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On-Site Review Guidelines
SCORE Chapter
Purpose
The purpose of the on-site review is to promote communication, collaboration, and understanding of operations between SBA District Offices and SCORE Chapters.
Overall Process
Prior to communicating with any individual SCORE Chapter regarding the SBA review process, the SBA District Office will schedule a meeting with the SCORE District Director in the second quarter (Jan. – Mar.) of the current fiscal year. During that meeting, the SBA District Office and the SCORE District Director will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and performance of the SCORE Chapters in that district. The SCORE District Director will share and review the SCORE Field Review Form for the chapters as a foundation of the discussion. The SBA District Office will identify the SCORE Chapters that will be visited and coordinate the communications and logistics with the chapters.
Frequency
On-site reviews for SCORE Chapters will take place once per chapter each fiscal year (on-site reviews may be delegated to other SBA field staff). Reviews may take place anytime between January 1st – September 30th.
Preparation
SBA Reviewers will review the Current Year Program Announcement, and the SCORE Notice of Award prior to conducting the on-site review.
The SBA Reviewers instructions are as follows:
When conducting the review, indicate whether the SCORE Chapter follows each requirement on the on-site review and provide notes to support your assessment. If the chapter’s response (or lack thereof) requires follow-up, make a note in your summary section and establish a due date for the chapter to submit this information. Your on-site review must be submitted to the Office of Entrepreneurship Education (OEE) SCORE Program Manager within 10 days of your site visit. After the OEE Program Manager concurs with the report, forward a final PDF version to the Chapter Chair, copying the Program Manager.
Additional context
SCORE is a national organization and SCORE’s goals and performance are managed between SBA-HQ and SCORE-HQ. Local SBA District Offices should discuss what the chapters’ priorities are but should not direct or evaluate a chapter’s ‘performance’ against any given priority. During the on-site review, the SBA District Office will review that a given SCORE Chapter’s activities are responsive to SBA national and local priorities and conform to the requirements of the law, the Federal Regulations, Program Announcement, and the Notice of Award.
Where more than ten SCORE Chapters exist within the SBA District Office, and on-site reviews are prohibitive for all locations to be visited within a 12-month timeframe, the SBA District Director or Deputy District Director may propose alternative site visits schedules/options with OEE.
