Schools and Libraries

Operational SPIN Change

An operational SPIN change may only be requested by the applicant. It can be requested for tariffed, month-to-month or contracted services.

1. Operational SPIN changes requirements for FY 2011 and beyond.

The FCC permits Operational SPIN changes when:

  1. the SPIN change is allowed under the applicant’s state and local procurement rules;
  2. the SPIN change is allowable under the terms of any contract between the applicant and its original service provider;
  3. the applicant has notified its original service provider of its intent to change service providers;
  4. there is a legitimate reason to change providers (e.g., breach of contract or the service provider is unable to perform the requested service); and
  5. the newly selected service provider received the next highest point value in the original bid evaluation. If the applicant did not receive multiple bids, the applicant must submit a statement explaining that it received only one or no bids.

The last two requirements are new, beginning in Funding Year 2011. Changing service providers because the services are available at a lower cost from another provider or because you now wish to do business with a provider that did not originally participate in the competitive bidding process are not considered legitimate reasons for change, and requests citing such reasons will be denied.

2. When to File Operational SPIN change requests.

A SPIN change request for a funding request (FRN) must be postmarked or received no earlier than the date of the FCDL and no later than the last date to submit an invoice for that FRN. (For further information on deadlines, please refer to Service Delivery Deadlines and Extension Requests posted in the Reference Area of this web site.)

The SLD is concerned about its ability to pay the appropriate service provider depending on when service provider changes are made and when SPIN change requests are received and approved. If a service provider is changed before the SLD approves a SPIN change request, there is a possibility that the SLD will inadvertently pay the old service provider. To minimize that possibility, APPLICANTS SHOULD NOTIFY THE SLD OF THEIR INTENT TO CHANGE SERVICE PROVIDERS AS SOON AS THE DECISION IS MADE AND SHOULD ADVISE THE SLD OF THE PROPOSED EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CHANGE. In order to reduce confusion and possible delays, applicants should request the SPIN change sufficiently in advance of the change so that USAC has time to process the request before the submission of any invoices for services rendered by the new provider. Once the request is received, the SLD will make no additional payments on the FRN until the SPIN change is reviewed and either (1) approved and the SPIN is changed or (2) denied and the SLD verifies that additional invoices are for services actually rendered to the applicant by the original service provider.

3. Changes of SPIN in multi-year contracts are conditionally eligible.

If the applicant has a multi-year contract with the service provider from which it wishes to switch, it may switch to a multi-year contract with a new service provider without posting a new FCC Form 470 and waiting at least 28 days. The multi-year contract with the new service provider must have an expiration date no later than the original contract. Neither contract should be longer than any term for the contract described in the original Form 470 or the RFP under which the original service provider was selected.

4. Service substitutions.

A change in service provider, by itself, does not allow a substitution in the specific products or services to be supplied. Such substitutions are available in limited circumstances that are described in the document Service Substitutions posted in the Reference Area of this web site.

Applicants may make a simultaneous request for both service substitution and change in service provider by (1) following the steps as outlined in the Service Substitutions procedure, and (2) including the service provider change letter described below as an additional attachment to the service substitution request.

In the event that a simultaneous service substitution and service provider change cannot be granted due to a problem with one request or the other, the SLD will contact the applicant to determine if the SLD should continue to process the remaining request.

5. How to apply for an Operational SPIN change.

You can request an Operational SPIN change by indicating the original service provider name and SPIN indicated on the Funding Commitment Decision Letter and the new service provider name and SPIN to be reflected on SLD records.

Operational SPIN change requests must be in writing. You must supply the following information in your request.

1. Billed Entity Number
2. Applicant Name
3. Funding Request Number (FRN)
4. Form 471 Application Number
5. Applicant Contact
6. Applicant Phone
7. Applicant E-mail Address
8. Original SPIN
9. Original Service Provider
10. Original Service Provider Contact
11. Original Service Provider Phone
12. Original Service Provider E-mail Address
13. New SPIN
14. New Service Provider
15. New Service Provider Contact
16. New Service Provider Phone
17. New Service Provider E-mail address
18.

Has the original service provider supplied any services under this funding request? If yes, you must supply the following information.

For recurring services:

a. MONTHLY PRE-DISCOUNT AMOUNT for original service provider Do not provide the total pre-discount amount for the funding year or the total funding commitment. Only provide the monthly amount.
b. MONTHLY PRE-DISCOUNT AMOUNT for new service provider Neither a. nor b. may be greater than Item 23c on Form 471.
c. EFFECTIVE DATE OF CHANGE The date must be expressed as the first day of the month (e.g., October 1, 2003 not October 20, 2003.
d. LAST DAY OF SERVICE for new service provider  

 

For non-recurring services:

a. ONE-TIME PRE-DISCOUNT AMOUNT for original service provider Do not provide the total pre-discount amount for the funding year or the total funding commitment.
b. ONE-TIME PRE-DISCOUNT AMOUNT for new service provider The sum of a. and b. may not be greater than Item 23h on Form 471.
c. EFFECTIVE DATE OF CHANGE The date must be expressed as the first day of the month (e.g., October 1, 2003 not October 20, 2003.
d. LAST DAY OF SERVICE for new service provider  

19. Please answer the following three questions:
  1. Are all SPIN changes requested in this letter allowed under all applicable state and local procurement rules? (Yes or No)
  2. Are the SPIN changes allowable under the terms of the contract, if any, between the applicant and its original service provider? (Yes or No)
  3. Have you notified your original service provider of your intent to change service providers? (Yes or No) If your service provider is no longer in business, have you attempted to contact them? (Yes or No)

If you answered “No” to any of the questions, please explain.

20. Beginning with FY2011 FRNs, provide the following two items:
  1. A detailed explanation of the need for the change.
  2. The final bid evaluation worksheet (a listing of the bid weighting factors and individual vendors’ scores for all vendors that participated in the original competitive bidding process) for the services requested in FRN(s) associated with the SPIN change or, if applicable, a statement that there was only one or no bids received.

The request may be sent by regular mail, fax, or e-mail.

Regular Mail

The letter should be labeled "Operational SPIN Change" and sent to:

Operational SPIN Change
Schools and Libraries Division
30 Lanidex Plaza West
PO Box 685
Parsippany, NJ 07054-0685

Fax

Please include a fax cover page to ATTN: Operational SPIN Change and indicate the number of pages you are faxing. The fax number is (973) 599-6526.

E-mail

Prepare your request as described above and name and/or title it “Operational SPIN Change Request.” Go to the Submit a Question feature on the USAC website and click “Continue.” Choose “SPIN Changes” from the Topic Inquiry menu and then select your specific Inquiry from the question menu. Follow the instructions for submitting an attachment to submit your request to USAC.


Last modified on 1/26/2012