Section 001-8-3 - AWARD PROCEDURE1. The Review Committees for grant programs within the Department shall be responsible for reviewing all grant applications based on the criteria established within the grant solicitation. Review Committees shall document the scoring and the substantive information that supports the scoring and provide the Commissioner with recommendations on grant awards.A. Written records must be kept by each person reviewing or ranking applications. These records must be made available upon request, subject to applicable confidentiality and Maine Freedom of Access Act rules and regulations.2. Final decision-making authority for awarding grants rests with the Commissioner, based upon the grant criteria set forth by the grant solicitation and the recommendations of the Review Committee.3. The Review Committee or the Commissioner may reopen the record where new information relevant to the application is obtained (e.g., litigation, financial default, etc.). The applicant shall have the opportunity to discuss this information with the Review Committee and/or Commissioner before a final decision is made.4. The issuance of a grant solicitation or any grant award decision does not obligate the Department to make any award. Nor does it obligate the Department to make an award in the amount requested, provided that in such instances where the amount awarded is different than what was sought by the applicant, the Department will provide a written explanation for the record.5. Grant applicants will be informed in writing of the final grant award decisions.