Enterprise

eRate Management System

Modernized a complex federal funding application system for education technology grants, reducing processing time by 60% and improving accuracy across multiple school districts.

The Challenge

The client managed E-Rate applications for over 200 school districts, processing millions of dollars in federal technology funding annually. Their legacy system, built on aging VB6 and Access databases, was struggling with data integrity issues, slow processing times, and an inability to scale. Manual data entry led to frequent errors, and compliance reporting was a time-consuming nightmare that required weeks of effort each quarter.

The Solution

I designed and built a comprehensive web-based application using ASP.NET Core and SQL Server, with a modern Angular frontend. The system automated the entire E-Rate application workflow, from initial data collection through FCC submission. Key features included automated form validation, real-time eligibility calculations, document management, and integrated compliance reporting. The architecture was designed for scalability, supporting concurrent access from hundreds of users across different districts.

The Impact

The new system reduced application processing time by 60% and virtually eliminated data entry errors through automated validation. Compliance reporting that previously took weeks now runs in minutes. The platform has been in continuous production for over 15 years, processing thousands of applications and helping secure millions in technology funding for schools. The client has been able to scale their business significantly without adding administrative overhead.

Where It Led

Fifteen years of E-Rate domain experience eventually became eRateIQ (Smarter Leads. Faster Wins.), a commercial product I designed and built in 2026 using Claude Code.