1-01 - Specifications .pdf

City of Dallas

Request for Information (RFI)

Project Title: Cost for construction services for installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) System at the Martin Luther King, Jr.

Community Center

MLK Solar Construction

Buyer Solicitation Number: BH25-00028400 http://www.dallascitynews.net/

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION, PURPOSE, & INTENT

This is a Request for Information (RFI) and is not a Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposal (RFQ/RFP) or Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal (RFCSP). This request is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be misconstrued as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the City of Dallas.

This RFI is issued solely for information, drafting, and planning purposes. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be advertised on the City’s Office of Procurement Services website at https://dallascityhall.bonfirehub.com/login and it is the responsibility of the potential respondents to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

Any work performed by a Respondent to this RFI will be at the Respondent’s own discretion and expense. Responding to this RFI provides no advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants for future solicitations should the City of Dallas choose to issue such solicitations.

SECTION 2: THE PROJECT

The City of Dallas received a grant form the Department of Energy (DOE) for installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) System to be located at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center located at 2922 Martin Luthor King, Jr. Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center was built in 1973, please refer to Attachment A for as-built electrical single line diagrams for the facility.

In 2023, a detailed solar citing study was performed for the project location, and it was estimated that a 1.09MW DC solar PV system could be installed on the campus buildings as well as carport solar in the parking lot. Please refer to Attachment B for solar citing study analysis.

To comply with grant requirements, all the materials/components used for this project should be in compliance with Build America, Buy America (BABA) act provisions. More information regarding BABA act requirements is provided in Section 3. Any deviation from the BABA act provisions would require filing a waiver with DOE. Please refer to Attachment C for BABA waiver request form.

To finalize the grant award process, the City of Dallas must provide BABA compliant materials/components costs and information related to any specific waivers that need to be applied for materials/components which are not BABA act compliant to DOE.

This RFI is for project costs associated with construction services only. An RFI for project costs associated with design and engineering services will be issued separately.

The information collected from this RFI would help the City of Dallas to finalize the grant award from DOE, once the grant is awarded, a formal RFCSP is expected to be published in 3rd quarter of 2026 with project construction commencing in 4th quarter of 2026.

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SECTION 3 SCOPE OF WORK

The City of Dallas invites established and qualified vendor firms to provide “turn-key” construction services for the installation of rooftop Solar PV on the campus buildings as well as carport solar in the parking lot at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. Vendors should avoid any proprietary or sensitive details when responding to this RFI.

Turn-key services should include but not limited to procurement of materials, permitting, installation, interconnection, maintenance, and warranties of Solar PV, controls, data acquisition and commissioning.

The proposed project will be funded through a grant award issued by the Department of Energy (DOE). Use of the grant funds requires that the materials/components used in project comply with the BABA act provisions as shown below.

The Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act provisions within the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) requires that “the head of each Federal agency must ensure that none of the funds made available for a Federal award for an infrastructure project may be obligated unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials incorporated into the project are produced in the United States” (2 CFR 184.1).

Specifically, in the case of manufactured products, the product must be both (a) manufactured in the United States and (b) the cost of components of the manufactured product that are mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States must be greater than 55 percent of the total costs of all the components of the manufactured product (2 CFR Part 184.3). In determining whether the cost of components for manufactured products meets that threshold, manufacturers must use the following instructions quoted from 2 CFR 184.5:

1. “For components purchased by the manufacturer,

• The acquisition cost, including transportation costs to the place of incorporation into the manufactured product (whether or not such costs are paid to a domestic firm), and

• Any applicable duty (whether or not a duty-free entry certificate is issued);

2. For components manufactured by the manufacturer,

• All costs associated with the manufacture of the component, including transportation costs as described in paragraph (a) above, plus

• Allocable overhead costs, but excluding profit. Cost of components does not include any costs associated with the manufacture of the manufactured product.”

The sum of these costs must exceed 55 percent of the total costs of all the components of the manufactured product for that product to be BABA-compliant.

Please refer to Attachment D for more details related to BABA act provisions.

Project construction costs should include all the turn-key services needed for a fully functional system for the following two scenarios listed below. Vendors need to identify and list all the project components not meeting BABA act provisions when providing the project construction costs.

Construction must comply with current adopted Texas, Dallas County, and City of Dallas Building Codes.

Major system components should meet the following requirements listed below.

Modules: System modules shall be certified to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61215 or 61646 performance standards, Underwriter Laboratories (UL) 1703 fire code listed, and California Energy Commission (CEC) listed. All modules should be BABA act compliant, if the proposed modules are not BABA act compliant please provide the applicable information in Sections 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 11.1, 11.1.1, 11.1.2, 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.2.3, 12 & 13 in Attachment C for BABA waiver request form.

Inverters: Shall be performance certified to IEC 62109, UL1741 listed and CEC-listed with an efficiency of 95% or higher. All inverters should be BABA act compliant, if the proposed modules are not BABA act compliant please provide the applicable information in Sections 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 11.1, 11.1.1, 11.1.2, 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.2.3, 12 & 13 in Attachment C for BABA waiver request form.

Racking System: Racking systems must be designed to integrate with various roof types, including asphalt shingles, metal roofs, and concrete. The racking system must withstand the weight of the solar panels and environmental loads like wind, snow, and seismic activities. Racking systems must comply with relevant local building codes and UL certifications. All materials/components used in the racking system should be BABA act compliant, if the proposed modules are not BABA act compliant please provide the applicable information in Sections 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 11.1, 11.1.1, 11.1.2, 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.2.3, 12 & 13 in Attachment C for BABA waiver request form.

Solar Carports: Solar carports in parking lots shall be at least 9 feet above the ground. All materials/components used in carports should be BABA act compliant, if the proposed modules are not BABA act compliant please provide the applicable information in Sections 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 11.1, 11.1.1, 11.1.2, 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.2.3, 12 & 13 in Attachment C for BABA waiver request form.

SECTION 4: QUESTIONS FOR RESPONSE

Interested vendors are invited to respond to the following questions;

Part A. Introduce your company – Introduce your company and include your relevant work experience in this field Part B. Capabilities and Technical Experience – What level of technical skills or capabilities should be expected to be considered a qualified firm for this type of project?

Part C. Experience – How many years of experience in this specific type of work should be expected in a qualified firm?

Part D. Cost - What is expected to be the total turnkey construction cost based on the scope of work listed above in Section 3 for the two different options listed below. One being based on the size of the system as proposed in the solar citing study (Attachment B), and the other based on the availability of potential grant funds for the proposed project.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C2GCGD_enUS1149US1149&sca_esv=ff452058d59b7f49&cs=0&q=asphalt+shingles&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR4vi4i7OOAxXlRDABHZBdB-QQxccNegQIPhAB&mstk=AUtExfCC3NQK00Q7piwyqh3Y06vNE-HUIzFtt2AfWnoOFLmbUIe1Y2YmvOv7r57f8pOH7Wo4A55DiWBiwu0QIv6TGM34s_GAZ6dt1xhWRYRclmiGcBu_QqdayzuKh_-PvR0KjnQ&csui=3 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C2GCGD_enUS1149US1149&sca_esv=ff452058d59b7f49&cs=0&q=metal+roofs&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR4vi4i7OOAxXlRDABHZBdB-QQxccNegQIPhAC&mstk=AUtExfCC3NQK00Q7piwyqh3Y06vNE-HUIzFtt2AfWnoOFLmbUIe1Y2YmvOv7r57f8pOH7Wo4A55DiWBiwu0QIv6TGM34s_GAZ6dt1xhWRYRclmiGcBu_QqdayzuKh_-PvR0KjnQ&csui=3 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C2GCGD_enUS1149US1149&sca_esv=ff452058d59b7f49&cs=0&q=concrete&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR4vi4i7OOAxXlRDABHZBdB-QQxccNegQIPhAD&mstk=AUtExfCC3NQK00Q7piwyqh3Y06vNE-HUIzFtt2AfWnoOFLmbUIe1Y2YmvOv7r57f8pOH7Wo4A55DiWBiwu0QIv6TGM34s_GAZ6dt1xhWRYRclmiGcBu_QqdayzuKh_-PvR0KjnQ&csui=3 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C2GCGD_enUS1149US1149&sca_esv=ff452058d59b7f49&cs=0&q=UL+certifications&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR4vi4i7OOAxXlRDABHZBdB-QQxccNegQIPRAB&mstk=AUtExfCC3NQK00Q7piwyqh3Y06vNE-HUIzFtt2AfWnoOFLmbUIe1Y2YmvOv7r57f8pOH7Wo4A55DiWBiwu0QIv6TGM34s_GAZ6dt1xhWRYRclmiGcBu_QqdayzuKh_-PvR0KjnQ&csui=3 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C2GCGD_enUS1149US1149&sca_esv=ff452058d59b7f49&cs=0&q=UL+certifications&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR4vi4i7OOAxXlRDABHZBdB-QQxccNegQIPRAB&mstk=AUtExfCC3NQK00Q7piwyqh3Y06vNE-HUIzFtt2AfWnoOFLmbUIe1Y2YmvOv7r57f8pOH7Wo4A55DiWBiwu0QIv6TGM34s_GAZ6dt1xhWRYRclmiGcBu_QqdayzuKh_-PvR0KjnQ&csui=3

Option 1:

Project Size: 1.09MW DC solar PV system Project Annual Solar Output: To be provided by the vendor Project Cost: To be provided by the vendor

Option 2:

Project Size: To be provided by the vendor.

Project Annual Solar Output: To be provided by the vendor Project Cost: Grant funding from the project is estimated to be approximately $3.75M

- The vendor is required to provide a detail cost breakdown at a minimum for the main system components listed below of the total project cost.

- For any other lumpsum costs, the vendor needs to provide a brief description of costs associated.

- Provide detailed product cut sheets for proposed materials/components and include letters from manufacturers for BABA act compliant.

Option 1:

No. Equipment Item Qty Unit Cost ($) Total Cost ($) 1 Solar Panels 2 Inverters

Rooftop solar mounting

Structural Steel for carports

5 Others

Option 2:

No. Equipment Item Qty Unit Cost ($) Total Cost ($) 1 Solar Panels 2 Inverters

Rooftop solar mounting

Structural Steel for carports

5 Others

Part E. Waiver for exclusions to BABA act provisions – What are the chances for not meeting BABA act provisions. Provide detailed applicable information in Sections 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 11.1, 11.1.1, 11.1.2, 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.2.3, 12 & 13 in Attachment C for BABA waiver request form for filing a waiver with DOE for any proposed materials/components which are not BABA act compliant.

SECTION 5: ASSOCIATED COSTS

No compensation is available to any party for providing information to this RFI solicitation.

Any/all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the respondent’s expense and the City will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this solicitation.

SECTION 6: NOTICES & INQUIRIES

This RFI and any related amendment and notices will be published to this solicitation on Bonfire.

Notices related to this RFI will be sent to the vendor lists registered with Bonfire for the associated goods/services, and other known potential vendors through additional outreach search functions/databases.

Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing through Bonfire, the City’s procurement portal website at https://dallascityhall.bonfirehub.com/login. Verbal questions will not be accepted.

Responses to any inquiries submitted through Bonfire will be answered by publishing an addendum to this solicitation.