A consortium is a group of entities that apply together, usually to aggregate demand in order to lower prices. A statewide application is when a state’s purchasing department (or other state agency) applies on behalf of all schools and libraries in the state.
To calculate the discount for a consortium or statewide application:
The E-rate Program discount for libraries is based on the poverty level in the school district it (or its main branch) is located in, and its urban/rural status.
The E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) will calculate the discount as part of your form. But to see it in advance, you need to calculate the discount yourself. Today we’ll cover how to calculate E-rate discounts for libraries and library systems.
The E-rate Program discount for a school district is based on its poverty level, and its urban/rural status.
The E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) will calculate the discount based on the information you provide in your school district’s profile. But to see it in advance, you can calculate the discount yourself. Today we’ll cover how to calculate E-rate discounts for school districts and schools.
Keep records of everything! We can’t stress this enough. When in doubt, make a record. Imagine 10 years down the line and you or your successor is asked to produce evidence that you conducted a fair and open competitive bidding process for FY2016. You or your successor will want to quickly and easily be able to locate all the documentation you need. Document retention is also a program requirement and is one of the most common compliance failures found during audits of schools and libraries.
A state master contract (SMC) is a contract that is competitively bid and implemented by a state government which can then be used by eligible entities within the state to procure products or services, or both. To establish a state master contract, a state conducts a competitive bidding process, selects one or more service providers for their state, and signs a contract(s) with the provider(s) selected. A state may or may not have posted an FCC Form 470.
While you are waiting to receive bids during the 28-day time period (which can be longer than 28 days but not shorter), you should establish your evaluation criteria for choosing a service provider* and use them to create an evaluation matrix. This way, you’ll be ready to easily evaluate the bids you receive after the 28-day period ends.
