Section 547.170  Review Criteria and Negotiation Procedures

Grant proposals shall be reviewed on a competitive basis.  Based on the competitive review, applicants shall be selected to enter into negotiations with the Department for a grant.  The purpose of negotiations shall be to arrive at mutually acceptable grant provisions, which will be reflected in the Grant Agreement, including general, budgetary, and scope of work provisions.  The final decision to make a grant award will be made by the Director of the Department.  The Department shall use the following criteria when reviewing grant proposals and making awards:

a)         the experience of the nonprofit organization;

b)         the related experience and qualification of the project staff;

c)         the quality of the project work plan;

d)         the proposed project costs in relationship to planned outcomes;

e)         the relations of the project to the Department's economic development plans and initiatives; and

f)         the quality of presentations made to the Department, if the Department requests information.