December 12, 2019<\/p>\n
Attached:\u00a0PA Category 2 Presentation – FY 2020 – Non Public Schools & Libraries<\/a><\/p>\n Category 2 eligible products, such as wireless access points, routers, switches, hubs, and wiring, are located at the applicant site and must be necessary to transport information to classrooms or publicly accessible areas of a library (equipment inside the building).\u00a0\u00a0Category 2 competitive bidding rules for PA\u00a0nonpublic schools and libraries\u00a0applicants mirrors the E-rate requirements exactly as these entity types are not subject to the additional requirements under the PA public procurement code. The following message outlines the bidding requirements for PA nonpublic schools and libraries.\u00a0 A copy of the presentation used in the recent Category 2 for Non-Public Schools and Libraries webinar is attached.<\/p>\n General Bidding Reminders for\u00a0All\u00a0Applicants (public and non-public):<\/strong><\/p>\n 1)\u00a0 E-rate rules require applicants that include a specific model number or manufacturer’s name to\u00a0also\u00a0include the words “or equivalent” on their Form 470 and RFP and then evaluate equivalent products that are bid.\u00a0 Applicants may state that such equipment must be compatible and interoperable with the school\/library\u2019s existing equipment (in which case the existing equipment should be identified).<\/p>\n 2)\u00a0 E-rate rules require that any bid disqualification reasons be stated in the State and Local Procurement Requirements of the Form 470 or in the RFP. \u00a0Disqualification reasons must be yes\/no (either proposals complied or they did not).<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0 NEW:<\/strong>\u00a0USAC requires applicants to consider all bids received up until the date you conduct your bid evaluation if your Form 470 or RFP don\u2019t list a specific due date.\u00a0 This is different from previously understood guidance which was that vendors should consider the 28th<\/sup>\u00a0day after the 470 is posted as the default deadline to submit bids.\u00a0 Therefore, it is extremely important that you state a deadline for vendors to submit proposals (which, of course, must be on or after the 28-day waiting period).\u00a0 I suggest the following language:<\/p>\n \u201cDeadline for vendor proposals is 9:00 am Eastern, 29 days from the date this Form 470 is posted.\u00a0 We reserve the right to reject late-submitted proposals. \u00a0Proposals must be e-mailed to the Form 470 contact unless otherwise noted.\u201d<\/p>\n 4)\u00a0 NEW:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The FCC recently adopted an Order prohibiting the use of Universal\u00a0Service funding, including E-rate funds, to purchase equipment and services from companies deemed a national security risk.\u00a0 Initially, the two companies on the \u201cbanned\u201d list are Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corp., but others may be added in the future.\u00a0 Although we assume that E-rate bidding rules will allow applicants to summarily disqualify any bid that contains this equipment, I recommend that from now on, both Category 1 and Category 2 Form 470\u2019s and\/or RFPs contain the following language:<\/p>\n \u201cIn accordance with FCC Rules, proposals that include equipment from Huawei or ZTE, or have components from these companies embedded in proposed products, will be disqualified.\u201d<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0 E-rate rules prohibit applicants from contacting potential vendors prior to bidding to seek an equipment list.\u00a0 Service providers are allowed to answer\u00a0general<\/em>\u00a0questions about the products and services they sell in response to applicant inquiries, but they may not prepare any part of a RFP or spec sheet\/bill of materials that will be used by the applicant for conducting a competitive bid procurement.<\/p>\n 6)\u00a0 Applicants must have a signed contract for all Category 2 funding requests before the Form 471 is filed.\u00a0 This can be as simple as a signed vendor quote as long as it contains this information:<\/p>\n — Contract signing date (must be on or before the Form 471 submission date).<\/p>\n — Term of contract (4\/1\/2020 – 9\/30\/2021 for equipment purchases).<\/p>\n — List of equipment\/quantities\/prices (or services) and installation costs.<\/p>\n — Whether you want the equipment\/services to be contingent upon E-rate funding approval.<\/p>\n Timeline:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The Form 471 filing window dates have not yet been announced but the window is expected to be open from mid- January \u2013 mid-late March, 2020.\u00a0 Because non-public schools and libraries often don\u2019t have a local requirement to first obtain board approval prior to contract signing, these entities can be more flexible with when their bidding process begins.\u00a0 I recommend releasing the Form 470 before the holiday break, but no later than the second week in January, with the intention of conducting the bid evaluation and signing a vendor contract in February and submitting the Form 471 in early March.<\/p>\n If you have any questions related to the information contained in this message, please don’t hesitate to contact me at\u00a0jtschell@comcast.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n — Julie<\/p>\n Julie Tritt Schell<\/p>\n Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator
\n717-730-7133 – o
\njtschell@comcast.net<\/a>
\nwww.e-ratepa.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n