Each year E-rate applicants post their Form 470s to the SLD website and forget that the Form 470 needs to be certified or any project tied to that Form 470 will be denied. Over $12.1 million in Funding Year 2005 and $3.8 million so far in Funding Year 2006 has been denied because applicants failed to certify their Form 470. Form 470s will need to be certified before 11:59 EST on Wednesday, February 7, 2007 in order to be in compliance for Funding Year 2007.
It is important to pay close attention to deadlines and all the details surrounding your application. Other common denials related to Form 470s are:
- A contract for a new service was signed prior to the required 28-day waiting period computed from the date of the posting of the Form 470 to the SLD Web Site.
- No technology plan covering the current funding year was in place when the Form 470 was filed. A written technology plan is needed if seeking discounts for more than basic phone service.
- The FRN references services that require a posting of a 470 for each Funding Year
- The 470 cited did not include service of this type; therefore it does not meet the 28 day competitive bidding requirement.
- Applicant failed to advise bidders that an RFP was issued. An RFP was issued and Form 470 advised potential bidders that no RFP existed.
- The cited 470 was not the basis for the establishment of the voluntary contract extension, and does not meet the 28 day competitive bidding requirement.
- The applicant's explanation of the time lapse between the posting date of the referenced 470 and the contract award date (CAD) failed to assure SLD that the applicant conducted a fair and competitive process and chose the most cost-effective offering with price the primary factor.
- The cited Form 470 has an Allowable Contract Date after the close of the Form 471 filing window. Therefore, this Form 471 was submitted before the expiration of the mandatory 28-day waiting period.
Funds For Learning has compiled a list of all the Form 470s that have been completed and posted to the SLD website since January 1, 2006, but have not yet been certified. Not only is it important for schools to visit the site to confirm their Form 470 certification, but service providers who do not want to see their projects denied because of an uncertified Form 470 should check as well. The uncertified Form 470s can be viewed at /component/option,com_state_info/Itemid,31/
