3. Competitive Bidding

1. 3. Competitive Bidding

2. Cornerstone of E-Rate All expiring and new contracts must be competitively bid to receive E-rate funding Form 470 starts the bidding process with a minimum of 28 days to receive bids Must respond to ALL vendors If you choose not to, you MUST have a good reason, ie Spam

3. Competitive Bidding and Program Compliance http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/BestPractices.asp Keep copies of all bids, winning and losing Documentation on the award process and bid evaluation criteria for your award Complete copies of all related contracts FOLLOW LOCAL PROCUREMENT POLICIES

4. Program Compliance Best Practice: use standard evaluation process for all bids. Keep evaluation documentation for each bid. If you get NO bids – document this for audit purposes Same is true if you get only ONE bid You may need to be proactive in soliciting for bids

5. Evaluation Criteria • Price must be the most heavily weighted factor • Can choose most responsive and responsible response, but must DOCUMENT the choice and process • Have District official SIGN and DATE the completed rubric as acknowledgement

6. SAMPLE SAMPLE SAMPLE SAMPLE SAMPLE

7. CALNET 1 to CALNET 2 • State Posted Form 470 267290000544188 2005,Sept 16th • Includes Telecommunications Services • Did NOT Include ISP or Internal Connections • CALNET 2 Contract was signed on January 30th, 2007 (State Master Contract) • CALNET 2: http://www.dts.ca.gov/stnd/calnet-II/calnetII.asp • RFP: http://www.dts.ca.gov/stnd/calnet-II/revised-calnetII-rfp.asp • May wish to post your own form 470 for all services you will apply for (More details in the intermediate/advance training see additional hand-outs) • Three Signatures are required on a CALNET 2 contract

8. Form 470 – Multi-Year Contracts You may not need to file Form 470 every year if: The language on the Form 470/RFP covered all services on the contract AND The applicant indicated on the Form 470 that a contract was being sought AND The applicant indicated on the Form 470/RFP that a multi-year contract was being sought (perhaps w/voluntary extensions) The Form 471 had a multi-year contract

9. Competitive Bidding Reminders • DO ensure a fair and open competitive bidding process. All service providers must be treated equally and cannot be given biased or privileged knowledge of the bid. • DO select the most cost-effective service provider, with price as the primary factor. • DO keep ALL records relating to the bid evaluation process (correspondence with potential vendors, winning and losing bids, worksheets, evaluation criteria, contract, etc.). Note in a memo if one (or no) bids are received. • DO remember that contracts must be signed and dated by the applicant and service provider before filing the Form 471. • DON’T sign a contract until after the Form 470 has been posted for 28 days.

10. CONTRACT REMINDERS • Contract Reviews: Do not wait until the last minute • Leave time for board approval and signatures • Signing Contracts: 3 signatures/dates (DGS, Applicant, Service Provider) required for CALNET 2 Contracts “ATO” • Other contracts may only require 2 signatures/dates