U.S. EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (Ann Arbor, MI) Utility
1. INTRODUCTION
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking for support from a utility (NAICS 221122 Electric Power Distribution,
221210 Natural Gas Distribution, 221310 Water Supply and Irrigation Systems) through the Department of Energy (DOE) Utility Energy Service Contract (UESC) contract where the local utility team provides the best insight to our unique mission and requirements. For information regarding the DOE UESC program, please review the following website https://www.energy.gov/eere/femp/utility-energy-service-contracts-federal-agencies. Recent team experience (utility and competitively sourced key subcontractors) with similar facilities, operations, and opportunities would be ideal to support our objectives on this planned UESC project including technical personnel who understand our requirements and objectives.
2. CONTRACT INFORMATION:
The U.S. Government is the nation's single largest energy consumer. Due to the magnitude of funds spent on energy in support of Government operations and the steady inflation of such costs, the Government is re-evaluating its operations and reducing its energy consumption. Executive Order 13693 of March 19, 2015, states the head of each agency shall improve energy efficiency by 25% in total by the end of fiscal year 2025, relative to each agency's fiscal year 2015 energy use baseline. The primary purpose of the proposed acquisition is to acquire the design, implementation, and operation of a UESC project with a local utility service provider for the U.S. EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) located at 2565 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
3. BACKGROUND:
42 USC 8256 Incentives for Agencies is the overarching bill for energy savings contracting for the Federal Government. This legislation provides information relating to utility incentive programs. Four key elements of this section are highlighted below.
A. Agencies are authorized and encouraged to participate in programs to increase energy efficiency and water conservation or manage electricity demand conducted by gas, water, or electric utilities and generally available to customers of such utilities.
B. Each agency may accept any financial incentive, goods, or services generally available from any such utility, to increase energy efficiency or to conserve water or manage electricity demand.
C. Each agency is encouraged to enter negotiations with electric, water, and gas utilities to design cost-effective demand management and conservation incentive programs to address the unique needs of facilities utilized by such agency.
D. If an agency satisfies the criteria that generally apply to other customers of a utility incentive program, such agency may not be denied collection of rebates or other incentives.
4. DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIREMENT:
The requirement at the NVFEL is for comprehensive UESC services including, but not limited to the following Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs):
- Electrical Power Distribution
- Combined Heat and Cooling equipment
- Replace Condenser Water Pumps
- Chilled Water System
- Reverse Osmosis Application Systems
- Building Automation System
- HVAC system
- Electrical system
- Fuel Cell
- Logistics
- Operations and Maintenance
5. PROJECT INFORMATION:
A UESC is a contracting vehicle that allows agencies to accomplish energy savings projects for their facilities without up-front capital costs and without special Congressional appropriations to pay for the improvements. Under a UESC contract, the selected local utility provider (Utility) will provide their own funding, provide financed funding, or a combination of their own and financed funding, for an energy conservation project that will be repaid from utility bill savings. The Utility will conduct a comprehensive energy audit to identify improvements that will result in energy savings. With coordination and approval of the Government, the Utility will design and construct an energy savings project and provide assurance that the improvements will result in savings sufficient to pay for the project over a maximum 25-year repayment period. The Utility will also develop a performance assurance plan and arrange project financing. The project will verify equipment performance over the course of the financing period.
6. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
The Government does not intend to rank submittals or reply to interested utility companies/firms. This sources sought notice is for Market Research purposes only and is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparation of a response to this sources sought notice. Responses to this sources sought notice should be limited to a maximum of 15 pages (12pt. Times New Roman font) which provides all necessary information to substantiate your firm/team capabilities. No hard copy or facsimile submissions will be accepted. Cover letters and extraneous materials such as brochures will not be considered in the page limitation. Personal visits to discuss this sources sought announcement will not be considered or scheduled.
Your firm's response shall be specific to the attached DRAFT Statement of Work and this Sources Sought Notice. Your firmB?s response is requested no later than 4:00 pm ET, Tuesday, July 31, 2018. Send responses via email to Scott Tharp, Contracting Officer, at tharp.scott@epa.gov.
6.1. GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. Is your firm currently an authorized utility provider to the U.S. EPA NVFEL (Ann Arbor, MI) facility?
2. What is the name and address of your firm?
3. Identify a responsible point of contact who can be contacted regarding your response, their phone number, and email address.
4. Please describe your firmB?s socio-economic status. Is your firm a large business, small business, a certified 8(a) small business, certified HUB Zone business and/or Service Disabled Veteran Owned concern? Identify all that apply.
5. Provide your firm's projected annual and maximum financing capability over a 25-year period in dollars that could be utilized for this contract for a project taking approximately 9-16 months to develop and award, plus an additional 12-18 months to complete construction. Assume no advance payment or financial assistance is available from the Government prior to or during the construction phase.
6. Provide no more than three (3) examples of financed energy conservation projects for which you or your prime subcontractor(s) were the prime contractor, a joint venture partner, or a first-tier subcontractor responsible for developing, financing, and/or managing the design, construction and/or post construction effort. Identify the scope of your contractual responsibilities, location, client, and size of the project in terms of construction cost and total financed amount.
7. Describe your firmB?s capability to identify and obtain all permits required by Federal, state, local and installation agencies, including the capability of complying with environmental laws and regulations?
8. Describe your firmB?s capability to work as an ESPC or UESC in the State of Michigan? What Michigan offices do you have? What is your and/or your key subcontractorB?s experience working under an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) or UESC with EPA and/or in the State of Michigan?
9. Describe your firmB?s experience or partners experience, in performing investment grade feasibility studies, economic analysis, such as Life Cycle Cost, Risk, and Return on Investment (ROI), which may be required in order to determine/demonstrate the financial viability of a proposed project?
10. Describe your firmB?s experience coordinating rebates, other incentives, and any potential interconnect/transmission discussions/agreements that may be necessary as part of a proposed project? Can your company offer rebates/incentives to the EPA NVFEL (Ann Arbor, MI) facility?
11. Describe your firmB?s capability and qualifications to search out other energy and ancillary cost savings potential in the State of Michigan?
12. Describe your firmB?s capability to develop procedures, courses of action, steps, repairs, or changes in equipment which result in lower energy costs?
13. Describe your firmB?s qualifications and capability to provide work plans/designs?
14. Describe your firmB?s capability to perform the construction efforts to include site security (fencing, lighting, and/or guard service) if required by the project?
15. Describe your firmB?s capability and qualifications to provide maintenance and repair services for any energy related equipment including computer software systems?
16. Describe your firmB?s capability to provide yearly equipment inspections to assure the equipment is being operated properly and maintenance is being performed?
17. Describe your firmB?s capability to provide all personnel including dedicated project management, tools, equipment, transportation, materials, and supervision needed to safely and efficiently perform a UESC project?
18. Describe your firmB?s capability to implement, maintain, and control a system for identification, preparation, reproduction, distribution, and maintenance of all documentation needed for its management of a UESC contract?
19. Describe your firmB?s capability to provide and maintain an effective quality control program?
20. Describe your firmB?s capability to provide, maintain, and execute an approved site safety and health plan?
21. Describe your firmB?s capability to provide metering/advanced metering, monitoring, measuring, or testing equipment to verify savings?
22. Describe your firmB?s capability to coordinate all work from all trades including subcontractors and suppliers for a UESC project?
23. Please describe the locations of your Michigan offices that will service the EPA NVFEL in Ann Arbor, MI.
24. Please describe your or your teamB?s experience with PPAs internal to a UESC.
25. Please describe your or your teamB?s experience with the utilization of buy-down funds within a UESC and specific relevance to the EPA NVFEL Ann Arbor project.
26. Please provide a list of potential key subcontractors that would work with you on this UESC.
27. Please provide any and all experience and institutional knowledge you have of the EPA NVFEL Ann Arbor facility and how that would assist your potential work at the facility.
28. Please provide a sample of the installation timeline for construction and any and all potential concerns you may have on a potential EPA Ann Arbor project.
29. Please provide your projected team, credentials, and their experience working with the EPA.
6.2. DETAILED TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
6.2.1 Technical Competencies and Experience
6.2.1.1. Experience B? Submit information on your experience on up to five (5) UESC projects, or efforts similar to the potential project, that include any of the potential ECMs described above. Responses shall include, but not limited to:
1. Specific detailed descriptions of those projects,
2. The resulting energy and water savings from those projects,
3. Financial Incentives applied to the projects,
4. An explanation of how those projects relate to the objectives (or general scope and content) of the envisioned project.
6.2.1.2. Technical Qualifications B? Describe your technical qualifications and abilities as related to our facility characteristics and project objectives to deliver a successful UESC project. The response should cover your ability, at a minimum, to:
1. Design and construct energy and water conservation measures,
2. Identify and support agency application for all available financial incentives,
3. Sustain performance and savings throughout the entire contract term,
4. Plan and perform comprehensive measurement and verification,
5. Deliver a project at a fair and reasonable price.
6.2.1.3. Qualifications to Perform an Investment Grade Audit (IGA) B? Describe your qualifications to conduct an investment grade audit (IGA) as it relates to the objectives described in the DRAFT Statement of Work and this Sources Sought Notice. The description should cover your ability to provide meaningful information to assess viable ECMs, establish baselines, and estimate energy and water savings.
6.2.2. Management Approach
6.2.2.1. Management Approach B? Describe your specific approach for conducting a UESC at the U.S. EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (Ann Arbor, MI) that shows an understanding of the project objectives, goals, and priorities for the project. Address how the opportunities and challenges could be managed. Describe the project team and resources that would be brought to the potential project, including entities you may team with. Responses shall include, but not limited to:
1. Managing the design, construction, and continued performance of energy and water conservation measures in an efficient and cost-effective manner,
2. Managing cost, schedule, and technical performance (including subcontractors if used) including the methods to monitor and report progress to customers,
3. Building quality into the project including process to identify problems and formulate solutions to mitigate difficulties,
4. Performance of operations, maintenance, repair and replacement of equipment to ensure continued equipment performance,
5. Subcontractor source selection including the significance of technical qualifications and price.
6.2.2.2. Organization & Key Personnel B? It is important that key staff be involved and available to the agency from selection through the project acceptance. Discuss how this continuity in the project team will be maintained throughout project development and construction. Responses shall include, but not limited to:
1. Management style and capacity for resources as demonstrated through the organization structure, key personnel, and subcontractor involvement,
2. Key personnel/positions integral to successful performance,
3. Maintaining continuity of the team throughout selection, project development, and construction.
6.2.3. References for Past Performance
Provide contact information for previous customers who can provide information related to the projects described under 6.2.1.1 Experience. Provide the following information for each reference:
1. Energy Project Agency and Site
2. UESC Task Order/Contract Award Date
3. Project Acceptance Date (or UESC stage, if not yet accepted)
4. Previous customer (reference) point of contact
Name:
Title/Position [CO, project manager, etc.]
Phone:
E-mail:
Tharp, Scott
