What to do in the final days of proposal development

The NSF CAREER grant proposal deadlines are coming up in July, along with deadlines at other agencies, and it got me thinking about what happens in the final days of proposal development. I've had several past blogs that chided you to start developing your proposal six months in advance. (See the ORDE proposal development timeline), but today I wanted to offer some tips for the final days of proposal development.

Continue work with your grants administration
Now, you should have been working with your grants administrator from the day you decided to submit a grant proposal, but in the final days, folks in grants administration take on a large load of work for your proposal, so make sure that you are in close communication and getting them everything that they need by when they need it.

Re-read the guidelines
Yes, you've read them multiple times, but remember not following even one of the guidelines set forth by an agency can be grounds for rejection. So, check through them one last time.

Use criteria as a checklist
Make sure that you have responded to all of the criteria on which your proposal will be reviewed. Use the same language that the call for proposals or the guidelines use so reviewers are clear that you're responding to what has been asked of you.

Secure all ancillary documents
Remember that letter you needed to include from your Department Chair in support of your application? Make sure you have all those extra documents on letterhead, signed, and scanned in. For some fellowships, letter-writers submit their letters directly to the agency, so check in with those folks to make sure that they were indeed submitted.

Have the proposal proofed
At the end of the day, even the best and most careful writers make mistakes, so arrange to have someone proof your final proposal. Proofing ensures that you have rid your proposal of errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency, etc. You don't want to run the risk of a reviewer catching an error and thinking you were a bit sloppy!

Submit before the final hours
Remember, most applicants submit their proposals right at the deadline. This can get you into trouble if any of the systems at your institution or at the agency go down or even slow down. Don't put yourself or your colleagues in grants administration in the situation of sweating and crossing fingers as they try to submit your proposal. Submit the day before it's due!

Resources:
ORDE Timeline
ORDE Tips and Checklists