Esikatselmus

Esikatselmus is a Finnish term referring to a preliminary examination or screening conducted before a more comprehensive assessment or decision. The term is used in Finnish administrative and organizational contexts to describe a formal check of the basic suitability and completeness of a submission or proposal. The goal is to identify missing information, clarify eligibility, and flag issues early in a process, enabling a more efficient and focused subsequent review.

Contexts include public-sector procedures such as grant applications, permits, and procurement, where an esikatselmus ensures that bidders’ documents or applicants meet the minimum requirements before full evaluation. It can also occur in research funding, project planning, and data-handling processes, where initial screening helps allocate resources and set timelines.

Typical process: a designated authority or unit reviews the submitted materials against predefined criteria; checks for required documents, accuracy, compliance with basic legal or policy requirements, and feasibility; issues a report or decision noting items that must be corrected, clarified, or added. Depending on procedures, a submission may pass with noted deficiencies, require revisions, or be rejected if essential criteria are not met at the esikatselmus stage. The result is not a final adjudication but a gatekeeping step that determines whether the process proceeds to the next, more thorough evaluation.

Relation and terminology: esikatselmus is distinct from the full assessment or decision stage but closely connected as a preliminary screening. In some contexts it may overlap with onboarding or intake review, and its exact scope varies by organization and sector.