Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
Perhaps, but in this case, we have very few options for the other side. We can't ask them to install anything, so a desktop app is out of the question. Asking them to re-enter all their data into some web form would be clearly unappealing to them. We CAN require that they do that, but the data won't be as good if we do.

Keep in mind, that what they are providing is a subset of data they already collected for their own purposes, so they'll already have the data in whatever storage format they find suitable. We're asking for some subset of that data. That's an unusual situation for the web.
If you need to be vague, that's fine. But what isn't adding up is why a spreadsheet template is easy and a web form is out of the question, when in both cases, they are presumably taking the data from [Their App] and (copying/pasting?) the data into (your solution).

You are basically asking us to help you make a process easier, when no one here has a clue what is happening on either end of said process.

That being said, my suggestion is to give them multiple options. Give them the spreadsheet template and give them a web form, and maybe other options. Basically, you seem to be deciding for them what they will view as tedious. Maybe they don't feel the same way. Maybe some of these entities are savvy enough to build a bot that fills out the web form for them with whatever data they have. Who knows.

Good luck.