One bid: why a fifth of E-rate contracts had no competition
9,877 funded 2025 requests drew a single bid. That is where price checks pay off.
E-rate requires competitive bidding: post a request, wait 28 days, and choose the most cost-effective bid with price weighted most heavily. But a bid request does not guarantee bids.
The numbers
In our count of USAC's funding records for 2025, 9,877 of 52,318 funded requests, 18.9%, listed exactly one bid. They account for $389.8 million in approved funding. For internet service alone, the share is 20%.
Why it matters
With one bid there is no market price. The Senate Commerce Committee found that average internet costs run higher where subsidies are higher, because the applicant pays only a small share of the bill. One bidder plus a 90% subsidy is the combination where overpaying is easiest and least visible.
What you can do
- Compare what you pay with similar schools in your state for the same speed. USAC publishes every applicant's speed and monthly cost.
- Send your bid request to more vendors directly, not just the posting.
- Choose multi-year contracts with extension years once you have a good price, so you rebid less often.
Every E-Rate Keeper school report flags contracts that drew a single bid.
Any school, district or library: what was approved, paid, left unspent and still unclaimed.