Funding Year 2011 will start on July 1, 2011, and many stakeholders need assistance identifying what they should be doing to prepare themselves for the start of the funding year.
Here are side by side tips for applicants and service providers to consider during the Spring and Summer months:
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Applicants |
Vendors |
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Review Receipt Acknowledgement Letter and make corrections as necessary |
Review Receipt Acknowledgement Letter and reach out to customer to make corrections as necessary |
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Respond to all PIA questions promptly. |
Provide assistance to customers during the PIA process regarding project eligibility, product and service information, and other details |
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Communicate the status of your funding commitments with your service providers. Review Item 21 and PIA changes, coordinate start dates, invoicing and other E-rate related dates. |
Submit your Form 473 (Service Provider Annual Certification, or SPAC) |
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Review Special Summer Deadline Policy |
Confirm that current Form 498 contact is still accurate |
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Confirm Technology Plan for Priority Two products and services is approved before July 1 |
Review and update product eligibility and cost-allocation data for new products |
It is also entirely possible that E-rate projects from previous years are well underway. It is important to know the invoicing and installation deadlines associated with those projects, as well as the dates that your contracts expire. It may be necessary to extend a contract to finish a project – the Form 500 may be used to alert the SLD that the contract has been extended.
E-rate compliance involves activities and tasks all year round. Stakeholders should educate themselves on the E-rate timeframe and roving deadlines in order to prevent unfortunate mistakes and/or funding denials and reductions.
