Erate Competitive Bidding HELPING YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS

E-rate Competitive Bidding HELPING YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS

Procurement Process Summary All E-rate discounted services must be competitively bid: Exemption for “low cost” Internet: 100/10 speed @ $3, 600/yr or less Evaluate Sign bids received contracts and service agreements

FCC Form 470 Posted via E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) Describes products and services requested Includes attachments (RFPs) and other information Includes contact information Filed at any time during the year (subject to EPC)

Oklahoma Forms 470 FY 2019: 756 Forms 470 filed in total 475 referenced Category One services 353 referenced Category Two services FY 2019: First 122 Forms filed as of October 28, 2019 470: St. Joseph Catholic School, Muskogee

Procurement: Getting Started Where are we, and where are we going? Status Are of existing contracts and services: extensions/renewals available? Is the capacity and quality of our existing service acceptable? If upgrades are allowed, is our original Form 470 still accurate? What Tech is the process for renewing or extending the contract? forecasting: mid-2020 through mid-2021 Internet/WAN bandwidth upgrades, Wi-Fi capacity, condition of cabling and other wired infrastructure

Log in to EPC

Form 470: Nickname Save & Continue Use a descriptive name – you’ll be picking these from a list later! for most applicants (Save & Share sends the form to other EPC users to finish. )

Form 470: Review Details

Form 470: Main Contact “You” is the user creating the Form. You can select other EPC account users for the Form main contact.

Form 470: Service Categories 470 s can have C 1, C 2, or both!

Connectivity and Infrastructure Category q Internet access and WAN links Category q 1 (“C 1”): service to the building 2 (“C 2”): service within the building Local area network (LAN) hardware, software, and maintenance

Form 470: RFPs

E-rate “RFPs” RFPs are not an E-rate requirement, but may be required by state/local rules An RFP does not have to be long or complicated q Think of an RFP as an “attachment” to the Form 470 q Attachments give you ability to further refine scope of work Remember q that addendums to RFPs must be posted as well Be careful if addendums contain “new” information or changes

Form 470: Adding C 1 Line Items

Form 470 Defines Scope of Services Discounted <Your services must fall within original 470 SOW scope of work> must be: Competitively bid via Form 470 Contracted Requested via Form 471 Purchased and invoiced Deviations Three from original scope can cause denial tools for defining SOW: line items, narrative, and RFP

Form 470 Line Item “Drop-Downs” Category One • Antennas, Connectors, and Related Components • Cabling • Leased Lit Fiber • Internet Access and Transport Bundled (Non-Fiber) Internet • Access: ISP Service Only (No Transport Circuit Included) • Firewall Service and Components • Racks • Router • Transport Only – No ISP Service Included (Non-Fiber) • Leased Dark Fiber and Leased Lit Fiber • Self-Provisioned Network (Applicant Owned and Operated • Network) and Services Provided Over Third-Party Networks • Network Equipment • Maintenance & Operations • Cellular Data Plan/Air Card Service • Other (requires RFP) Category Two Caching Switches • UPS/Battery Backup • WAP • Wireless Controller

Oklahoma Applicants: Category One For bidding Internet service: Leased Lit Fiber Internet Access and Transport Bundled (Non-Fiber) For bidding WAN: Leased Lit Fiber Transport Only – No ISP Service Included (Non-Fiber)

Adding a Category One Line Item Drop Down Remember to consider possible upgrades over the life of the contract

Basic Eligible Services: C 1 Internet bandwidth q Connections to the public Internet q Fiber, copper, wireless, satellite, etc Wide Area Networks (WANs) q Point-to-point connections between applicant sites q Fiber, copper, wireless, satellite, etc Installation and setup charges, taxes and fees

Advanced Eligible Services: C 1 Dark q fiber and self-constructed WANs Must compare costs to managed services; choose most cost-effective Network Special equipment for existing dark fiber/owned WANs construction charges q Construction to build facilities to serve applicant q Can apply to managed, leased, or owned networks q Inquire with vendor if special construction is necessary Bulk q internet with separate transport circuits Bandwidth to ‘carrier hotels’ or similar datacenters

Form 470 Narratives Line item “drop downs” are not enough Describe needs: q In detail q Without too much detail Remember q that 470 s aren’t binding You are not obligated to purchase all (or any) services on the Form

Form 470 Narratives E-rate q no longer requires technology plans; but: Consider expected growth over life of contract (and funding year) Dictate q how you want pricing broken out on bids Binary disqualification factors? List them! Consider potential questions from service providers

Form 470: Category One Narrative

Installment Payment Plans Special construction charges for Category One can be spread over a maximum of four years q Applicants must disclose if interested in this option q Only applicable for special construction (ask vendor if unsure)

Form 470: Adding C 2 Line Items

Basic Eligible Services: C 2 Network hardware and software q Switches and routers q Wireless access points, controllers, and licensing q Network cabling, equipment racks, mounting hardware q “Basic” firewalls q Caching components q Installation and

Advanced Eligible Services: C 2 Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections q Software bug fixes, security patches, firmware updates q Basic technical support and access to documentation q “Break/fix” and repair services Managed Internal Broadband Services q ”Network as a service, ” managed Wi-Fi q Includes network management and monitoring q Can include leased or existing equipment (or both)

FY 2020 Eligible Services FCC is considering changes to Eligible Services List for FY 2020 New services being considered: q “Advanced” network security (content filtering, IPS/IDS, anti-X) q Applicant-owned network management and monitoring products Remember q that bids may include ineligible products/services Include any service you think may have a chance of being funded

C 2 Line Items: One additional question Subcategories Subcategory Functionality Internal Connections: hardware and software purchases Basic Maintenance: bug fixes, patches, and updates, firmware updates, break/fix, technical support, etc Managed Internal Broadband Services: “network-as-a-service, ” managed Wi-Fi, third-party network management

Adding a Category Two Line Item

Bidding Compliance: Brand Preferences E-rate rules require a “fair and open” bid process q Applicants may indicate brand preference, but cannot limit bids to aspecific brand/manufacturer q Use the term “or equivalent” in every brand/manufacturer reference in Form 470 and RFP

Category Two Form 470 Tips Consider “related components” with major hardware components q Patch cables, connectors, installation hardware, etc Consider maintenance for new (and existing) hardware

C 2 Line Items

Form 470: Category Two Narrative

Form 470: Technical Contact

Form 470: Additional Requirements

State or Local Procurement Requirements Additional Items space to add terms and conditions to bid to consider: q Bid disqualification criteria (these must be disclosed in 470 and RFP) q Instructions for bidding Where q to send bids, how pricing should be broken out Instructions for questions/contacting

After you click “Review FCC Form 470”

Review and Save. PDF Review line items, narratives, terms and conditions, and contact information Save copy of draft 470 for your records

Continue to Certification

Certifications Form 470 Review certifications carefully and consider what documentation can be retained to demonstrate compliance. All certifications must be checked in order to proceed.

The Form is certified! Now what? Bidding period is 28 days from the date the Form 470 is filed q “Allowable Contract Date” marks end of 28 day period q RFP should also be open for 28 concurrent days q Can be open longer, but must close for everyone at the same time Document retention q Keep copies of all bids received (even losing bids) q Keep records of communication(s) with bona fide respondents

Competitive Bidding Conduct Applicants expected to treat all vendors equally q Bid requests may not be vendor-specific q No inside information or special advantages “Fair and open” competitive bid process q Vendors should not assist with Form 470 or RFP preparation q Vendors should not assist with vendor selection q No gifts – including meals!

Evaluating bids Cost of eligible services must be the highest weighted factor Two ways of evaluating bids: q “Binary” disqualification criteria (must be disclosed in 470/RFP) q Subjective criteria (evaluated on a “matrix”) Services and/or projects may be evaluated independently, each with own criteria Memorialize q the selection in writing: Scoring worksheets, committee meeting notes, etc – use dated docs Know and follow state and local bid evaluation rules!

Sample Vendor Evaluation Worksheet Criteria Possible Points Vendor B Vendor C A Cost of eligible goods and/or services 30 30 20 25 Cost of ineligible products and/or services 25 25 Prior experience with vendor 15 5 15 10 In-state preference 10 10 10 0 Compatibility with existing infrastructure 20 5 20 10 100 75 90 70

Contracts Legally binding agreement required q After 28 -day period but before funding application (Form 471) q Should include extension/renewal terms q Exception: Month-to-month and tariff services Should contain detailed scope of work q Service parameters, equipment make, model and quantity q Billing terms, service logs, etc. May be contingent upon funding commitment

Contracts You q can use state contracts File Form 470 and consider state contract terms/pricing as “bid” E-rate q allows contracts with voluntary extensions Contracts must have a final end date after extensions are used

Entering Contracts in EPC Each awarded contract has a “contract record” Contract records remain in the system indefinitely and cannot be removed or edited once finalized When applications are filed, funding requests reference contract records

Navigate to Contracts area

Add a New Contract ü Use descriptive nicknames! You will pick contracts from a list later. Contract number is optional.

Upload a Copy? Uploading a contract is not required, but it is convenient for you and USAC.

State Contracts / Multiple Awards

Piggybacking

Associate Form 470 to Contract (1 of 2)

Associate Form 470 to Contract (2 of 2) You won’t need the search feature if you see your FCC Form 470 listed

Who is the vendor? Ø Account number is optional. Ø If the vendor provided a SPIN on their bid, that is the best search option. Ø Watch for multiple SPINs for the same company; contact account rep if unsure.

Contract Dates

Contract Extensions

Pricing Confidentiality

Review carefully! o Once you click “Complete, ” it will not be possible to edit this contract’s details. o If you find errors later, a new contract record must be entered (be sure to adjust the nickname so that you can tell them apart. )