ABS Solar RFP 05012025.pdf

Anchor Bay School District

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

ON PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING BASIS

Solar Design and Installation

Date of RFP Issue: 5/1/2025 Proposal Due Date: 5/16/2025

1. Contents

Section Topic Page 1 Contents 1 2 Objective 2 3 Overview 2 4 RFP Schedule 3 5 Site Information 4 6 Site Examination 4 7 Provider Qualifications 5 8 Personnel Qualifications 5 9 Project Scope and Standards 5

10 Proposal Content 6 11 Technical Specifications 8 12 Operations and Maintenance 9 13 Project Schedule 9 14 Financial Statements 9 15 Selection Committee 9 16 District Responsibility 10 17 Right to Reject Proposals 10 18 RFP Exhibit

A. General Site Overview Information

ATTACHMENT A: General Site Information (aerial photo). Guidance for Energy Generation Calculation (PV Watts. If you have additional calculations specific to your proposal/plan, those may be included in ADDITION to the PV Watts information.)

ATTACHMENT B: Electrical information – Electric bills and demand data to be provided via secure sharefile.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

2. Objective

Anchor Bay School District hereinafter referred to as “the District” is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified contractors to design, install and potentially monitor/maintain a solar installation on the roof of Anchor Bay High School.

The District is requesting proposals from qualified firms to provide turn-key solar photovoltaics (PV) services through an Energy Saving Performance Contract. The District is be the owner of all tax benefits, environmental credits, IRA rebates, utility rebates, and other benefits derived from the system. The system is to be a rack mounted bifacial solar array to integrate with the newly installed white membrane roofing. The roof has been replaced with a premium white membrane for the purpose of an integrated solar photovolataic system to maximize performance and financial return.

The overall size is to be 950-999 KW.

Responses shall be submitted no later than 10:00 AM local tilme on May 16, 2025.

Responses should be clearly marked with “Response to Request for Proposals for High School Solar-Do not open until 10:00 AM 5/16/2025.” The Superintendent or representative of the district will open the bids at that time and read the proposals aloud.

Late responses will not be considered.

3. Overview

The District is seeking proposals from interested firms that are capable of designing, engineering, installing, guaranteeing and maintaining a solar PV project limited to the following site:

1) Anchor Bay High School

For purposes of this RFP, respondents should limit their responses to only the site or sites noted above.

The District believes on-site PV power generation will provide a long-term financial benefit by reducing energy costs, while capturing available IRA incentives.

The program will provide high quality power with minimal visual impact. Through on-site PV solar generation, the District hopes to:

• Reap the financial benefits of Federal IRA rebates for the integrated solar/roof system.

• Reap the financial benefits solar generation

• Reduce environmental impact.

• Provide an example of successful renewable energy generationnd showcase District stewardship.

Through this RFP process, the District intends to select only one proposer for the solar project, and is looking for the “best value” proposal based on the selection criteria stated within this RFP. Best value considerations may include but are not limited to cost, savings, guarantees, reliability, risk, equipment/system quality, equipment lifespan, and utility program risk.

4. RFP Schedule

The following schedule and deadlines apply to this solicitation:

Recommended Pre-Bid Meeting—10:00 AM, May 7, 2025. (Anchor Bay High School, 6319 County Line Road, Fair Haven, MI 48023)

Date for Final Submittal of Questions –May 13, 2025 no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

Submit questions to:

Kurt Carter Performance Contracting Owner’s Representatives KCarter@PCOwnersReps.com

Proposals are Due—May 16, 2025, no later than 10:00 AM local time.

1 Original and 2 hard copies PLUS 3 electronic copies. The electronic copy **should be on USB flash drives.

Proposal should be Addressed and delivered to:

Cory Wiley Maintenance Supervisor Anchor Bay School District 5201 County Line Rd, Casco, MI 48064

Proposals must be clearly marked as follows:

Company Name Contact Name/Title Address “Response to Request for Proposals for High School Solar-Do not open until 10:00 AM 5/16/2025

Interviews will be held—May 19, 2025 (Tentative). It is the intent of the District to recommend one company/proposer to the board at a May 28, 2025 BOE meeting.

5. Site Information

The High School currently uses approximately 4.13 Million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually at a total delivered cost of $432,321. The detailed power usage of the facility will be provided.

The High School has undergone renovations and those renovations are nearly complete.The exact demand and energy will be expected to change (decrease) slightly further from the conservation measures below. The lighting improvements were installed beginning in the summer of 2024 and are now nearly complete. The Controls were completed in September 2024. Energy Conservation Measures included.

LED lighting (new fixtures or retrofit) EMS/Controls upgrade

For the purpose of this RFP and proposal, the District is requesting that all proposals be based on a common assumed baseline electric reduction of 10%, to allow for the complete impact of the aforementioned improvements.

Electric bill summaries have all been entered into Excel. Scanned electric bills will be available via a secure sharefile.

6. Examination of Site Prior to Submitting Proposal

Each provider must inform themselves fully of the conditions relating to the project.

Failure to do so will not relieve a successful bidder of the obligation to carry out the provisions of the contract.

The provider will design, install and commission the project. The provider will also be responsible to secure proper interconnection applications and approvals of the local utility and any other applicable permits. The provider will take into account the facilities’ electrical demand and load patterns, proposed installation site, materials , applicable zoning ordinances, installation costs and other relevant factors, which shall be discussed in the provider’s proposal. The provider should make every effort to visit the site and determine the best course of action for the facility. It is the District’s intent to minimize its overall resultant combined electric utility costs, solar costs, as well as maximize rebates and incentives.

Before submitting a proposal, providers will have the ability to tour the site as part of the Pre-bid Conference. Additional re-visits of the installation site may be schedule by contacting Cori Wiley at cwiley@abs.misd.net to re-visit the installation site if needed.

Proposals shall be for roof rack mounted mounted installations.

7. Provider Qualifications

To qualify as the provider for award of this agreement, the prime provider must demonstrate extensive training, relevant expertise and a thorough knowledge of the professional services, functions, activities and related responsibilities to successfully perform their role in this solar photovoltaic installation.

8. Personnel Qualifications and Abilities

Specialized experience is required of the proposed project personnel to undertake the work assignments. Proposals must clearly demonstrate the background, training, licenses and experience of the proposed personnel. The availability of the proposed staff is also of crucial importance and must be demonstrated. Specific project responsibility of staff to be assigned to the project must be included.

Provider(s) shall possess:

Valid and pertinent State of Michigan contractor construction licenses.

Michigan Professional Engineerin**g (PE) registration for photovoltaic/electrical, structural, civil, and fire protection work as applicable. Some of this work if subcontracted should be identified and the firm listed if known.

9. Project Scope and Standards

Turn-Key. The provider will design, procure, install, potentially maintain the system. The District will own the photovoltaic system. However, this is considered a turn-key proposal and the scope of this project is all inclusive, including planning, engineering, labor, materials, delivery, installation and commissioning. This includes all structural and utility modifications that are required. The District recognizes that structural review and certain other elements may be subcontracted.

The provider shall include in its proposal all elements necessary for a turn-key project including rebate applications, utility connection agreement, all permits and approvals from governing agencies and all labor, taxes, services and equipment.

Provider shall apply for and obtain all necessary permits required by Anchor Bay School District and all regulatory agencies including federal, state, and local jurisdictions. All fees shall be the responsibility of the applicant. Provider shall obtain a Michigan business license.

Voluntary Alternates. The district would also welcome voluntary alternates to increase it’s overall return on this investment.

o Vendor Recommendations o Maintenance proposals

Savings Forecast. A key element of the project is the ability to accurately forecast and guarantee the savings. In addition to PV Watts, lease provide detailed calculations (in Excel) that show your savings calculations. These should demonstrate that you understand the project and the local utility rate. The District will be reviewing not only the level of savings forecasted but also accuracy of the approach. The District may make internal adjustments to compare proposals.

The successful respondent will guarantee savings and use an accepted Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) methodology to measure and verify the savings.

General o If the project scope includes multiple electrical services, net metering will be located at each electrical service; however, the provider shall make the decision on the best location for metering and the numbers of meters required.

o Ownership of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (RECS) or Certificates should be assumed to be owned by the District. If ownership of the Solar RECs changes the pricing, Provider shall provide separate pricing dependent on control of Solar RECs or carbon credits, etc.

o Connection to the local Utility – the Proposer is responsible for all connections and facilitating purchase agreements to the Utility for systems. This project shall be designed so as to not export power to the utility.

o All equipment shall be UL listed. All installations shall comply with current local government approved building and electrical codes. Guaranteed minimum output from the sys*tem shall be 85% of the expected performance output from the system.

10. Content of Proposal

Proposals shall have Arial text font at a minimum of 11 point in size. They shall be printed on 8 1/2” & 11” paper. In order to maintain uniformity with all proposals furnished by providers, proposals shall include the following:

Overview of Principal Elements.

a. Summary with principal elements of the project

b. Description of your approach

c. Suggestions and special concerns

d. Overview of self-performed vs subcontracted work

Schematic Design Layout.

a. Schematic layout

b. Equipment type, model number, wattage, number of modules

c. Inverter type and model

d. shall provide a system schematic design layout for the systems, including photovoltaic model type and model no., wattage, number of modules, year 1 production, degradation percentage, , mounting system type, azimuth, tilt, system size AC and DC, Production

a. Year 1 Production

b. Degradation rate

c. Schedule of 25 year expected production/30 year expected production

Savings

a. Detailed savings forecast and calculations.

Warranty

a. Full system/labor

b. Panels

c. Inverters

Minimum Qualifications. Sufficient information for the District to evaluate the provider’s ability to successfully complete the scope of work and to meet the following minimum qualifications:

A list of personnel who will work on the project, including resumes of proposed project team members that delineates education, current licenses and certificates, prior employment and titles (included as attachments);

Project Team Structure: An organizational chart describing the roles and responsibilities of each person

Appropriate licensing in good standing

References. A list of similar relevant projects which your firm completed within the last 5 years. To be considered, respondents are required to have designed, installed, and completed a minimum of five (5) solar PV projects in the United States that are commercial with utility interconnection. Two (2) of the referenced projects must be with local governments, schools, or state government and one must be of a similar scale and type. All five (5) PV projects must be currently providing the expected solar generation production.

Project information should include project description, agency or client name along with the person to contact, telephone number(s) and e-mail addresses, year completed and project cost and size (AC KW).

Warranties/Guarantees. The proposer shall provide the following minimum warranties/guarantees. (Longer manufacturer guarantees will be noted and are preferred.)

• Complete System -2 year minimum

• PV Panel Warranty-25 year minimum

• Inverter Warranty-10 year minimum

Signature. Proposal shall be signed by a company official with the power to bind the company in its proposal. Bid bond (5% of Project value). Familial Disclosure Statement.

Technical Specifications

a. (See Technical Section)

Schedule

a. Proposed development and construction schedule

11. Technical Specifications

The following technical information should be discussed in this section.

Major equipment manufacturers DC and AC capacity rating Expcted annual energy production in kWh by month o Provide PV Watts output and inputs, see Appendix A for further guidance on PV Watts calculations.

Communications, control and instrumentation Facility limitations that may constrain operation Project Management plan Quality assurance plans Start-up and testing Factory and performance tests Design loading (wind, etc.)

Description of frequency and duration of scheduled maintenance Provide any information that could impact the cost, construction schedule or output capability of the project Proposals shall demonstrate a proven, comprehensive data acquisition system with current and historical data available remotely through a real-time internet site capable of tracking, but not be limited, to the following:

o Site-specific actual kWh production (average and cumulative totals) o Site-specific instantaneous maximum kWh production

Proposals shall provide evidence that the proposed technology and equipment would meet or exceed all currently applicable and proposed safety and interconnection standards. All equipment components must be listed or recognized by an appropriate safety laboratory (e.g., Underwriter’s Laboratory [UL]), and meet existing facility structural and fire safety requirements.

Proposals shall provide evidence that the proposed technology and equipment would meet or exceed all curretly applicable and proposed environmental standards.

Proposals shall provide evidence that the proposed technology and equipment are designed for normal operation in the Fair Haven Michigan climate.

Proposals shall provide evidence that the proposed technology does not incorporate proprietary components and that the system design allows for multiple sources of supply and/or repair.

12. Operatons and Maintenance

Please describe the recommended maintenance for the system. If possible, please provide the cost for the District to purchase this service on an annual basis.

13. Project Schedule

All proposals must include a project schedule that includes the following milestones:

Permitting begins [Date] Final design plans complete [Date] Equipment ordered [Date] Construction begins [Date] Electrical generation begins [Date]

14. Financial Statements

Please submit a detailed financial report prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) reflecting the current (as of the most recent financial statement date) financial condition of the provider. Such report must include a balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows, along with applicable footnotes, dated concurrently for at least each of the last preceding three years.

15. Selection

The District has established a Selection Committee to evaluate provider proposals. The evaluation of each proposal will be based on cost, savings, quality, technical criteria and qualifications, reference checks, guarantees, and risks. This district will be using an independent third party owner’s representative to assist in the evaluation of the proposals, subsequent interviews, and contracts.

16. District Responsibility

The District will be responsible for the following:

Providing all available existing plans and records. Provider is responsible for researching available records and copying records needed to successfully implement the photovoltaic projects of this RFP.

Coordinating access to the site for provider review prior to submittal of proposal.

17. Right to Reject Proposals

Bid proposals shall remain valid for 30 days after opening of the proposals.

The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted and no representation made herein that any contract will be awarded pursuant to this RFP or otherwise. The District reserves the right to waive irregularities or formalities in the RFP process, in its discretion.

Each Provider submitting a proposal, by submitting a proposal, agrees to hold the District and its employees and agents harmless for any costs, claims, damages associated with the RFP process or the Provider’s submission of a proposal.

All costs incurred in the preparation of the proposal, the submission of additional information and/or any aspect of a proposal prior to award of a written contract will be borne by the provider.

The District will provide only the staff assistance and documentation specifically referred to herein and will not be responsible for any other cost or obligation of any kind which may be incurred by the respondent. All proposals submitted become the property of the District.

18. RFP Exhibits

ATTACHMENT A: General Site Information (aerial photos). Guidance for Energy Generation Calculation (PV Watts. Please show additional calculations specific to your proposal/plan.)

Attachment A Anchor Bay High School