Automation
Eligibility Checker
Paste a bill of materials to check E-Rate eligibility for every line item.
Supported manufacturers
The checker has a built-in eligibility database covering:
- Cisco — switches, access points, controllers, SmartNet, licenses
- Fortinet — FortiGate firewalls, FortiAPs, FortiSwitches, FortiCare
- HPE / Aruba — switches, APs, controllers, Aruba Central
- Eaton — UPS units, PDUs, network cards, software
How to check
- Under Paste part numbers, enter SKUs one per line or separated by commas
- Click Check eligibility
- Results appear immediately, with an eligibility status for each SKU
Reading the results
Summary tiles count your items as Eligible, Conditional, Ineligible and Flagged. The results table shows SKU, Manufacturer, Product Type, Eligibility, %, Source and Notes for each item.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eligible | Covered under the FY2026 ESL |
| Conditionally Eligible | Eligible only under specific conditions — read the notes |
| Ineligible | Not covered by E-Rate |
| Unknown (Flagged) | Not in the database — needs manual review |
Finding alternatives
If your BOM includes ineligible or flagged items, click Find Eligible Alternatives. AI suggests eligible products that do the same job, with model numbers and a short reason for each.
Exporting results
Export Excel downloads a workbook with:
- Summary — counts by status
- BOM Detail — every item with its eligibility, source and notes
- Alternatives — included if you ran the alternatives check
Print / PDF opens a print-ready version in a new tab. Use your browser's print dialog to save it as a PDF.
Common ineligibility reasons
- Cloud-managed licenses (for example, Meraki licensing) — the cloud management subscription is ineligible, but the hardware may be eligible on its own
- Software-only products — most standalone software licenses are ineligible under Category 2
- Out-of-scope accessories — items that aren't directly related to internal network connectivity
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