Do not wait for the call to be issued before you start. Whoever moves at the last minute in ESPA comes in last – or worse, stays out altogether.

Scoring is not a lottery. It is the result of strategy, preparation and knowledge. And yes, there are many who score 75/100 and think they have been treated unfairly. They have not. They were not prepared.

If you want to get ESPA and get it for sure, you must aim for 90+, even if the cut-off is set at 80. Why? Because the game has changed. Calls are more competitive, the budget is exhausted quickly and the evaluation forgives nothing.

What are the rules of the game:

There are “basic” and “non-basic” criteria. If you do not meet the basic ones, you do not move on to the next level. If you perform well on the non-basic ones, you simply shape your score.

“First In – First Out” is real. Yes, there are programmes where whoever gets in first is approved. If you are late, even if you are perfect, there simply is no money left.

Your business plan counts. A lot. Not only in content, but also in consistency, structure and “cohesion”. If you come across as amateurish, the evaluation charges it to you.

The supporting documents are killer. If something is missing or is not in the correct format, you may lose points or be rejected. These are not details, they are criteria.

How will you reach 90/100:

Learn the criteria inside out. Not just you – your team too. It is not a secret. It is in the Government Gazette. It is just that no one sits down to “work through” them as they should.

Work on your proposal as if you were writing for the first round of national examinations. Not sloppily. Not “copy-paste”. With a clear strategy. With logic that leads to recognisable value.

Prepare the file before the platform even opens. If you wait to start after it opens, you are already behind. The smartest people have everything ready months in advance. That is called a head start.

Ask for a score forecast before you submit. Yes, it can be done. And no, not everyone does it. We at AFS do. And that is how 90s and 95s are achieved.

Do not do everything on your own. It is not a personal project. It is an investment. And every investment needs a team. If you have the right people beside you, you will go in on the right foot. Not with… rejection.

What do you keep in the end?

That ESPA is not a matter of luck. It is an art. And if you do not prepare, you stand no chance. The dream becomes a score only if you work on it seriously, early and with the right allies.

At AFS, we do not merely write proposals. We build scores. Out of 100, we aim for 90. And we achieve it.

Because otherwise…