Merit review is a review by those with expertise in the programmatic subject matter area for submitted applications. Reviewers may include Federal and/or non-Federal reviewers.
Applications for discretionary programs will only go through a merit review if your application passes the initial completeness criteria and the responsiveness criteria noted in Step 1: Review the Opportunity of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). If your application does not meet these criteria, we will not move it to the merit review phase. Late applications will not be reviewed.
The CMS Division of Grants Management director or deputy director may choose to continue the review process for an ineligible application if it is in the best interests of the government to meet the objectives of the program.
The merit review provides recommendations to the individuals responsible for making award decisions. Merit review is necessary to make sure CMS chooses applications that best meet the needs of the program. These needs must be based on what the NOFO says about what makes a successful application. Final award decisions will be made by a CMS approving official. In making these decisions, the CMS approving official will take into consideration:
evaluation of the merit review panel
the readiness of the applicant to conduct the required work
the scope of overall projected impact on the aims
reviews for programmatic and grants management compliance
the reasonableness of the estimated cost to the government and expected results
the geographic areas of all applications
the likelihood that the proposed project will result in the benefits expected
All else being equal, preference for discretionary awards should be given to institutions with lower indirect cost rates
As noted in 2 CFR 200.206 Federal agency review of risk posed by applicants, CMS will do a review of risks posed by applicants prior to award.
CMS reserves the right to conduct pre-award negotiations with potential recipients.