THE PRE-SUBMISSION APPRAISAL aims to ensure that the quality of the funding application is as high as possible to maximise its chances of success.Therefore, it is invaluable to have the draft final project application reviewed in detail before the document is being submitted. This is much more than a proof-reading check of a document - it is about quality control, consistency and coherence.
In line with the requirements of the call, the pre-appraisal should include:
- A check of all eligibility criteria
- A internal coherence and consistency check
- A costing and accuracy check
- A check on all the selection criteria of the funder
- A review of all required documents for completeness.
The tool is a structured list of questions relevant for a quality and coherence appraisal of a funding application.
Who is the tool for? | When should the tool be used? |
The pre-appraiser and the application writing team leader | After the final draft of the funding application has been completed. |
Click on the stations to navigate through the Application line!
Key challenges of this step
- It is often a challenge to get a final draft application completed around one week before the submission deadline so that the pre-appraiser will have sufficient time to read and comment on the document. Additional time is needed to attend to any changes required.
- A coherence and consistency check involves careful and detailed cross-checking between different sections of the funding application including the project costings/budget section, project management/governance sections and project activities.
Main risks
- Not leaving yourself sufficient time to accommodate the changes recommended by the pre-appraisal.
- Your appraiser is insufficiently experienced to identify incoherences and/or thematic issues of your bid.
Helpful tips
- Don't treat this appraisal as a proof-reading exercise (which of course needs to be done as well to present a grammatical correct and readable application).
- Instruct the pre-appraiser to be as critical as possible, but he/she should also provide explanations for his/her assessment for you to understand why he/she arrived at this opinion.
- Ensure that the pre-appraiser is acutely aware of the call text and the assessment criteria that the funder will use in assessing your submission.
- Ensure that you have sufficient time left before the submission deadline to attend to the comments from the pre-appraisal; at times observations from the appraiser might require substantial re-structuring of the bid.
