2026-8-12 Town of Ulysses Solar RFP REVISED-final.docx

TOWN OF ULYSSES GROUND-MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

(revised from RFP issued 4/16/26)

RFP Issue Date: August 13, 2026 Pre-Bid Site Meeting Date: August 27, 2026 Proposal Due Date: September 30, 2026 Installation Site: 3888 Colegrove Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886

The Town of Ulysses is soliciting proposals from qualified solar energy system contractors for the design, procurement, installation, and commissioning of a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system at the Town Barn site located at 3888 Colegrove Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886. The exact size and location of the installation will be determined in collaboration with Town officials and the installation contractor.

The project will be funded through a NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities grant ($100,000), the NY-Sun program and, possibly, through the federal ITC direct pay incentive. The Town’s expectation is to keep the project cost within the total amount of grant funding. Applicants must comply with all applicable local zoning ordinances including the Town of Ulysses Solar Energy Systems Law and work with the Town to ensure compliance with NYSERDA’s Program Requirements.

As this is a Public Works Contract with an estimated value exceeding $10,000, the Town seeks written quotations from at least three different qualified solar PV contractors. In accordance with NY State Labor Law, this project is required to pay prevailing wage to the selected contractor and any subcontractors.

Installation shall be completed by December 31, 2027.

Background The Town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York has been benefitting from roof top solar at the Town Hall and Town Barn buildings since 2011. As the Town has electrified space conditioning and hot water at these buildings as well as added an EV charging station, electric energy consumption has exceeded the existing solar production. The Town has recently received funding through NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program to expand solar power on Town property to offset as much of its current and anticipated energy consumption as possible based on available funding for the project.

The Town seeks to install a ground-mounted solar energy system at the Town Barn site with sufficient capacity such that, ideally, in combination with existing rooftop solar, the Town generates enough energy to offset its current and future electrical energy use at four electrical meters owned by the Town. These meters are located at the Town Barn, Town Hall, one street lighting circuit and an exterior lighting circuit at the Cayuga Nature Center. The Town will use NYSEG’s Remote Credit program to assign generation from this new system to these other Town-owned electric meters.

The energy system covered under this proposal shall not interfere in any way with the existing leased system at the Town Barn to ensure there are no complications at the end of the lease term.

SCOPE OF WORK

System Specifications The proposed system should be as close as possible to the targeted 44.5 kW DC nominal capacity and 45,852 kWh generation annually at the time of installation, within the constraints of both available grant funding and compliance with the Town Standards for Minor Solar Collection Systems (212-139.1), which includes the requirement that total collector surface area of minor solar collection systems “shall not exceed 2,000 square feet,” as well as with all other Town Zoning Laws. The system should be either a ground-mounted fixed-tilt or a single-axis system. Location of the solar field within the parcel, which is flat and relatively open, should not interfere with ongoing Town Highway Department material handling and operations. The location must be approved by the Highway Superintendent and Town Officials. The proposed system must be approved by the assigned NYSERDA Project Manager for the CEC grant and must meet NYSERDA’s minimum performance requirements:

· Cost must not exceed $6.00/watt

· Project shall have a Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF) of no less than 70 as per the approved Shading Report submitted with the NY-Sun application.

· Project must participate in the NY-Sun Program

· Equipment must be in continuous use for a period of at least four (4) years.

Key Components

1. Solar Panels or Modules should be Tier 1 with a minimum efficiency rating of 20%, offer a 25-year linear performance warranty and should be IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certified

2. Inverters should be string inverters or power optimizers as appropriate, be UL 1741 SB certified for grid interconnection, and carry a minimum 10-year warranty.

3. Racking System should be engineered for local wind and snow loads per NYS Building Code, made of corrosion-resistant materials, and carry a 10-year minimum structural warranty.

4. Electrical Components comprising the balance of systems should include, as needed, DC and AC combiners, disconnect switches and surge protection along with an easy-to-use monitoring system.

Contractor Responsibilities

1. The selected contractor shall provide complete system design and engineering drawings including any necessary upgrades to the existing electrical system.

2. The selected contractor shall be responsible for submitting and securing all necessary permits and approvals including but not limited to a NYSEG/RG&E interconnection study, and for providing the documentation necessary to obtain a Town Building Permit including site plan approval and variance (if needed), and for the Town to submit a SEQR application, (if needed).

3. The selected contractor shall be responsible for successfully submitting all materials required to secure NY-Sun incentives for this project. They are also responsible for ensuring that the system technically qualifies for the base Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit (48e).

4. The selected Installation contractor shall be responsible for a complete turnkey installation including site preparation, grading and clean-up, equipment procurement and delivery, and system start-up and testing.

5. The selected contractor shall provide a two-year comprehensive warranty on the system as well as orientation of Town personnel to system monitoring and maintenance. The selected contractor is encouraged to provide an optional Operations and Maintenance (O&M) service agreement beyond the two-year comprehensive warranty.

6. The selected contractor must comply with all New York State prevailing wage requirements under Labor Law Article 8, including payment, reporting, posting, and recordkeeping obligations for all workers and subcontractors on this project.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

The contractor must comply with the specific requirements for the Hamlet Neighborhood Zone as well as the Town Solar Energy System Requirements (§212-139.1) under Town of Ulysses Land Use Law.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Project Phasing Due to the complicated nature of determining utility interconnection requirements, this project is scheduled to be completed in two phases. Phase 1 consists of system design and application to NYSEG for system interconnection. The interconnection study should reveal any utility side system upgrades that may be required such as a larger capacity transformer which will add to the total cost of the system installation. If utility side upgrades, including interconnection study costs, result in a total project cost that exceeds the budget of the Town, the Town reserves the right to reduce the system size in order proceed to Phase 2, the purchase, installation and startup of the system. The Town will not switch contractors between Phases but may decide to reduce the size of the system or not to move on to Phase 2 if the resulting project cost is too high.

Proposal Format Each bid proposal must include:

1. An Executive Summary that highlights the system design, lists total project cost broken out by Phase, and lists any key differentiators about the system.

2. The Technical Proposal listing detailed system design, equipment specifications and warranties, monthly solar production estimates and guarantees, projected monthly utility cost and VDER compensation, and project schedule and milestones.

3. The proposer’s Qualifications including a company profile, relevant experience and certifications, evidence of NYS Labor Law Article 8 compliance capability and 3 references from similar municipal projects.

4. A Budget showing detailed project cost breakdown and payment schedule tied to milestones. Please also include the projected incentives from NY-Sun and Federal Clean Energy Investment Tax Credits available to the Town through Direct Pay. Also include an estimate of interconnection fees based on previous experience and describe any reasons the estimate may change for this project.

5. Contractor shall pay all workers employed on this project no less than the Prevailing Wage Rates and supplements set forth in the applicable Department of Labor wage schedule, as required by New York Labor Law Article 8. Contractor shall maintain and submit certified payroll records as required by law. The Town has obtained a Prevailing Rate Case Number (PRC# 2026011248 - Install Ground Mounted Solar) from the New York State Department of Labor.

6. In lieu of a performance bond, the Town will implement a retainage of 10% to be paid out at substantial completion (system turned on), less twice the value of the remaining work to be performed, which will be paid within 30 days of final completion (including NY-Sun approval/sign off and demonstration of successful system monitoring system/training). Projects that exceed the expected $100k threshold will be required to purchase a Performance Bond as required by NYS Municipal Law.

7. The Contractor must provide proof of the required insurance, and shall maintain at least the limits of liability as set forth below:

a. Commercial General Liability Insurance

- $1,000,000 Each Occurrence Limit (Bodily Injury and Property Damage)

- $2,000,000 General Aggregate

- $2,000,000 Ongoing & /Completed Operations Aggregate

- $1,000,000 Personal and Advertising Injury Limit Town of Ulysses, along with their respective officers, agents and employees, shall be named as additional insureds for Ongoing Operations and Products/Completed Operations regarding Commercial General Liability, which must be primary and noncontributory with respect to the additional insureds.

b. Business or Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance

- $1,000,000 combined single limit per accident Town of Ulysses, along with their respective officers, agents and employees, shall be named as additional insureds regarding Business or Commercial Automobile Liability, which must be primary and noncontributory with respect to the additional insureds.

c. Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance

- $1,000,000 Each Accident

- $1,000,000 Each Employee for Injury by Disease

- $1,000,000 Aggregate for Injury by Disease

d. A Waiver of Subrogation Clause shall be added to the General Liability, Automobile and Workers Compensation policies in favor of Town of Ulysses.

e. All policies shall provide for thirty (30) days' notice to Town of Ulysses for cancellation or any change in coverage.

Site Visit Walk Through: (3888 Colegrove Rd.) Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 1:00 pm Project Completion Date: December 31, 2027

Submission Instructions RFP Submission Deadline: 4:00pm Wednesday, September 30, 2026 Proposals should be sent electronically to:

Town Clerk Carissa Parlato clerk@townofulyssesny.gov

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated based on best value determination per General Municipal Law:

PROCUREMENT PROCESS

Timeline

Pre-Bid Conference and Site Visit An optional pre-bid conference and site visit at 3888 Colegrove Road will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 1pm.

Questions and Clarifications All questions must be submitted in writing to bsandler@taitem.com by September 4, 2026. Responses will be issued on September 11 as an addenda to all prospective bidders.

Procurement Policy Compliance This procurement qualifies as an Energy Performance Contract pursuant to NYS Energy Law 9-103. As such, the Town is issuing a request for proposals instead of competitively bidding on this project, and accordingly may award this contract to the vendor who best meets the Town’s specifications. In the event that the Town receives less than three written proposals, the Town Board may choose to proceed if it determines doing so is in the best interest of the Town.

The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, cancel this RFP at any time, request clarifications or additional information, negotiate with selected proposer(s), and make an award to a proposer other than lowest bidder. All proposals become property of the Town and are subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).

All proposals prepared in response to this RFP are at the sole expense of the respondent, and with the express understanding that there will be no claim whatsoever for reimbursement from the Town for the expenses of preparation. The Town shall not be liable for any expenses incurred by the respondent in development of this proposal.

Contract Negotiations The selected proposer will be asked to submit their form of agreement for review and negotiation. Upon coming to final agreement on the terms and conditions of a contract, the Town Board will award a contract to the selected proposer. In the event the Town and selected proposer are unable to agree on terms and conditions, then the Town may negotiate with any other proposer it deems capable of completing the scope of work and otherwise qualified.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions related to RFP/Bid Requirements/Site Visit:

Bennett Sandler, Taitem Engineering; Senior Energy Analyst Email: bsandler@taitem.com

Requests for Documents/Additional Information:

Teressa Naylor, Second Deputy Supervisor Email: tnaylor@townofulyssesny.gov Phone: (607) 387-5767 ext. 235

The Town of Ulysses is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustainable practices and renewable energy development in accordance with its Comprehensive Plan and Climate Action Goals.