Government Grants for Ordering Automation in Singapore: Who Qualifies and How to Apply (2026 Guide)

By Nicholas Lim · Published 6 April 2026 · Updated 3 October 2026

If you run an SME in Singapore and your team still keys customer orders in by hand, line by line from WhatsApp messages, there is government support for moving that work onto a system.

On 30 September 2026, Enterprise Singapore replaced its earlier business grants with a single grant, EDGE. Support for digital solutions under EDGE runs through IMDA's SMEs Go Digital programme, which lists solutions that IMDA has pre-approved.

SMEs are eligible for up to 50% business grant support for the adoption of eAI Lab – Odello, a Pre-Approved Solution under the IMDA SMEs Go Digital programme.

This guide covers who qualifies, how an application works, the mistakes that most often delay one, and what happens after approval.

What an ordering system does

An ordering system takes in the orders your customers already send, by WhatsApp, email, PDF purchase order or voice note, and turns each one into a structured sales order without anyone keying it in. It checks prices and stock as the order comes in, confirms the order back to the customer, and passes it on to your warehouse, your drivers and your accounting or ERP system.

The more of your orders arrive as free-text messages, the more of your team's day this work takes up, and the more errors come from rekeying.

Who qualifies

Enterprise Singapore sets the eligibility rules. In its words, "the applicant must be a business entity registered in Singapore with at least 30% Singaporean(s) and/or Singapore PR(s) ownership", and other requirements may apply depending on the activity.

The 50% support level applies to SMEs. Enterprise Singapore defines an SME as a company with a group annual sales turnover of not more than S$100 million, or a group employment size of no more than 200 workers.

The solution must be used by the company that applies, not by a subsidiary or a related company. If your group has several companies, decide which one applies, and use the system in that company.

Eligibility is the agency's decision. Check the current criteria on Enterprise Singapore's EDGE page before you apply.

How an application works

1. Talk to the vendor before anything is signed or paid. Enterprise Singapore is clear that businesses "must not have started work or made any payment or deposit to a supplier, vendor, or third party prior to application submission".
2. Build your solution package on the SMEs Go Digital platform. For digital solutions, Enterprise Singapore asks businesses to build their package on IMDA's SMEs Go Digital platform before applying.
3. Submit the application on the Business Grants Portal (BGP), through your own staff. The people who submit need your company's CorpPass roles of BGP Preparer or BGP Acceptor. Enterprise Singapore does not allow vendors or any other third party to submit on your behalf, and you will be asked to declare any relationship with your vendors. We take you through what the application asks for, and your team submits it.
4. The agency reviews your application. Processing times vary by activity, and Enterprise Singapore publishes them on its EDGE pages.
5. Implement the system within your project's qualifying period.
6. Claim. The grant is paid as a reimbursement. You claim after the project is complete and paid for in full, and EDGE accepts only a single and final claim.

Mistakes that delay or derail an application

Starting before you apply. Signing, paying a deposit or starting the work before your application is submitted can make the project unsupportable. Apply first.

CorpPass not ready. The people who submit need the CorpPass roles of BGP Preparer or BGP Acceptor in your company. If your CorpPass administrator has left, or a Singpass login has lapsed, this can add weeks before you can start. Check at corppass.gov.sg before you begin.

Missing documents at claim time. EDGE accepts only a single and final claim, so gaps cannot be filled in later. Keep one folder from day one: every invoice, every proof of payment, evidence that the system is live, and your training records.

Not planning for the cash flow. Because the grant is a reimbursement, you pay for the project in full first and are reimbursed after your claim. Plan for that gap.

The wrong company applying. In a group, the company that applies must be the one that uses the system.

After the grant

Once the system is live and your claim is paid, the system runs as part of your operations: orders come in, your team handles the exceptions, and the subscription continues at its normal price. Before you sign, check what support is included after go-live, because your team will have most of its questions in the first few weeks.

What to do next

If you are a Singapore food distributor, wholesaler or F&B supplier and your team keys orders in by hand, start with a conversation, before anything is signed. We take you through Odello on your own order flow, scope what you need, and walk you through the application your team submits.

Official information: Enterprise Singapore's EDGE grant (https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/financial-support/edge-grant) and its EDGE FAQ (https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/resources/all-faqs/edge-grant), and IMDA's SMEs Go Digital (https://smesgodigital.gov.sg). Odello's listing: https://smesgodigital.gov.sg/web/solution/20260134/eai-lab-odello

Frequently asked questions