Appendix III: Evaluation Criteria
Request for Proposals — November 2023

All proposals must meet each of the following four minimum thresholds in order to be considered for funding. Submitted proposals that do not meet all of these requirements will not be considered.

Minimum Thresholds

  1. The project must address a research topic listed as a priority issue for this funding cycle of the Texas Wildlife Research Program Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson) Grants - Request for Proposals (RFP). Proposals for law enforcement, education, recreation, non-birds or mammals and plant conservation activities are not eligible for funding.
  2. The proposal must follow all guidelines provided in the Specifications and Appendices of this RFP and include a budget that provides for a cost share of 75:25 (no more than 75.00% of budget requested from TPWD and at minimum 25.00% of budget provided as match by the grant recipient).
  3. The grant recipient’s institution must provide the required 25.00% non-federal matching funds for the project.
  4. The grant recipient must have or be able to acquire prior to the beginning of all field activities all relevant state and federal permits needed to carry out the project. These permits/consultations include but may not be limited to: 1) Federal Scientific Collecting Permit, 2) State Scientific Collecting Permit, 3) Endangered Species Act clearance via an ESA Section 7 and ESA Section 10 permit (if applicable) and 4) National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 review among others.

Evaluation Criteria

  1. Proposals will be evaluated on how completely they address one of the research priorities listed in this RFP. How well does the proposal address the need? Are the expected benefits that are stated realistic and reasonable? Does the proposal account for the latest relevant science or research?
  2. The proposal and its budget will be evaluated on their thoroughness and clarity. Are all sections that are requested in the proposal format guidelines (Appendix I) and budget (Appendix II) addressed? Proposals should be detailed in terms of what activities will be conducted and where they will be conducted. The proposal should identify the nature of the data that will be collected and specify what data will be provided in the Interim and Final reports for the project. Experimental design and data analysis methods/statistics to be used should be rigorous and appropriate but also clearly and thoroughly explained and understandable. Proposals for projects conducted on privately owned lands will be expected to provide copies of landowner permission forms to the TPWD PC prior to beginning their work — Landowner Permission for Wildlife Research and Investigation Form. The budget should use the Excel template provided and be itemized, detailed and outlined in a 75:25 match ratio.
  3. Cost effectiveness of the proposal: How well does the proposed budget reflect the costs needed to carry out the proposal and how much of the funding will be directed toward field activities and data collection (proposals that direct more funding toward field or data collection activities will be ranked above proposals that use grant funding for administrative costs, salaries and equipment/supplies). Low risk match, i.e., cash, will be valued higher in the ranking criteria.
  4. Proposals will be evaluated on their likelihood of success.
  5. Qualifications of the Principal Investigator(s): What is the relevant experience of the applicant(s)? What is the history of success of the applicant in similar work? Is the PI/performing entity delinquent or deficient in providing deliverables for current or past contracts or an approved final report from a previously awarded research contract?