An important deadline is fast approaching – September 30, 2011 Installation Deadline
Those applicants affected as well as their service providers should already be involved in discussions whether or not this deadline will be met. If not, there are options, but this is the time to act upon them.
For starters, applicants typically have 15 months to finish an internal connections project. For example, for FY2010 which started July 1, 2010 an installation for an internal connections project should be completed by September 30, 2011. However, if applicants received a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) after March 1, 2011, the SLD automatically extends the installation deadline for another year which means that the installation of the FY2010 project does not need to be completed until September 30, 2012.
While the SLD automatically will extend the installation deadline on late FCDL’s or if an appeal was granted, here are other reasons the SLD will accept:
- The SLD will extend the deadline another year if a SPIN changed is approved;
- The SLD will extend the deadline another year if a service/product substitution is approved;
- The applicant can request an extension if the service provider is unable to complete the delivery and installation for reasons beyond the service provider’s control
Not only is it important for the applicant to request the extension before September 30th if the installation deadline will not be met, but the contract between the parties will need to be extended and the applicant will need to file a Form 500 in order to let the SLD know of the contract extension. If those procedures are not followed, payment will be delayed or denied.
Here is an analysis of the number of stakeholders that could be affected by this looming deadline. If the project is complete and already fully invoiced then there is no need for further action to be taken.
