1. (a) Unless the department cancels a solicitation, the department will review each proposal received in response to a solicitation and prepare written recommendations for the board's consideration.

2. (b) The department will

   1. (1) evaluate each grant proposal for compliance with the submission requirements, technical or other requirements, and conditions set out in the solicitation;
   2. (2) eliminate from consideration each proposal that fails to meet the submission requirements;
   3. (3) prepare a written evaluation of each grant proposal using criteria established in the solicitation and based upon the contents of the proposal, other documentation, and any other information about the applicant that is available to the department;
   4. (4) make a recommendation about whether each grant proposal should be financed and at what level; and
   5. (5) forward the department's evaluations and recommendations to the board for review and consideration.
3. (c) A review committee of board members will review each responsive grant proposal using the provisions of 8 AAC 84.040, the criteria in the solicitation, and the department's evaluations and recommendations.

4. (d) After each review committee member has reviewed each grant proposal, the review committee will meet to

   1. (1) make written recommendations to the department to approve or disapprove a grant award, make modifications to a proposed grant award, or impose conditions for a grant award; and
   2. (2) rank the proposals in priority order in a written recommendation to the department.
5. (e) The department will base the decision on the award of the grant on the department's consideration of the department's initial evaluations and recommendations in (b) of this section, the written recommendation of the board, and any applicable state and federal statute or regulation.

6. (f) The department will decide to

   1. (1) approve a grant award;
   2. (2) approve a grant award for an amount different than the amount requested or with modifications;
   3. (3) approve a grant award with special conditions; or
   4. (4) deny a grant award.
7. (g) When the board assists the department in evaluating proposals for grants, at least a simple majority of board members, or the member's designees, must participate in the evaluation. A participating board member, or a member's designee, may not have a conflict of interest as defined in the board's bylaws and under AS 39.52.220 and 9 AAC 52.

(Eff. 12/23/2011, Register 200)

Authority: AS 23.15.580