1-0346-040126 RFP Natural Gas.pdf

City of Nashua Purchasing Department

Administrative Services Division 229 Main Street - Nashua, NH 03060

229 Main Street • Nashua, New Hampshire 03061 • Phone (603) 589-3330

(603) 589-3330 Fax (603) 594-3233

March 5, 2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP 0346-040126

Energy Solicitation – Natural Gas

The City of Nashua desires to engage the services of a qualified private firm to provide competitive Natural supply to the Liberty Util i ty accounts provided herein (See

Attachment). The selected firm must be lawfully engaged as a registered Competitive

Natural Gas Supplier with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.

The City is now accepting submittals electronically via Bonfire. Please review the electronic documents linked here, Bonfire Vendor Registration and Bonfire Vendor Submission for more information. We strongly recommend that you give yourself sufficient time and at least one (1) business day before due date to begin the uploading process and finalize your submission. Copies are also available on the City’s website in the Purchasing section within the Bids section. If a

Vendor chooses to submit their proposal outside of Bonfire, the following are alternate options:

Paper: Submission one (1) copy and one digital copy on a USB drive in a sealed envelope or package clearly marked “RFP0346-040126 Natural Gas” proposals must be submitted in the format provided and address the item(s) specified in the RFP package.

Regardless of the method of submission, proposals must be received by the Purchasing Department no later than 12:00 PM on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at City Hall, Purchasing Department, Room 11, 229 Main Street, Nashua, NH 03061. Late submissions will not be accepted. Postmarks, shipping timestamps, or other proof of mailing will not be accepted in lieu of actual receipt.

Vendors are responsible for ensuring that their proposal is delivered prior to the deadline, regardless of the delivery method used. Suppliers that meet the initial submission deadline may be requested to provide daily pricing refreshes for up to seven (7) business days, from Wednesday, April 1 , 2026, through Thursday, April 9, 2026, as determined by the City.

Initial submissions must be made electronically through Bonfire or by paper submission. Any requested daily pricing updates after the initial submission shall be submitted via email to purchasing@nashuanh.gov and brownd@nashuanh.gov each business day, no later than 12:00 pm, until notified that a contract has been executed.

The time of receipt shall be considered when a proposal has been officially documented by the

Purchasing Department, in accordance with its established policies, as having been received at the location designated above. The City accepts no responsibility for mislabeled mail. Any and all damage that may occur due to shipping shall be the vendor’s responsibility.

https://nashuanh.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://www.nashuanh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28837/Bonfire-Process-Overview---Vendor-Registration https://www.nashuanh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28838/Bonfire-Process-Overview---Vendor-Submission mailto:purchasing@nashuanh.gov mailto:brownd@nashuanh.gov

RFP0346-040126 Energy Solicitation – Natural Gas

229 Main Street, Nashua, New Hampshire 03061 – Phone (603) 589-3330 – Fax (603) 589-3233

The City assumes no liability for the payment of costs and expenses incurred by any party in responding to this request for proposals. All proposals become the sole property of the City of

Nashua. This request for proposals is not a contract and shall not, alone, be interpreted as such, but rather serves as an instrument through which proposals are solicited.

The City of Nashua reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals or any part thereof, to waive any formality in the process, and to accept the proposal considered to be in the best interest of the City. The City also retains the right to purchase on the open market if it is considered in the best interest of the City to do so. The City reserves the right to cancel this request at any time for any reason.

The timeline for this project is as follows:

Projected Timeline Date Email Address/Location

Deadline for Vendor Questions Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:00 am purchsing@nashuanh.gov & brownd@nashuanh.gov

Vendor Question Answers Posted Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 pm

Vendors Proposed Supply

Contract Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 3:00 pm purchasing@nashuanh.gov & brownd@nashuanh.gov

Initial Proposals Due Wednesday, April 01, 2026, 3:00 pm

The City will consider all timely-received questions and requests for changes and, if reasonable and appropriate, will issue an addendum to clarify or modify this RFP. Answers to vendor submitted questions and other addenda will be posted on the City of Nashua website www.nashuanh.gov, under Services; Bid Opportunities; Current Bids (Refer to RFP0346-040126

Natural Gas) and on Bonfire no later than Monday, March 16, 2026 at 3:00 pm

I. INTRODUCTION

The City of Nashua is seeking proposals from interested firms registered to provide competitive natural gas services in the State of New Hampshire for the specified accounts served by Liberty Utilities listed on Attachment A.

• Attachment A consists of the City of Nashua’s and School’s natural gas meters, currently being supplied by a 3rd party competitive energy supplier, which will be end on 11/30/2026.

• Submissions should address one or more of the terms requested. The Parties are requesting firm- fixed prices for Natural Gas. The Parties prefer to select a single

Supplier to provide the entire load offered in this solicitation but reserves the right to choose different suppliers if pricing or terms so dictate. Fees payable to the supplier should be billed through Liberty Utilities.

• Suppliers must submit a copy of their proposed supply contract no later than two (2) weeks prior to the proposal due date of Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 3:00 pm to purchasing@nashuanh.gov and brownd@nashuanh.gov Two separate contracts are mailto:purchsing@nashuanh.gov mailto:purchasing@nashuanh.gov http://www.nashuanh.gov/ required: one covering the accounts listed on the “City List” and a second covering the accounts listed on the “School List,” as identified in Attachment A: City/School Natural

Gas Meters.

II. CLIENT INFORMATION

Name: City of Nashua

Address: 229 Main Street, Nashua NH 03061

Number of accounts: 55 accts. totaling approximately 125921 dth

Tax exempt: Yes

III. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Character of Service

• Parties require firm, all requirements (load following) service.

• Parties request two contracts. One contract for the accounts listed under “City” and another for the accounts listed under “Schools” in Attachment A”.

Term/Start Date

• Contract Start Date 12/1/2026 for both City and School natural gas meters listed in

Attachment A.

• Parties request pricing for the following periods, service to begin on earliest possible date based on utility cycle and switching deadlines.

o 12 months o 24 months o 36 months

• Suppliers may propose other periods they believe could provide value to the City.

Additionally, the City may request alternative term pricing at any time during this selection process.

Pricing

• Fixed Pricing: Firm, fixed price quotes. Please provide an “all in” price (i.e., all cost components built into one price, no additional pass through costs, 100% swing).

Other

• Proposal responses should clearly state the following in the submission o Delivery tolerances – clearly state applicable delivery tolerances (e.g., daily, monthly, over/under % allowed, etc.)

o Material Adverse Change – please specify if a “MAC” type clause exists, and if so, specify the details.

• The City may request or allow respondents to refresh pricing at any time during this selection process.

• During the contract period, the Parties reserve the right to take advantage of “Blend and

Extend” opportunities or other term extension opportunities offered by the supplier when, determined solely by the governing body, it is in the best interest of the Parties to do so.

Usage

• Billing histories used for the purposes of developing proposals for this RFP are estimates and the Parties do not guarantee dth usage or mmbtu loads going forward. This RFP will not consider minimum take or pay provisions.

IV. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, EVALUATION CRITERIA, SCHEDULE

• Supplier qualifications and capabilities will be a factor in the selection process.

• Suppliers may submit any supporting information that will be beneficial in the evaluation of supplier and supplier proposals.

• Evaluation will take into consideration supplier responsiveness, price structure, experience, and market presence.

• Suppliers are required to provide a copy of their proposed supply contract two weeks before proposals are due on Wednesday, March 18 at 3:00 pm. There should be two separate contracts, one for the accounts on the “City list” and another for the accounts on the “school list” listed in Attachment A: City/School natural gas meters.

• The Parties reserve the right to reject all proposals and to terminate this solicitation.

• This solicitation does not obligate the City to negotiate a contract with any supplier.

Inquiries: All inquiries regarding this solicitation must be directed by e-mail to:

Amy Girard, Purchasing Manager, City of Nashua, e-mail: purchasing@nashuanh.gov

Doria Brown, Energy Manager, City of Nashua, e-mail: brownd@NashuaNH.gov

Preparation of proposals: Proposals shall be signed by the proposer’s authorized representative. Proposers are requested to submit pricing for requested services, however, alternative proposals will be considered but only if the alternate is described completely, including, but not limited to, specifications sufficient so that a comparison to the request can be made.

The proposal should include the following:

1. A detailed description of the firm and its related experience in providing similar services. Include names and telephone numbers of references that may be contacted. Proposals should include a minimum of three (3) references from customers who have contracted similar services.

2. Any information (above) requested in this proposal request.

3. Cost proposal(s).

mailto:brownd@NashuaNH.gov

4. Any and all addenda issued after the release of this RFP. Upon issuance, addenda can be found on the City website or on Bonfire with the original proposal documents.

Selection and Evaluation Criteria: After receipt of proposals, the City will evaluate the proposals and will use the following criteria in its evaluation:

1. Qualifications of the vendors. Considered in this category will be the:

• Relevant experience of the vendor.

• Reputation of the firm based on references.

• Financial stability of the firm

2. Technical approach of the proposal to include responsiveness to meet or exceed the proposal requirements.

3. Proposed cost

4. Billing and payment terms