EnQuire

For the World Wide Web predecessor, see ENQUIRE.
enQuire - Grants, Contract and Project Management
Developer(s) Tactiv Pty Ltd
Operating system Web Based
Type Project, Contract, Grant Management & Reporting
License SaaS
Website enquire.net.au

enQuire — Grants, Contract and Project Management is a web-based software application used as a platform for project, contract and grant management, as well as reporting and planning.

Initially designed for the specific business requirements of the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Queensland Regional Bodies to manage natural resources projects, enQuire has since seen adoption outside of this industry and user segment.[1][2] The use of enQuire by Natural Resource Management bodies within Queensland has been cited as a reason for the improved efficiency, quantity and quality of reporting[3]

Technically, enQuire - Grants, Contract and Project Management is implemented as a Java application built on a MySQL database. enQuire - Grants, Contract and Project Management is hosted and supported under the software as a service model by Tactiv Pty Ltd.

History

The system was first released in 2005 under the name ViSTA NRM Online,[4] proactively changing its name to 'enQuire - Grants, Contract and Project Management' in 2007 to avoid possible confusion with Windows Vista, which was being released at the time. The enQuire project and support team is based predominantly in Brisbane, Australia.

Functionality

The functionality of enQuire can be broken down into 10 core modules:[5]

The enQuire Grants, Contract and Project Management system is used to report against the Queensland Government’s Q2 Coasts and Country Program and parts of the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program.[6]

There is also a strategic planning module, which provides functionality to manage core-business administration and reporting requirements, whilst providing visibility of key activities and their alignment against organisational goals and strategic objectives.

The systems architecture supports a range of implementation models with the capacity to manage one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many relationships between investors and investees.

Under the usage model within Queensland, Regional Bodies use enQuire to load project contracts and report against these online. The regional bodies also record output, target and financial information in enQuire, which can then be used for operational purposes including financial, performance and target reporting.

External Audit

The Australian National Audit Office Audit Report No.21 2007–08[7] undertook a case study on enQuire Grants, Contract and Project Management. It noted:

"The Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management has developed the first integrated web-based system (enQuire - Grants, Contract and Project Management) to manage performance information about Natural Resource Management activities in Queensland."

Four of Queensland’s 14 regional bodies commented on enQuire - Grants, Contract and Project Management through the ANAO’s survey. These four regional bodies indicated that enQuire offers a means of consistent reporting at the State level.

References

  1. ↑ Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning recommendations to adopt enQuire for reporting
  2. ↑ 2010 NRM Monitoring & Evaluation conference, where integration of the ACT's regional program into enQuire was discussed
  3. ↑ THE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (NRM) REPORTING JOURNEY IN QUEENSLAND
  4. ↑ DNRW Census of Regional Body Wetlands Activities, October 2007 (contains historic references to ViSTA NRM Online)
  5. ↑ enQuire homepage detailling the 10 core modules
  6. ↑ Condamine Alliance Interim Final Report for Q2 Coasts and Country
  7. ↑ The Australian National Audit Office Audit Report No.21 2007–08, Regional Delivery Model for the Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

External links