E-rate Update - PEPPM Eligibility
Message Posted January 29, 1998
PA to File Application Form 470 for PEPPM Contracts
Schools and libraries will only have to submit Form 471 for PEPPM purchases. The implementation of the federal E-rate program, which provides discounts to eligible schools and libraries ranging from 20 to 90% on telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections, has raised issues concerning the state PEPPM bid list and how entities eligible to purchase through PEPPM can secure their E-rate discounts on eligible items.
As you know, PEPPM is the Pennsylvania Education Purchasing Program for Microcomputers and is administered by the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 (CSIU) under a contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. CSIU seeks bids on selected computers, peripherals, software, and related accessories on behalf of school entities and libraries in the Commonwealth. Purchasing from the PEPPM Bid List releases entities from having to bid those items at a local level, while still complying with state bid requirements. Entities eligible to purchase from PEPPM include the 501 Pennsylvania school districts, the 94 vocational technical schools, the 29 intermediate units, the 34 state approved private schools, and public libraries. Vendors extend PEPPM pricing to non-public schools, at PEPPM's request.
We are pleased to announce that the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the CSIU WILL be filing E-rate Form 470 for the PEPPM Bid List on behalf of all eligible PEPPM purchasers. Colonial Northampton Intermediate Unit will be assisting this large effort. Because of this undertaking, eligible schools and libraries will NOT have to submit their own Form 470 for any items they are purchasing from the PEPPM Bid List. However, if the entity bids items locally instead of buying through PEPPM, the entity will need to complete its own Form 470 for those items.
Our research shows that contracts with PEPPM vendors have been signed and meet the criteria to be grandfathered as existing contracts under the E-rate program through December 31, 1998. PEPPM will be considered a state master contract under E-rate and will need to comply with all of the application procedures as any other entity applying for discounts. Therefore, we will be filing Form 470 for PEPPM after the Schools and Libraries Corporation's (SLC) web site [www.slcfund.org] opens for electronic submissions on January 30, 1998.
After the state files Form 470 for PEPPM and after the SLC has provided us with the Universal Service Control Numbers (USCNs), school districts and other eligible PEPPM purchasers may begin submitting their Form 471s, the Services Ordered and Certification Form, to secure E-rate discounts for PEPPM items. To complete a Form 471 for PEPPM products eligible for E-rate discounts, entities will need the USCNs from the PEPPM website to complete their Form 471. The exact USCNs will be posted on the PEPPM homepage after they have been provided to us by the SLC, hopefully within 2-3 weeks.
Please Note: Not all items on PEPPM will be eligible for E-rate discounts. It will be the responsibility of the purchaser and the entity submitting the Form 471 to make sure that items for which they are requesting E-rate discounts are indeed eligible for those discounts. We are preparing documents to offer some guidance in this area. However, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the entity filing Form 471 to verify that the items for which it is requesting discounts are indeed eligible for those discounts.
PDE and the CSIU's PEPPM staff are preparing more detailed information on the procedures for completing Form 471 for PEPPM purchases. Further information, including the list of eligible services on PEPPM, will be forthcoming and will be sent to eligible PEPPM purchasers and will be available on the PDE E-rate web site and on the PEPPM web site.
Also, we will be filing Form 470 for eligible services that are on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of General Services (DGS) Bid List. The same procedures as discussed above for PEPPM will apply for the Department of General Services bid.
Finally, we are investigating the possibility of bidding E-rate eligible services on the SLC web site that are not currently listed on the PEPPM or DGS contracts. These may include: long distance, Internet access, cellular and paging service, and computer cabling installations and maintenance contracts. While we hope to bid some of those services statewide during the 75-day window, there is a chance they will not be bid until July 1, 1998 for the 1999 funding year.
Please know that we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that entities will be able to secure E-rate discounts for eligible items on the statewide bid lists, and also will be working with the vendors of E-rate eligible services on PEPPM to be sure they are aware of their obligations under the program. As always, we will keep you updated as we proceed.
-- Julie Tritt
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