<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Bidding involves numbers. So of course Idaho elected officials are going to have a difficult time figuring it out. </SPAN></div>
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<div style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-SIZE: 16px; RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Donovan J. Arnold</SPAN></div>
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<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=hr contentEditable=false readonly="true"></DIV><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Moscow Cares <moscowcares@moscow.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com> <BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Thursday, October 18, 2012 3:15 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Vision2020] Bidding delays laptops for teachers<BR></FONT></DIV><BR>
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<DIV>Courtesy of today's (October 18, 2012) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.</DIV>
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<H1 style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; CLEAR: both; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Bidding delays laptops for teachers</SPAN></H1>
<H5 style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 12px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; CLEAR: both; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=yiv929805958subhead><FONT size=3><SPAN>Devices expected this month could be delivered in spring</SPAN></FONT></H5></DIV>
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<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>BOISE – The first round of more than 6,000 laptop computers, one for every high school teacher and administrator, already was supposed to be delivered to Idaho’s schools this month under the controversial Students Come First school reform plan, but holdups in finding a suitable vendor have pushed that time frame way back.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>“At this point, the goal would be to get those devices into teacher and principal hands by the beginning of the spring semester and then give them professional development throughout that semester and the summer,” said Melissa <SPAN id=misspell-0 class=mark>McGrath</SPAN>, spokeswoman for state schools Superintendent Tom Luna. “That’s still within the law … it’s just a little bit later in the year than we anticipated originally.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>After canceling a bidding process in June for lack of competitive bids, the state is now negotiating with up to a half-dozen potential providers of the computers, with hopes of picking one in the coming weeks. At stake is an eight-year contract worth more than $100 million, under which the provider would supply and maintain laptops for every Idaho high school student, provide technical support, and set up and maintain wireless networks in Idaho high schools.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>“It’s the whole ball of wax,” said Idaho Division of Purchasing Director Bill Burns. “It’s a pretty big contract.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>It’s unclear how long it would take to deliver the laptops after a vendor is selected. The state’s original request for proposals anticipated a four-month period, from July 1 to October. Said Burns, “It really depends on the supplier’s supply chain.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The state has budgeted $2.56 million for the first round of laptops this year, an average of $391 apiece. But the bidder will set the price, and it’s unclear what will happen if the bid comes in higher than that.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>“To be honest, I can’t answer that,” <SPAN id=misspell-1 class=mark>McGrath</SPAN> said. “We would have to work with the Division of Purchasing if that did happen.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Meanwhile, a clause in the contract will state that the whole thing goes away if voters repeal the program on Nov. 6. “The contract would terminate,” Burns said. “We wanted to make that perfectly clear.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>That <SPAN id=misspell-2 class=mark>hasn</SPAN>’t stopped companies from expressing interest in the contract, Burns said. “They’re all aware of it. So I’m assuming that’s a risk they’re willing to take for the business.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The plan to bring all of Idaho’s high schools to a “1-to-1 ratio” of computers to students is a centerpiece of Luna’s reforms, which also include requiring <SPAN id=misspell-3 class=mark>online</SPAN> courses as a high school graduation requirement; rolling back teachers’ collective bargaining rights; and imposing a new merit-pay bonus system for teachers, tied to student test scores among other factors.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The whole plan is up for a possible voter repeal in November, under Propositions 1, 2 and 3 on the Idaho ballot, with Proposition 3 including the laptops and <SPAN id=misspell-4 class=mark>online</SPAN> learning. A yes vote on the propositions would keep the laws; a no vote would repeal them.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Three companies responded to Idaho’s original request for proposals in June, but one was late and one placed conditions on its bid, which was specifically prohibited. “So we had only one true responder, so there was a lack of competition,” Burns said. “So I canceled the bid and we opened it up to negotiation.”</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>All three of the original firms have been among those in discussions with the state; the bidders <SPAN id=misspell-5 class=mark>aren</SPAN>’t being identified. But when the state held public meetings about the potential deal last spring, companies represented included Apple, <SPAN id=misspell-6 class=mark>Lenovo</SPAN>, Education Networks of America and <SPAN id=misspell-7 class=mark>telecom</SPAN> giant <SPAN id=misspell-8 class=mark>CenturyLink</SPAN>. Bids could come from groups of companies because of the wide-ranging requirements of the contract.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>According to the 79-page request for proposals, the contract would be renewable for up to 16 years. It would include supplying laptops the first year for 6,551 teachers, principals, counselors, media specialists and technical directors in Idaho high schools. All ninth- through 12<SPAN id=misspell-9 class=mark>th</SPAN>-grade students would get the machines over the following three years.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The contractor also would be responsible for setting up and maintaining wireless networks in every Idaho high school using the broadband connection already supplied to the schools by the Idaho Education Network.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>The computers would have to run on a battery throughout the school day and recharge overnight; and when batteries stop lasting all day, they’d have to be immediately replaced. The vendor would be responsible for technical support, some training, software, networking issues and ensuring that every student always has access to a working device.</SPAN></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 21px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: visible; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><SPAN>Asked how a single company could accomplish that in a far-flung state like Idaho, where many high schools are in remote and rural areas, Burns said with a chuckle, “Welcome to our world.” But he added, “There’s lots of different ways and lots of different proposals. There’s lots of different ways these folks are going to accomplish that – it’ll be done, I can say that.”</SPAN></div></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN id=misspell-11 class=mark>Seeya</SPAN> at the polls, Moscow, because . . .</DIV>
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<DIV>"Moscow Cares"</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://www.moscowcares.com/</A></DIV>
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<DIV>Tom Hansen</DIV>
<DIV>Moscow, Idaho</DIV>
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<DIV>"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."</DIV>
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<DIV>- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)</DIV>
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<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>serving the communities of the <SPAN id=misspell-12 class=mark>Palouse</SPAN> since 1994.<BR> <A href="http://www.fsr.net/" target=_blank>http://www.fsr.net/</A><BR> <SPAN id=misspell-13 class=mark>mailto</SPAN>:<A href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" ymailto="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</A><BR>=======================================================<BR><BR></DIV></DIV><VAR id=yui-ie-cursor></VAR></div></body></html>