# E-rate Form 470 IT & Telecom Bid Radar (`scrapesignal_labs/erate-form-470-bid-radar`) Actor

Find fresh US school and library internet, network, cybersecurity, equipment, and telecom bid opportunities from official E-rate Form 470 filings.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapesignal\_labs/erate-form-470-bid-radar.md
- **Developed by:** [ScrapeSignal Labs](https://apify.com/scrapesignal_labs) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.50 / 1,000 bid opportunities

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## E-rate Form 470 IT & Telecom Bid Radar

Find fresh technology procurement opportunities from US schools, school districts, libraries, and consortia before they disappear into a generic bid database. This Actor turns official USAC E-rate Form 470 service requests into clean, filterable sales leads for internet access, network equipment, managed services, cybersecurity, maintenance, and telecom vendors.

Each dataset item represents one requested service—not merely one form—so a multi-category filing can be routed to the right sales team. Results include the applicant, location, contacts, requested function and quantity, service category and type, important dates, RFP attachment, official Form 470 PDF, and a transparent opportunity score.

### Built for

- managed service providers, VARs, telecom carriers, ISPs, and network integrators
- Wi-Fi, switching, firewall, cybersecurity, cabling, and maintenance vendors
- bid-intelligence platforms, proposal teams, CRM enrichment, and territory planning
- scheduled alerts and AI agents monitoring public-sector technology demand

### Why Form 470 data matters

Form 470 is how E-rate applicants describe the services for which they are seeking bids. That makes it a demand signal rather than a static list of institutions. The Actor can monitor a state, product niche, service category, buyer type, or keyword set and save only the opportunities relevant to your business.

### Useful filters

- recent update window
- form status
- state
- E-rate service category and service type
- keywords across buyer, service, function, manufacturer, and location fields
- minimum requested quantity
- require a reported email
- maximum results

### Example input

```json
{
  "daysBack": 21,
  "states": ["TX", "OK", "NM"],
  "serviceCategories": ["Internal Connections"],
  "keywords": ["firewall", "switch", "wireless"],
  "requireContactEmail": true,
  "maxItems": 500
}
```

### Output highlights

Applicant and billed-entity identifiers, applicant type, address, applicant/contact/technical-contact details, service category, service type, function, quantity, capacity, preferred manufacturer, installation and maintenance flags, certification and modification timestamps, allowable contract date, RFP attachment, Form 470 PDF, and source link.

### Source and responsible use

Data comes from the [official USAC Open Data Form 470 Tool dataset](https://opendata.usac.org/E-Rate/E-Rate-FCC-Form-470-Tool-Data/jt8s-3q52). A Form 470 is a request for competitive bids, not a guarantee of purchase or award. Read the complete filing, RFP, E-rate rules, and applicant instructions before responding. Respect procurement rules and use reported contact information for relevant professional outreach.

For continuous monitoring, create an Apify schedule and connect the resulting dataset to a webhook, CRM, spreadsheet, database, or automation platform.

# Actor input Schema

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

Include forms updated within this many days.

## `statuses` (type: `array`):

Leave empty to include every status.

## `states` (type: `array`):

Two-letter codes such as CA, TX, or NY. Empty means nationwide.

## `serviceCategories` (type: `array`):

Leave empty for all E-rate service categories.

## `serviceTypes` (type: `array`):

Optional exact service-type values from USAC.

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Match any term across buyer, service, function, manufacturer, and location fields.

## `minimumQuantity` (type: `number`):

Only include service requests at or above this reported quantity.

## `requireContactEmail` (type: `boolean`):

Only return requests with an applicant, contact, or technical-contact email.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after saving this many highest-scoring matches.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "daysBack": 30,
  "statuses": [
    "Certified"
  ],
  "states": [],
  "serviceCategories": [],
  "serviceTypes": [],
  "keywords": [],
  "minimumQuantity": 0,
  "requireContactEmail": false,
  "maxItems": 500
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapesignal_labs/erate-form-470-bid-radar").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapesignal_labs/erate-form-470-bid-radar").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call scrapesignal_labs/erate-form-470-bid-radar --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapesignal_labs/erate-form-470-bid-radar"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/VDqhNtnNtqQ66pYZN/builds/B8eD3aiY3eAr9wZ4S/openapi.json