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How to Review a Proposal. Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs June/July, 2013. Why use Reviewers?. To gain a wide variety of perspectives and experiences that can inform the grant making process &
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How to Review a Proposal Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs June/July, 2013
Why use Reviewers? To gain a wide variety of perspectives and experiences that can inform the grant making process & make the granting process transparent, fair, and as free from influence and bias as possible.
Who are the Reviewers? Thank you! Your time and expertise are appreciated. Governmental and community-based stakeholders Advocates Subject matter experts Community leaders Researchers
What’s in it for you? Being a grant reviewer is one of the best ways to learn how to write a good proposal! Learn about the grant making process Better understanding of OJP Learn about innovative programs and best practices across Minnesota Networking
Overall Expectation of Grant Reviewers Keep proposals and scores confidential – this is not public information UNTIL the grants are awarded. Thoroughly understand the selection criteria in the Request for Proposal (RFP) and match those criteria to an applicant’s proposal. Report any conflict of interest to OJP and refrain from scoring proposals in which you have a conflict – please make sure you fill out a Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Reviewer Certification.
Reviewing Proposals: Step 1 • Read OJP’s Request for Proposal • Specifically, please become familiar with: • The goals of the RFP • The requirements of the proposals • The scoring criteria and point allocations • Read and understand the Proposal Review Sheet • Please make sure to set aside enough time to review each of your proposals thoroughly. This is NOT a quick process.
Reviewing Proposals: Step 2 Complete an initial read-through of each applicant’s proposal but don’t score them this time. Use this initial read through of the proposals to get a sense of what the proposals are about and how they are organized
Reviewing Proposals: Step 3 Re-read each proposal and begin scoring Make sure to record proposal strengths and weaknesses on the Proposal Review Sheets
Rules and Tips for Scoring Everyone scores differently – that’s ok! Just make sure to be consistent in your scores Only score a proposal based on the information provided – don’t assume anything Score proposals against the criteria in the RFP– not against other proposals No fractions or decimals – whole number scores only please!
More Rules and Tips Make sure all information required is contained in the proposal. You can deduct points for a disorganized proposal but make sure your score is primarily based on the quality of the responses. Just having an answer to each question in the RFP does not justify a high score.
Range of Scores Scores of a perfect 100 should be rare – this means there were no weaknesses in the proposal. Just as rare is a score of 0 – this means there are no strengths in the proposal. If you do feel like a score of 100 or 0 are warranted, please document your justifications completely.
More Rules and Tips Proposals should make a strong case, show a compelling need and show that the proposed activities will effectively address that need. Proposals should employ best practices and improve the criminal/juvenile justice system or crime victim services.
Reviewing Proposals: Step 4 • OJP employs two types of review processes: • On-line Review • Enter your scores into the proper website. • Destroy your copies of the proposals, review sheets. • In-Person Review • Arrive on time & ready to discuss the proposals. • Make sure your Proposal Review Sheet for each proposal is complete and legible. • Be sure to have your conflict of interest form filled out as well.
Thank you! For more information or questions please contact the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs Claire Cambridge Claire.Cambridge@state.mn.us 651-201-7307