capacity and timing. It also leaves a record of facts that can be updated when the detailed activity pages open. The Enterprise Support and Grants hub connects the wider support library.