0172-0549 Contracts Special Provisions.pdf

This is a Special Provisions document for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Energy Resilience Construction Grants program. The solicitation seeks proposals from eligible entities including municipalities, municipal electric utilities, investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, and other qualified organizations to design and construct projects that enhance the resilience of Connecticut's electric grid against extreme weather, wildfires, natural disasters, and outage-related disruptions. Individual project grants range from $10,000 to $6 million, with approximately $24 million in total funding available. Proposals are due December 1, 2026. The scope encompasses resilience-focused infrastructure upgrades and distributed energy resource deployments throughout the state. Applicants must demonstrate project readiness through preliminary engineering and environmental assessments, with preference given to shovel-ready projects. Evaluation criteria include technical merit, cost-effectiveness, community benefit, and alignment with state energy goals.

Funding derives from three sources: Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Section 40101(d) formula funding, state bond cost match funding authorized under Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-243y, and Federal Sustainable Energy Program BIL funding. Selected projects will be subject to grant agreements requiring progress reporting, financial documentation, and compliance with construction timelines and quality standards. All applicants must comply with applicable federal and state procurement regulations, prevailing wage requirements, and environmental review processes. The solicitation requires detailed project descriptions, budget justifications, community resilience plans, and evidence of local support as part of the application package.