CALL FOR PEER REVIEWERS WITH DIVERSE EXPERIENCE RELATED TO YOUTH AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES SEEKING OR RETAINING COMPETITIVE INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is seeking qualified peer reviewers for potential grant competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2023. Individuals who have subject matter expertise in State vocational rehabilitation agency programs and services, competitive integrated employment, cultural competency/capacity building, evaluation, Centers for Independent Living, youth transition services, or State or local education agencies, are encouraged to apply.
Qualifications to Serve as a Peer Reviewer
To qualify as a Peer Reviewer, you must:
(1) have a general background and related experience in the area(s) of interest;
(2) have an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued by System for Award Manager (SAM) (www.dnb.com); and
(3) have an active SAM registration, which expires after October 15, 2023.
Interested reviewers must be able to participate in virtual review panels and provide written analysis and scoring of submitted grant applications, which will be used to provide constructive written feedback to applicants. The Department is seeking individuals who are excellent writers, good critical thinkers, and committed to completing assigned tasks in a professional and timely manner.
Instructions to Apply to Become a Peer Reviewer
To apply to become a peer reviewer, you must:
- send a signed copy of the OSERS Peer Reviewer Data Form along with an updated copy of your resume to RSAPeerReview@ed.gov;
- register and submit your resume and OSERS Peer Review Data Form in G5 (www.g5.gov). G5 will require you to submit documents in a PDF format only. When the G5 system prompts you for your areas of specialization, select all that are applicable to you, but please ensure you select each of the aforementioned content areas for which you have expertise: for example, “technical assistance center,” “vocational rehabilitation,” “cultural competency,” “pre-employment transition services,” etc. For technical assistance, contact the G5 helpdesk at edcaps.user@ed.gov or call 1-888-336-8930; and
- complete additional forms provided by the peer review team and/or competition manager.
Please note that submitting your resume and/or registering in G5 does not guarantee that you will be selected as a reviewer.
Responsibilities
- Reviews take place over 3 to 5 consecutive days historically in June, July, or August (specific dates will be announced when a Notice Inviting Applications has been made public). If selected, you will be contacted to confirm your availability for specific dates.
- You will be expected to:
- complete a one-hour website training titled “Introduction to Being an Effective Peer Reviewer” found at https://www2.ed.gov/rms-training/intro-to-being-effective-peer-reviewer-fy22/story.html and submit a screenshot of your course completion to the RSA Peer Review inbox at RSAPeerReview@ed.gov;
- participate in a one-hour orientation webinar or telephone conference;
- read, review, evaluate, and score approximately 5-12 full length applications (more specialized programs may have fewer applications) in the Department’s online G5 system;
- participate in approximately three to four panel discussion conference calls (each several hours in length);
- complete written evaluations of and assign scores to applications based on the selection criteria; and
- make revisions of your reviews following the panel discussion, if necessary.
Payment
Payment will be $250 per review day (approximately $1000-$1,250 total) after successful completion of all required tasks. You will be required to submit an invoice in the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) after services are rendered.
Reviewer Selection
Potential reviewers will be contacted by the RSA team and asked for additional contact information, availability, and potential conflicts of interest. Those not selected may remain in the RSA reviewer pool for future fiscal year 2023 competitions.
Conflict of Interest
You are not eligible to be a reviewer if you will be applying to the competition, if you will be involved in the preparation of a grant application, or if you would stand to benefit from an application in this new competition should it be funded. You are eligible, however, if you are a current or past RSA grantee and are not submitting a new application under the RSA competition.
Please direct all questions to the RSA Peer Review inbox at RSAPeerReview@ed.gov.