Posting an RFP with the Form 470
As this newsletter has previously noted, all Forms 470s must be posted on USAC’s E-rate Productivity Center (EPC). This includes any RFP that the Form 470 may reference. Should an RFP include a question and answer period when potential service providers can request clarifications or more details, this also needs to be posted via the EPC portal. The applicant may even edit the question to make it more understandable. Most importantly, it is vital that all potential bidders have access to any clarifications about the requested services. Whether the RFP is also posted on the applicant’s own website is up to the applicant and the internal regulations that may govern RFP postings.
Frequently the questions and answers are turned into an addendum to the RFP. There is a codicil to this process pertinent to EPC. Should you post an addendum, and we suppose also the question and answer document, you will most likely get a warning pop-up from EPC that admonishes the applicant with the Form 470 that when uploading additional RFP documents, you cannot make a cardinal change to the scope of services sought. If you are requesting a cardinal change to what you have already posted, you must file a new Form 470, which will start a new 28-day clock.
The operational wording is “cardinal”. USAC provides examples of a cardinal change as additional speeds, adding additional products and services, and adding additional locations or entities. The warning then asks if you wish to proceed. We suggest that every effort be made so that both the Form 470 and its corresponding RFP, if there is one, are as complete as possible, and to review thoroughly the more stringent requirements that USAC has put into place.
Form 470 Service Options
As Form 470 postings go into full swing, below are the drop-down options that EPC offers for Category 1 services:
- Transport Only – No ISP Service Included
- Cellular Data Plan/Air Card Service
- Cellular Voice
- Dark Fiber
- Internet Access & Transport Bundled
- Internet Access: ISP Service Only
- Lit Fiber Service
- Other
- Self-provisioning
- Voice Service (Analog, Digital, Interconnected VoIP, etc)
Note that “Wireless” is not on the drop-down menu. The “Transport Only – No ISP Service Included” or “Internet & Transport Bundled” are selections that would ostensibly include wireless services, yet be agnostic vis-à-vis service providers. USAC’s possible offering of an additional session about dark fiber and special construction charges at the first training workshop in Washington D.C. indicates that there are applicant and service provider questions about how to post for some Category 1 services.