Final 2 days to post a 470!
February 12, 2013
Pennsylvania applicants have posted more than 1700 Form 470's for FY 2013 (which is almost identical to last year)! If you are one of the handful of schools or libraries that have not yet submitted your Form 470, this is your final friendly reminder that Thursday, February 14 -- is the final day to file this form online (it's too late to file on paper). To post a Form 470, go to: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp and click on 'Create Form 470' (stay clear of the interview version). At the bottom of this message are some helpful reminders and answers to the most common questions I've been receiving about the Form 470. On Friday, I'll begin sending reminders and FAQs related to the Form 471.
As always, if you have any E-rate questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
1) NEW: Post for Priority 1 Services in EITHER Category
The best news of the year is a significant change made to the Form 470 (although not to the physical form itself). Beginning in FY 2013, applicants may post for Priority 1 services in EITHER the telecommunications services bucket OR the Internet access bucket on the Form 470. So if you post for webhosting under telecom, or cellular service under Internet access, they won't be denied. Applicants will still be required to choose the proper category on the Form 471, but if they don't, this can be corrected. This change is only for Priority 1 services; Priority 2 service still must be posted in the correct category. The Form 470 itself will be changed the next time the form is updated.
2) List of Billed Entities: Under Item 15 'Billed Entities' you do not need to list the entity number of every building in your district. The only entity number(s) that should be listed are those of the entity that will be paying the bills to the vendor. In the case of most school districts, you would only list the billed entity number of your school district (usually a 6-digit number that begins 125 or 126). How do vendors know how many buildings require service? That item has been moved to 5c 'Number of eligible entities for which services are sought.' Don't forget to include all administrative buildings when calculating this number.
3) Rebidding contracts and MTM services. Unless you are under a multi-year contract (that was originally competitively bid using a Form 470) that expires on or after June 30, 2014, YOU MUST POST A FORM 470 FOR EVERY SERVICE FOR WHICH YOU ARE SEEKING E-RATE DISCOUNTS.
4) File online, even if you don't have a PIN. If you haven't received a PIN, file online, and then mail in your signature/certification page after you hit submit. The SLD will then mail you a PIN in a few weeks. There is no way to request a PIN unless you have first signed a paper certification.
5) Correcting a 470. It is not possible to make a chance to a 470 after it's been submitted. But you can simply file a new 470 and have your 28-day clock restart. If you have released an RFP, you can amend your RFP without posting a new 470 as long as the changes don't entail a major change to the scope of the project.
6) Extensions of contracts. If you wish to exercise a voluntary extension of a contract without posting a 470, you may only do so if your contract contains the terms of the voluntary extensions (meaning the exact number of years or dates that the extensions can be exercised and it's not just open-ended). For example, language which states, "At the end of the initial term, this contract will automatically renew" is not acceptable. Acceptable extension language would be, "The contract term is three years, with two 1-year renewal options."
7) Include all of your services on a single 470. There is no maximum number of 470's that you may submit, although it is a good idea to place all of your services on a single Form 470 because then you only have a single 470 number to keep track of for this year. However, there is no harm in filing two or more 470's.
8) Instead of using the print preview feature, after you've submitted your 470, go back to the "apply online" page and choose the "search posted" option. Then type-in your 470 number and print off a complete, clean copy of your application. At the top of the completed form it also will show you your allowable contract date (ACD), which is the first date you can sign contracts and file your 471.
9) Signing contracts before the Allowable Contract Date. If you post a 470 on Thursday, February 14, the only day you will be permitted to file select vendors, sign contracts and submit the Form 471 is March 14. Be sure not to sign contracts before or after this date!
As always, if you have any E-rate questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 - o
717-730-9060 - f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org
Penn*link
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