1. (a) the applicant's understanding of the needs of minority-group members, women and dislocated workers;
2. (b) the applicant's understanding of the existing resources and service gaps in the community and region;
3. (c) the applicant's experience with and commitment to serving minority-group members, women and dislocated workers;
4. (d) the level of financial assistance and other in-kind contributions provided by other entities, including the level, source and nature of matching funds;
5. (e) the applicant's experience in providing training in business development and small business management;
6. (f) the applicant's capacity to provide individual counseling to participants;
7. (g) the applicant's capacity to provide ongoing technical assistance for graduates;
8. (h) the applicant's working relationships and ability to coordinate services with existing sources of small and new business assistance in the community and region;
9. (i) the quality of the training program's design, including outreach and promotion;
10. (j) the feasibility of the applicant's plan for implementing the training program;
11. (k) the level of experience and professional qualifications of the training program and instructional staff; and
12. (l) such other criteria as the department shall deem relevant.

The department shall evaluate the proposals submitted, based upon the applicant's demonstration of the following: