877—11.3 (84A) Request for proposal process. Funds will be made available through a request for proposal process and grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.
	 11.3(1)  Time frame for submittal. Proposals must be submitted by the deadline established in the request for proposal.
	 11.3(2)  Length of projects. A proposed project may be designed for up to 12 months in duration, but must have an ending date no later than June 30 of the state fiscal year for which funding was awarded.
	 11.3(3)  Required inclusions in the proposal. The regional advisory board will determine the required elements of the proposal which will be published in the request for proposal. Required inclusions may include, but are not limited to: identification of the target group(s) to be served, statement of financial need, signatures of project collaborators verifying coordination and collaboration efforts, proposed budget, description of the program design, goals and expected outcomes, evaluation of performance methods, past performance information, and signature of authorized official.
	 11.3(4)  Review criteria. Proposals will be reviewed as set forth in subrule 11.3(5) based upon the following review criteria.
	  a.   	 Statement of need. The proposal must contain a statement of need including an explanation of such things as: the need for service to the target group(s) that will be served, the financial need in the area, and why the target group(s) is not being served with current resources. Up to 20 points may be awarded for this category.
	  b.   	 Budget. A detailed budget as prescribed in the request for proposal must be included in the proposal. Up to 10 points may be awarded for this category.
	  c.   	 Program design. The proposal must include a detailed description of the project including: the types of activities and services that will be provided; the coordination and collaboration that will take place among the entities involved in the project; a description of which entities will be performing the various functions of the project such as administration, training, and services; and which entities will be providing, for example, the space, utilities, materials, supplies. Up to 30 points may be awarded for this category.
	  d.   	 Experience of program operator. The proposal must include a description of the experience of the program operator and any other service providers involved in the project. If the project has previously been funded with work force investment funds, the proposal must provide an evaluation of past performance of the project. Up to 5 points may be awarded for this category.
	  e.   	 Goals and expected outcomes. The proposal must indicate the goals of the project and the outcomes that are expected as a result of the activities and services that will be provided. Up to 25 points may be awarded for this category.
	  f.   	 Performance measurement and evaluation of the project. The proposal must state the process by which the project will be evaluated by the private industry council (PIC) including performance measurement criteria and expected levels of performance that will be achieved. Up to 10 points may be awarded for this category.
	 11.3(5)  Selection process. Selection of projects to be funded will be made by the regional advisory board after the proposals have been scored and recommended by a three-person evaluation team appointed by the regional advisory board.
	  a.   	 Each reviewer on the evaluation team will evaluate each proposal independently for acceptability and will assign a numerical score to each proposal using the review criteria and point values listed in the request for proposal.
	  b.   	 All reviewers’ scores for each proposal will be averaged to obtain the final average score for the proposal.
	  c.   	 A project must obtain a final average score of at least 70 out of a maximum of 100 points to be considered for funding.
	 11.3(6)  Continuing projects. The regional advisory board reserves the right to designate the amount of funds available for continuing projects. For fiscal year 1999, regional advisory boards have the option of selecting project operators from the agencies that have operated projects in previous years or a member of the region’s coordinating service provider using sole source procurement procedures. Sole source procurement will ensure the timely implementation of the program.