For schools that choose to use the PA State Master PEPPM Contract as the procurement option for their E-Rate Category 2 applications, a mini-bid process must be conducted among all manufacturers that can provide that “category” of equipment in order to meet the E-Rate requirement that all equivalent product lines must be provided the opportunity to submit proposals.
Timing of FY 2026 PEPPM Mini-Bids: If you intend to use the PEPPM Mini-bid system as the procurement vehicle for your FY 2026 Category 2 equipment purchases, NOTE THAT YOU CANNOT RELEASE A PEPPM MINI-BID TO VENDORS UNTIL AT LEAST JANUARY 2, 2026. The reason is that the current PEPPM contract expires at the end of 2025, and the next contract will not become available for use until January 2, 2026. Thus, no mini-bids can be issued to (what will be) the newly awarded vendors until at least that date. The Form 471 filing deadline is expected to be mid-late March, so schools should try to issue their mini-bids in early January in order to be sure that they have enough time to obtain board approval prior to the Form 471 application window deadline.