| (a) The Department will accept Applications on an ongoing
basis during the Application acceptance period as specified in the
NOFA or notification of an offer of a continuing award, as applicable.
Applications will be reviewed for threshold criteria and selection
criteria, if applicable, administrative deficiencies, and competitive
Applications will be ranked based upon the score of the Application
as determined by the Department upon completion of the review.
(b) The administrative deficiency process allows the
Applicant to provide additional information with regard to an Application
after the Application acceptance period has ended, but only if it
is requested in writing by Department staff. Staff may request that
an Applicant provide clarification, correction, or non-material missing
information to resolve inconsistencies in the original Application
or to assist staff in evaluating the Application. Staff will request
such information via a deficiency notice. Staff will send the deficiency
notice via email and responses must be in kind unless otherwise defined
in the notice. A review of the Applicant's response may reveal that
additional administrative deficiencies are exposed or that issues
initially identified as an administrative deficiency are actually
determined to be beyond the scope of an administrative deficiency
process, meaning that they are in fact matters of a material nature
not susceptible to be resolved. For example, a response to an administrative
deficiency that causes a new inconsistency which cannot be resolved
without reversing or eliminating the need for the first deficiency
response would be an example of an issue that is beyond the scope
of an administrative deficiency. Department staff will make a good
faith effort to provide an Applicant confirmation that an administrative
deficiency response has been received and/or that such response is
satisfactory. Communication from staff that the response was satisfactory
does not establish any entitlement to points, eligibility status,
or to any presumption of a final determination that the Applicant
has fulfilled any other requirements as such is the sole determination
of the Department's Board.
(c) An Applicant may not change or supplement any part
of an Application in any manner after submission to the Department,
except in response to a direct written request from the Department
to remedy an administrative deficiency or by amendment of an Application
after the Board approval of an ESG award. An administrative deficiency
may not be cured if it would, in the Department's determination, substantially
change an Application including score, or if the Applicant provides
any new unrequested information to cure the deficiency.
(d) The time period for responding to a deficiency
notice commences on the first day following the deficiency notice
date.
(1) If an administrative deficiency is not resolved
to the satisfaction of the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the seventh
calendar day following the date of the deficiency notice, then one
point shall be deducted from the selection criteria score for each
additional day the deficiency remains unresolved. If administrative
deficiencies are not resolved by 5:00 p.m. on the fourteenth calendar
day following the date of the deficiency notice for an Application
in response to a NOFA, then the Application shall be terminated
(2) If an administrative deficiency is not resolved
to the satisfaction of the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the seventh
calendar day following the date of the deficiency notice for an Application
in response to a continuing award offer, then the Application shall
be terminated.
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