1 Introduction

As a reviewer, you are a vital part of the Department of Energy’s mission to fund innovation and research. When you are requested to participate in a SBIR review of a proposal, you will receive an email requesting your input. You will need to enter your review comments into the PAMS application.

The purpose of this document is to provide step by step instructions for users to follow to complete a SBIR mail-in review task.  

2 Pre-Requisites

Before a user can complete a mail-in review, the following criteria must be met:

• User has received notification of review task

3 Mail-In Review   

Use the steps in the following sections to access and complete the mail in review task.

3.1 Access Review Task

Use the following steps to access the mail-in review task.

3.1.1 Existing Account

1. You will receive an email notification from PAMS when a review task has been assigned to you. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Existing PAMS Account – PAMS reviewer email

2. Login to your PAMS Account.

3. Navigate to the Tasks tab and select Start Review for the task you wish to begin (Figure 2).  OR Click the Mail In Review link in the left navigation menu to go to the Mail In Review– List page and click Start Review for the task you wish to complete. (Figure 3)

Figure 2. Pending Tasks - List Page

Figure 3. Mail In Reviews – List Page  

3.1.2 No Existing Account

Use the following steps if the reviewer does not have an existing PAMS account.

1. From the email received, click the link for the PAMS URL. (Figure 4)

Figure 4. Email Request for Review – No existing account

2. Enter the registration code on the Verify Registration Code Page and click Verify. (Figure 5)

Figure 5. Verify Registration Code page

3. Complete the account creation process. (Step by step instructions for account creation can be found in the External User – Create Account training module).

4. After creating your account, the system will direct you to your Pending Tasks – List Click Start Review for the task you wish to begin. (Figure 6)

Figure 6. Pending Tasks - List page, Start Review

3.2 Conflict of Interest Statement

For each review assignment in PAMS, you will be required to complete a Conflict of Interest Declaration Statement. You have three choices: I do not have a conflict of interest in reviewing the proposal, I have a conflict of interest in reviewing the proposal or I do not wish to review the proposal. Use the steps in the following section to complete the Conflict of Interest Declaration.

1. Once you access the review task, you will be presented with the Conflict of Interest Statement. Read the statement. (Figure 7 - 8)

Figure 7. Proposal Review - Conflict of Interest Certificate Page, Details

Figure 8. Proposal Review - Conflict of Interest Certificate, Language

2. At the bottom of the page, you are presented with three choices (Figure 8):

-I do not have a conflict of interest in reviewing the proposal – select this choice if you do not have any of the conflicts listed in the COI statement

-I have a conflict of interest in reviewing the proposal – select this choice if you do have a conflict of interest with some aspect of the proposal. Selection of this choice will close the review task for you and notify the Program Manager.

-I do not wish to review the proposal – select this choice if you do not have a conflict but do not wish to review the proposal. Selection of this choice will close the review task and notify the Program Manager.

3. Click the radio button for the appropriate choice.

4. You may enter comments that will be presented to the Program Manager. When finished, click Save and Continue.

5. If you accidentally declared a conflict of interest or declined to review, contact the Program Manager or SBIR/STTR Programs Office to have the task reopened for you. If you declared no conflict of interest, and then find that you do in fact have a conflict, contact the Program Manager to have your review task closed for you.

3.3 Complete your review  

Use the steps in the following section to enter your review comments.

1. If you indicated no Conflict of Interest with the proposal, you will be shown reviewer instructions. Click Continue. (Figure 9)

Figure 9. Proposal Review - Instructions to Reviewers

2. On the Proposal Review – Update Review page, you will be shown the evaluation criteria for this review. You may enter your comments and scores directly on this page. DO NOT REFERENCE THE SCORE IN THE COMMENT BOX.

3. To access the full proposal, expand the Resources section of the page and click the Proposal link. You will be prompted to open the proposal PDF. (Figure 10)

Figure 10. Proposal Review - Update Review, Access Full Proposal

4. Save your work frequently. In the bottom left hand corner, click Save.

5. You may also save your work and return at a later time by clicking Save and then navigating away or logging out of your session. To return to the review task, access your tasks list and click Edit Review to return to the review page.

6.Once you have completed all evaluation criteria and would like to submit your review, click Save and Submit in the bottom left hand corner. (Figure 11)

Figure 11. Proposal Review - Update Review, Save and Submit

7. You will be presented with the Proposal Review – Review Summary This page will show you all evaluation criteria and your responses. Confirm your submission by clicking Confirm in the bottom right hand corner. You may also select the check box next to Email Myself a Copy to have a PDF copy of your review comments emailed to you. (Figure 12)

Figure 12. Proposal Review - Review Summary, confirm

8. You will receive a green success message indicating that your proposal review was submitted successfully. The review task will be removed from your tasks list. If you need to make changes after you submitted your review, contact the Program Manager or SBIR/STTR Programs Office to reopen the review task.