specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Submittable
providerId: submittable
created: '2026-07-05'
modified: '2026-07-05'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Submission Management
- Grants Management
- Applications
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Submittable spend. Submittable is sold as a quote-based SaaS
  subscription (Grant and Application Management and/or Corporate Social
  Responsibility products, plus Enterprise), not as usage-metered API billing.
  The dominant cost is the annual platform subscription negotiated with Sales,
  typically scaling with the number of users/seats and the products bundled,
  with implementation/onboarding as a one-time charge for larger deployments.
  The API itself carries no separate per-call fee; its consumption is bounded by
  rate limits (10 transactions/second, 10,000/hour) rather than a metered
  invoice line. For grantmaking customers, disbursed award/grant funds flow
  through the platform but are program spend rather than Submittable software
  cost.
notes: >-
  No public per-unit API price exists to reconcile. Treat Submittable as a fixed
  annual subscription (plus optional implementation) for budgeting; confirm the
  contracted amount, seat count, and bundle with Submittable Sales.
sources:
- https://www.submittable.com/pricing/
- https://submittable.help/en/articles/905022-does-submittable-have-an-api
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Submittable
serviceCategory: Business Applications
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription-Based
  billingFrequency: Annual
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Submittable
  ServiceCategory: Business Applications
  ProviderName: Submittable
  PublisherName: Submittable
  InvoiceIssuerName: Submittable
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Subscription-Based
meters:
- name: subscription
  description: Annual platform subscription, quote-based and typically scaled by seats and bundled products.
  unit: contract
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - product
- name: seats
  description: Number of users/team members licensed on the account.
  unit: users
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: implementation
  description: One-time implementation/onboarding charge for larger deployments.
  unit: contract
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: api_transactions
  description: API transactions consumed; not separately billed but bounded by rate limits (10/sec, 10,000/hour).
  unit: transactions
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track the contracted subscription amount, seat count, and which products (Grants/Applications, CSR, Enterprise) are bundled; separate software cost from program grant disbursements.
- name: Allocation
  description: Map seats and projects to internal teams/programs so the subscription maps to cost centers; tag disbursed funds to the correct grant program budget.
- name: Optimization
  description: Right-size seat counts and bundles at renewal; use the API within rate limits to automate data exports and reviewer workflows instead of paying for manual effort.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign an owner for the Submittable contract and review renewal, seat utilization, and program spend on a regular cadence.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com