Multi-tiered Review. The Planner, with the approval of the AO, may establish a solicitation and review system with two or more tiers. The AO may request potential applicants to submit an executive summary or concept paper. The AO may also request corresponding budget information at their discretion. After reviewing these submissions, the Selection Committee selects the best submissions and conducts a second level solicitation and review with the selected applicants and uses more specific merit review criteria. The AO may conduct additional levels of solicitation and review only if the second level does not adequately identify applicants for the activities to be funded. Section C or Section E of the NOFO must explain the intended multi-tiered review/eligibility process so that potential applicants know what to expect at each phase of the review process.
Multi-tiered Review. The Planner, with the approval of the AO, may establish a solicitation and review system with two or more tiers. The AO may request potential applicants to submit an executive summary or concept paper. The AO may also request corresponding budget information at their discretion. After reviewing these submissions, the Merit Review Committee (MRC) selects the best submissions and conducts a second level solicitation and review with the selected applicants and uses more specific merit review criteria (see section 303.3.6.3). The AO may conduct additional levels of solicitation and review only if the second level does not adequately identify applicants for the activities to be funded. Section C or Section E of the NOFO must explain the intended multi- tiered review/eligibility process so that potential applicants know what to expect at each phase of the review process. 303.3.6.2 Merit Review Criteria Effective Date: 12/29/2022
Multi-tiered Review. The Planner, with the approval of the AO, may establish a solicitation and review system with two or more tiers. The AO may request potential applicants to submit an executive summary or concept paper. The AO may also request corresponding budget information at their discretion. After reviewing these submissions, the Selection Committee selects the best submissions and conducts a second level solicitation and review with the selected applicants and uses more specific merit review criteria. The AO may conduct additional levels of solicitation and review only if the second level does not adequately identify applicants for the activities to be funded. Section C or Section E of the NOFO must explain the intended multi-tiered review/eligibility process so that potential applicants know what to expect at each phase of the review process. 303.3.6.2 Merit Review Criteria Effective Date: 01/19/2021 a. The Planner must develop the merit review criteria. The criteria must include the programmatic factors or priorities that affect eligibility for selection. The number of criteria should be limited to three or four factors. The review criteria in an announcement must provide as much information as practical to allow potential applicants to judge whether it is in their best interest to incur costs to apply for the award. The criteria must address the importance of the programmatic and administrative elements, but must not be unduly restrictive. It is not necessary to quantify the relative weight of the criteria, but the announcement must identify the relative importance of the criteria. The Planner must obtain the AO’s approval of the criteria before the AO publishes the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO.
