|
Selective Review News Brief Series Contracts
May 18, 2006
This is the fourth in USAC’s weeklong series of News Briefs on Selective Review topics.
Q8. My organization posted a Form 470 but selected a state master contract to purchase our services. What should I submit?
When you select a state master contract as the most cost-effective bid, you must still conduct a fair and open competitive bidding process. Therefore, you should provide the following:
- Request for Proposals (RFP), if one was issued
- Copies of bids received
- Selection criteria
- Evaluation sheet and/or scoring document
- Letters and any other correspondence to and from service providers
- Copy of the state master contract. If a copy was provided to USAC previously, give your reviewer the associated Form 471 application number. If your state master contract is available on a website, give your reviewer the website address (URL).
You should submit a copy of the document that records your decision to purchase from the state master contract. The document could be a formal letter from your procurement selection committee or an informal memorandum to the file. It should discuss how the service provider was determined to be the most cost-effective and should be dated prior to the contract award date. See Contract Guidance on USAC’s website for more information on state master contracts.
Q9. What does USAC review about the date I selected my service provider??
USAC reviews whether the applicant POSTED the Form 470 to the USAC website at least 28 days prior to executing a contract for contracted services or selecting a service provider for tariffed or month-to-month services. The selection can occur on the 29th day after the Form 470 is posted or the RFP is available, whichever is later. The day your Form 470 is posted counts as Day 1.
For example, if you posted your Form 470 on December 15, 2005 and you had no RFP, you could have selected your service provider as early as January 12, 2006. Your state or local procurement regulations may require a longer waiting period or impose additional requirements.
After the Form 470 is posted to the USAC website, USAC will send a Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter that includes the allowable vendor selection/contract date based on the 28-day waiting period.
Tip: Two Signatures and Two Dates
If you have a contract, it MUST be signed and dated by BOTH the service provider and the applicant prior to the certification of the Form 471. Verbal agreements and quotes do not meet FCC requirements and are unacceptable
|