The honest answer
Do you need a grant consultant?
Often, no — you can apply yourself. Sometimes, yes — and it pays for itself. Here's the honest line between the two, and how to spot a consultant worth paying from one to avoid. Written by a Singapore entrepreneur with years of first-hand familiarity with the SME funding landscape.
You can do it yourself when…
- The solution is a pre-approved PSG tool that clearly fits a known need
- Your eligibility is straightforward (clean single entity, well within thresholds)
- You have time to prepare the 1-month usage report PSG requires
- You're comfortable navigating Corppass and the Business Grants Portal
A consultant earns their keep when…
- You're choosing between solutions and unsure which actually fits your workflow
- You're stacking grants (PSG + EDG + CTC) and need clean scope separation
- It's an EDG project that needs an outcome-shaped proposal, not a quotation
- It's a CTC project — facilitated through the union, with no online form
- You've been rejected before and don't know why
The value isn't in the form — it's upstream
Here's the thing most owners get backwards: the application form is administrative. You can fill it in. The decisions that actually determine the outcome happen beforethe form — is this the right solution, will it deploy, does the plan read as genuine, how do the grants stack without double-claiming. That's where advice is worth paying for. Form-filling is not.
How to vet a grant consultant
Charges for advisory time or a defined scope of work — transparent and upfront
Charges a success fee or a % of the grant — the biggest red flag
Tells you honestly when you can just do it yourself
Pressures you to buy a specific vendor they're tied to without disclosing it
Can show real, relevant experience with the specific grant you need
Promises or guarantees approval — no one can
The success-fee red flag.If a consultant's pitch is built around taking a cut of your grant or charging only when you're approved, their incentive is to push applications through — not to get you the right outcome. The funding is the government's, and the application is yours to submit through the official channels — keep it that way.
Common questions
Do I need a consultant to apply for the PSG grant in Singapore?
No. PSG is designed for business owners to apply themselves through the Business Grants Portal using Corppass. You don't need to pay anyone to submit it. A consultant adds value upstream — choosing the right solution and preparing the usage report that demonstrates real use — not in the form-filling itself.
How much do grant consultants charge in Singapore?
It varies, but the model matters more than the number. Advisory time or a defined scope of work is legitimate. A success fee or a percentage of the grant is a red flag — it ties the consultant's incentive to pushing an application through rather than to your actual outcome.
Is it worth paying a grant consultant?
It depends on complexity. For a straightforward PSG tool with clear eligibility, you can do it yourself. For grant stacking, EDG proposals, CTC projects, or after a rejection, good advisory can save far more than it costs — as long as it's advisory, not a success-fee arrangement.
No pressure, just a straight answer
Not sure which side you're on?
Book a 30-minute scoping call. If you can do it yourself, I'll tell you. The government offers this funding and businesses apply through the official channels — I help you think through the build and the workforce side.
Sources:EnterpriseSG, IMDA, NTUC, Singapore Government open data. Factual content (grant rules, eligibility, vendor data, pricing) is sourced directly from official government portals and remains the copyright of those respective agencies. Analysis, commentary and editorial framing are the author's own. Always verify the latest on GoBusiness, EnterpriseSG, or SMEs Go Digital before applying.