E-RateProgram

E-Rate is a federal program that provides funding assistance to schools and libraries for telecommunications, internet access, infrastructure, and maintenance/support. The program is formally titled "The Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund" and Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) administers the program under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To learn more about the program, please visit the USAC Schools and Libraries website.

E-Rate FY2024

BRAINATION will accept proposals for FY2024 from January 26, 2024, through March 1, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. CST. We will accept proposals by mail, hand delivery, or email.

Please see the request for proposals for complete details.

Schedule of Events

  • RFP/470 Release Date - January 26, 2024
  • Deadline for Site Surveys - February 29, 2024
  • Deadline for Questions - February 29, 2024, at 4:00 p.m.
  • Proposal Submission Deadline - March 1, 2024, at 4:00 p.m.

Please contact Director of Technology Charles Winkler via email with any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

I wanted to ask regarding the potential replacement of switches on your campus, particularly in relation to 40 APs with five-year licenses. Will that need to be done?

Please refer to the RFP and FCC Form 470. BRAINATION is not replacing any switches. We are only requesting the purchase of 40 Meraki Access Points.

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Regarding the rip/replacement of the existing gear, our preference would be to remain within the AOS-CX family of switches, with the 6200/6300 series being the most likely candidates.

The decision between the "F" or "M" series would depend on specific business requirements.   Please clarify.  I thank you for your time in this matter.

Only Cisco Meraki will be considered on any response to BRAINATION’s FCC Form 470.

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Regarding the procurement of rack-mounted UPS, could you please confirm if the battery backup power at Anne Frank campus is 3kVA? Additionally, I'd like to inquire about the type of plug outlets available on campus.

BRAINATION is requesting a similar UPS or better with a twist lock outlet and internal NIC. Current model: SMX3000RMLV2U with SMX120RMBP2U.

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Please provide more details on the scope of the Cisco Meraki maintenance for all existing eligible Meraki equipment?

  • Will this be for both on-site and remote work?
  • Will this be more configuration or on-site smart hands work? If you could provide an estimate of the breakdown between the two.
  • Will this be for one year?

Category 2 basic maintenance, all work will be conducted remotely. 

Category 2 basic maintenance, engineering support for existing and future firewalls, switches, and access points to include but not limited to routing, upgrades, configuration, and troubleshooting. 

120 hours of support starting July 1, 2024, until June 30, 2025. 

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For the UPS, what sort of uptime are you looking for. We see that you are requesting a 2700W and NIC card to be included.

BRAINATION is requesting a similar UPS or better with a twist lock outlet and internal NIC. Current model: SMX3000RMLV2U with SMX120RMBP2U. 

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Are you able to send over a screenshot of your Meraki dashboard?

No, we do not provide screenshots to our dashboard.
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Do you require all the supporting documents listed under Table 5.0 - Proposal Contents for drop ship proposals?

Yes, unless these forms have previously been submitted to BRAINATION. If so, please omit items 7–10.

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Is the Rockdale, Texas location a house or building?

Our Rockdale campus is a building.

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Has fiber optics already been deployed to the Rockdale, Texas location?

Yes, the campus currently has fiber optics to the DMARC.

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