Submitted proposals will progress through the following phases.

Phase 1: Submit & Review Submit the completed Proposal Application, which can be no longer than six pages. Following review the applicant will be notified that either:

The proposed project passed the initial phase and the applicant is invited to participate in Phase 2, or,
Further explanation or clarification is requested or,
The proposed project does not sufficiently meet one or more of NEEA's criteria for project approval.

This phase will take 2 weeks.

Phase 2: Scoring & Ranking NEEA staff along with our regional partners will score the proposals based on a wider range of criteria. High scoring proposals will progress to Phase 3. The proposer will be notified when this takes place or if the proposal doesn’t score well and isn’t accepted for future review. This phase will take 2-4 weeks.

Phase 3: Due Diligence NEEA staff will conduct a more detailed evaluation of the proposed project, based on NEEA’s criteria, including an independent analysis of the cost-effectiveness of the proposal. Staff may request additional supporting information including an applicant's business plan, key staff resumes, capitalization plan and marketing materials. Proposals that score well after due diligence will move to Phase 4. Those proposals that have significant scoring changes may stop at this point in the process or be put on hold for later review. This phase will take at minimum of 4 weeks.

Phase 4: Approved Funding Plan / Project Start NEEA staff will present the project proposal and its due diligence report to the NEEA’s Emerging Technology Committee. The committee will consider the recommendation for funding the project. There may be iterations made to the recommendation depending on questions or clarification required from the committee. There is no appeals process if a project proposal is declined.

If the project proposal is funded, NEEA staff will work with the applicant to develop a detailed statement of work and contract. Until a contract is signed by both parties, no contractual relationship exists between NEEA and the applicant. As such, NEEA is under no obligation to proceed with the project at any time prior to signing of a contract.

This phase takes a minimum of three months.

Phase 5: Tracking and Communication Each funded project will have interim milestones with performance measures. At each of these milestones, projects will be reviewed and evaluated against expected outcomes. If a project isn’t performing as expected, it is possible that it will be stopped. It is also possible that another higher ranking project could displace the project and put it on hold. The development process is iterative and feedback and results drive progress from one milestone to the next.