Section 400.60  Review and Selection Process

a)         Council staff shall initially review all proposals to identify any history of compliance issues with previous or current grant agreement terms, previous performance in programmatic or fiscal areas, and other indicators relevant to evaluating the applicant's ability to successfully complete the project.

b)         Proposals are reviewed, by teams comprised of Council members and staff and may include other experts in the field of developmental disabilities (e.g., experts who possess knowledge about the subject matter at hand that would be helpful for the team to reach a decision) who make recommendations for awards to the Council or the Executive Committee, as described in Section 400.40.

c)         Awards shall be made in accordance with the following criteria, which are equally weighted:

1)         The performance targets or goals are clear and demonstrate that the project will assist the Council in meeting its State Plan performance target;

2)         The proposal's implementation plan is clear and will lead to the achievement of the project's performance targets;

3)         The proposal sufficiently demonstrates that the applicant has the commitment, capacity and expertise sufficient to achieve the project's performance targets; and

4)         The cost or budget to achieve the project's performance targets appears reasonable in view of the proposed goals of the project.

d)         The Council reserves the following rights regarding the funding of grants.

1)         Negotiate and adjust funding levels during the review process;

2)         Not fund any applications it receives (e.g., proposals do not adequately address all criteria in subsection (c), or the Council needs to further clarify and refine its performance target or goals in the funding opportunity); or

3)         Not fund any applications it receives because circumstances have changed (e.g., the purpose of the funding opportunity no longer addresses federal or State policy or a situation has evolved  that makes an award inconsistent with the purposes of the Act, State law, or regulations).

e)         All proposers will be advised in writing of the Council's award decisions as soon as practicable, but not later than two weeks from the date of the Council's action on the team's recommendations.

f)         Any agencies, individuals or organization who failed to receive a grant award may appeal that decision.