PDE Posts Instructions for E-rate PEPPM Purchases
Message Posted January 29, 1999
PDE RELEASES "HOW TO SHEET" FOR ENTITIES COMPLETING FORM 471 FOR 1999 PEPPM
PURCHASES
* Not All PEPPM Contracts Grandfathered *
The PA Department of Education and IU 16 have completed the necessary paperwork and filings in order for several (not all) PEPPM contracts to be
grandfathered under the E-rate program for the 1999-2000 funding year. If you are intend to purchase from PEPPM and receive E-rate discounts, please
read this message in its entirely. Also, you should be aware that because of the timeline of the second year of the E-rate program, no PEPPM
purchases will be eligible for discounts unless they meet ALL of the following three deadlines:
1) The goods or services are "purchased" between 1/9/99 and 3/10/99; AND
2) the goods or services are received on or after July 1, 1999; AND
3) the entity completes and files a Form 471 to the SLD by 3/10/99.
Last year the Department of Education filed a Form 470 for the state PEPPM contract, thus enabling schools and libraries to purchase products from
this bid list and simply file a Form 471 to obtain E-rate discounts. This was possible because the PEPPM contract was signed before the E-rate web
site became operational, thus allowing us to file as an existing contract.
Unfortunately, this year's PEPPM bidding cycle (a process which takes several months) did not correspond very closely to the E-rate application
window. Therefore, we were able to file a Form 470 for a only limited number of PEPPM contracts. The contracts that were NOT included in the
PEPPM 470 are denoted on the PEPPM web site http://www1.csiu.k12.pa.us/peppm/newpeppm.html under the 'Manufacturer Lines' section in the left column of the page (not in the 'Vendor Information' section), with an asterisk ( * ) beside the manufacturer's name.
Therefore, if you wish to purchase an E-rate eligible item that is provided by a manufacturer that DOES NOT have an asterisk (*) next to its name, you
ONLY need to complete and submit a Form 471 for this item. The Form 470 was posted in December and the 28 day waiting period has expired, thus you
may file your Form 471 at any time, up until March 10th. Please remember that if you wait until March 10th, you must overnight mail your application
so it is received by the SLD by March 11th (we strongly encourage schools and libraries to file their Form 471s no later than March 5).
If you seek to purchase an E-rate eligible item from a manufacturer WITH an asterisk ( * ), this memo DOES NOT apply. You will have to file a Form 470
as a new service, wait 28 days, and then make the purchase from either the PEPPM bid vendor or one of the bidders produced by the Form 470
solicitation. If your intended E-Rate purchase exceeds $10,000, you may need to advertise for bid under the School Code process as well.
In order to accurately complete Form 471 for ( * ) PEPPM purchases, entities will need the following specific information obtained from our
submission. You may want to print this document and keep it with your SLD and PEPPM documentation. This summary also will be posted to the
Pennsylvania Department of Education's E-Rate web site www.cas.psu.edu/usf/index.html , and the PEPPM web site.
Specific questions relating to the PEPPM contract, PEPPM purchases, or completing E-rate forms associated with PEPPM should be directed to the
PEPPM office at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16, (570) 523-1155, ext. 144.
In general, here are a few important notes:
* The only PEPPM purchases that are eligible for discounts are those that were "purchase ordered or signed" between 01/09/1999 and 03/10/1999. Any
products or services RECEIVED prior to July 1, 1999 are not eligible for discounts. In most cases, entities will make a purchase order or sign a
contract and the services or good will be received on or around July 1, 1999.
* Prior to placing an order from a PEPPM vendor for an E-rate eligible service, be sure to explain to them that you will be participating in the
E-rate discount program and that they acknowledge that they will be receiving partial payment from you and partial payment from the Universal
Service Fund Administrator.
* Vendors' SPIN numbers will remain the same from year to year. A list of many of these SPIN numbers can be found on the PEPPM web site.
* You can complete one Form 471 that includes eligible items you are purchasing from PEPPM and eligible items or services that you are
purchasing from other contracts. The information provided in this document applies for the PEPPM purchases only. You will need the Universal Service
Control numbers, contract numbers, award dates, expiration dates, etc. for all other contracts for which you are requesting discounts on the Form 471.
As a matter of record keeping, I encourage you to complete a separate Form 471 for PEPPM purchases.
* Verify that the items you will be purchasing from the PEPPM contract are eligible for an E-Rate discount. Refer to the eligible services matrix
provided by the SLD to make this determination.
Eligibility of many items will be determined by how they are used and therefore a definitive list of eligible PEPPM eligible services will not be posted on the PEPPM web site. (An example is a personal computer. This item is not E-rate eligible, however if it is being used as the network server, then it would be considered eligible.) If you still have questions regarding the eligibility of an item after reviewing the eligible services matrix, call the SLD Client Customer Service at (888) 203-8100.
The following information contains specific instructions for a PEPPM Form 471 filing. In general, unless noted below, you should complete the
application according to the instructions as you normally would, with the school or library identifying information.
BLOCK 1
Item 2. Funding Year. The funding year should be listed as 07/01/1999 -- 06/30/2000
Item 7. Purpose of Request. Be sure to check box 7 a, as well as the "yes" box under 7a. (The PEPPM contract, although signed prior to the
December 1, 1998 window opening, were competitively bid under the E-rate program rules in the prior months.) Also, if you are including other
E-Rate eligible purchases on this Form 471 that are not being purchased from PEPPM, check all items here that apply under Item 7.
BLOCK 5 Services Ordered
Item 15 or 16. Site Specific or Shared Services. Complete one of these items for whichever category your PEPPM purchases qualify.
Column (1) In column 1, enter your vendor's SLC Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN). Many of these numbers are available on the
PEPPM web site.
Column (2) IMPORTANT! You must enter the following Universal Service Control Number in this column for any E-Rate eligible PEPPM Purchases for
the 1999 funding year: 865370000116660
Column (3) There are no contract numbers for any PEPPM contracts. You should leave this column blank.
Column (4) List the date that the PEPPM contract was awarded: 11/18/1998 (November 18, 1998).
Column (5) List the date that the purchase agreement or contract was signed between YOU and the service provider. Please note that this date must be
between 01/09/1999 and 03/10/1999.
Column (7) List the service start date for your contract. This date must be between July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000 because this is the year for
which you are applying for discounts. Any products or services received prior to July 1, 1999 are not eligible for discounts. In most cases,
entities will make a purchase order or sign a contract and the services or good will be received on or around July 1, 1999.
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.
Julie L. Tritt
Executive Policy Specialist
Office of Educational Technology
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126
Tel: (717) 705-4486
Fax: (717) 787-7222
www.L2L.org
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