SAP

State of South Carolina

AMENDMENT 1

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400028662 10/20/2025

JON BAYSDEN

803-896-5304 jbaysden@mmo.sc.gov SFAA, Div. of Procurement Services, 1201 Main Street, Suite 600 1333 Main Street, Suite 700 Columbia SC 29201

DESCRIPTION: IRA HOMES and HEAR Rebate Program Implementation

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: Office of Regulatory Staff

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 11/18/2025 11:00 AM ET (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 10/09/2025 12:00 PM ET EXPIRED

(See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: Two (2) Online submissions – One (1) Original and One (1) Redacted Copy Initial here if NO redacted copy is necessary___________ See Section II A “Submitting Confidential Information” clause, and Section IV “Submitting Redacted Offers” clause

CONFERENCE TYPE: Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference DATE & TIME: 10/08/2025 10:00 AM ET (Virtual) EXPIRED

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions)

LOCATION:

Virtual MSTEAMS Link – Email jbaysden@mmo.sc.gov if link needed.

(See Section IIB “Conference – Pre-Bid/Proposal” clause)

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of ninety (90) calendar days after the Opening Date.

(See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer) Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________

___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

SAP

SAP

PAGE TWO

(Return Page Two with Your Offer) HOME OFFICE ADDRESS (Address for offeror's home office / principal place of business)

NOTICE ADDRESS (Address to which all procurement and contract related notices should be sent.) (See "Notice" clause)

_________________________________________________ Area Code - Number - Extension Facsimile

_________________________________________________ E-mail Address

PAYMENT ADDRESS (Address to which payments will be sent.) (See "Payment" clause)

____Payment Address same as Home Office Address ____Payment Address same as Notice Address (check only one) ORDER ADDRESS (Address to which purchase orders will be sent) (See "Purchase Orders and "Contract Documents" clauses)

____Order Address same as Home Office Address ____Order Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

Offerors acknowledges receipt of amendments by indicating amendment number and its date of issue. (See "Amendments to Solicitation" Provision)

DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See "Discount for Prompt Payment" clause)

PREFERENCES - A NOTICE TO VENDORS (SEP. 2009):

Preferences do NOT apply to Requests for Proposals per SC Consolidated Procurement Code §11-35-1524(E)(5)

PREFERENCES - ADDRESS AND PHONE OF IN-STATE OFFICE:

Preferences do NOT apply to Requests for Proposals per SC Consolidated Procurement Code §11-35-1524(E)(5)

PAGE TWO (SEP 2009)

End of PAGE TWO

IRA HOMES and HEAR Rebate Program Implementation

SOLICITATION 5400028662

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004)

(a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov (b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation (1) by signing and returning the amendment, (2) by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two, (3) by letter, or (4) by submitting a bid that indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment. (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged. [02-2A005-1]

QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS - AMENDMENT (JUN 2017)

The Solicitation is amended as provided herein. Information or changes resulting from questions will be shown in a question-and-answer format. All questions received have been reprinted below. The “State’s Response” should be read without reference to the questions. The questions are included solely to provide a cross-reference to the potential offeror that submitted the question. Questions do not form a part of the contract; the “State’s Response” does. Any restatement of part or all of an existing provision of the solicitation in an answer does not modify the original provision except as follows: underlined text is added to the original provision. Stricken text is deleted. [02-2A097-1]

The Mailing Address has changed as shown on the cover page of this amendment and below.

Mailing Address: SFAA, Div. of Procurement Services,

Effective October 27, 2025, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, Division of Procurement Services is moving. The new physical address will be:

State Fiscal Accountability Authority Division of Procurement Services 1333 Main Street, Suite 700 Columbia, SC 29201

You should submit any offers on-line (see clause entitled On-Line Bidding Instructions).

If you must submit a paper offer or modification on or after October 27, 2025, please use the address above.

Any protests submitted on or after October 27, 2025, should be submitted by e-mail to protest-mmo@mmo.state.sc.us or to the address above.

The following changes have been made to Section IV INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT and Section IX ATTACHMENTS TO SOLICITATION: UNDERLINED RED TEXT is added to the original provision. STRICKEN TEXT is deleted.

IV. INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT

INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT -- EVALUATION (MODIFIED)

In addition to information requested elsewhere in this solicitation, Offerors should submit the following information for purposes of evaluation:

You shall submit a Technical Proposal and a Price Proposal of your offer in separate and distinct documents. Both documents must be uploaded as part of your online submission. In addition to your original offer, you are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to submit a redacted copy of the Technical Proposal. Otherwise, all information provided may be shared with others in subsequent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests. [Reference 04-4030-2]

Contractor qualifications are of paramount importance as each program (HOMES and HEAR) has unique instructions and multi-faceted reporting requirements. Offerors must submit their offers in a clear and concise manner and should not include “Marketing Material” or excessive images. Offerors shall submit all the following documents (as applicable) for the purposes of evaluation or their offers may be deemed non-responsive. Offerors should follow the listed format:

Proposal

1. Offerors must submit a signed copy of the cover page (page one and two) and acknowledge any amendments (as applicable).

2. Qualifications and Experience

a. Explain the Offeror’s experience with communication skills, timeliness, and cost effectiveness.

b. Describe the Offeror’s Qualifications and Experience with development and design implementation of HOMES and/or HEAR programs.

c. Identify any other states the Offeror has assisted in design of their experience in the implementation of HOMES and HEAR programs.

d. Describe the Offeror’s experience and understanding of residential energy efficiency program design implementation.

e. Describe the Offeror’s established and proven network of partners/subcontractors.

f. Provide resumes for Key Personnel who will be assigned to this contract. (may be listed as an attachment).

g. Describe the Offerors understanding and experience with the following:

a) Energy Efficiency (EE)

b) Home Assessments

c) Installation Initiatives

d) Process and delivery of rebates.

e) Data collection and evaluation

f) Income Verification

g) Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

h) Current utility rebate programs as offered in SC.

i) Federal flow-down requirements

j) Federal reporting requirements

k) Federal cost principals as outlined in CFR-Part 200 and as amended by Part 910; and

l) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

h. Include a detailed, narrative statement listing the three most recent, comparable contracts (including contact information) which have been performed. For each contract, describe how the services provided are similar to those requested by this solicitation, and how they differ.

i. Include the most current financial statement and financial statements for the last two fiscal years. (may be listed as an attachment).

j. A list of every state which the Offeror has conducted HOMES and/or HEAR programs from a design or implementation perspective.

k. List of failed projects, suspensions, debarments, and significant litigation.

3. Technical Solution

a. Describe the Offerors solution to meet or exceed the Program Goals, Objectives and Deliverables listed in Section III – Scope of Work/Specification, Numbers 1 – 4; including a comprehensive plan that defines the approach and methodology it intends to utilize to meet the goals and objectives of each Program as well as a Narrative of how they will meet the deliverable requirements.

b. Describe the process to ensure quality customer service to program participants.

c. Table of Key Personnel and their allocation to this contract.

d. Describe the Offerors approach to Stakeholder Engagement.

4. Price

a. Offerors must submit a price for the total value of the offer separately for HOMES and HEAR, to include:

1) Milestone Payments – Offerors must include justification as to how they arrived at each value of milestone payments; and

2) Hourly Rates

5. Submit a Projected Timeline (in days) and milestones to complete the implementation of HOMES and HEAR programs pursuant to the Implementation Plan (see Section IX Attachments To Solicitation).

Attachments

a. Response to MINORITY PARTICIPATION (APR 2024)

b. Signed Attachment L – USDOE CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSURANCES

If you fail to provide the following items above, your proposal may be rejected.

MINORITY PARTICIPATION (APR 2024)

Is the bidder a South Carolina Certified Minority Business? [ ] Yes [ ] No Is the bidder a Minority Business certified by another governmental entity? [ ] Yes [ ] No If so, please list the certifying governmental entity: _________________________ Will any of the work under this contract be performed by a SC certified Minority Business as a subcontractor? [ ] Yes [ ] No If so, what percentage of the total value of the contract will be performed by a SC certified Minority Business as a subcontractor? _____________ Will any of the work under this contract be performed by a minority business certified by another governmental entity as a subcontractor? [ ] Yes [ ] No If so, what percentage of the total value of the contract will be performed by a minority business certified by another governmental entity as a subcontractor? _____________ If a certified Minority Business is participating in this contract, please indicate all categories for which the Business is certified:

[ ] Traditional minority [ ] Traditional minority, but female [ ] Women (Caucasian females) [ ] Hispanic minorities [ ] DOT referral (Traditional minority) [ ] DOT referral (Caucasian female) [ ] Temporary certification [ ] SBA 8 (a) certification referral [ ] Other minorities (Native American, Asian, etc.)

(If more than one minority contractor will be utilized in the performance of this contract, please provide the information above for each minority business.)

The Department of Administration, Division of Small and Minority Business Contracting and Certification, publishes a list of certified minority firms. The Minority Business Directory is available at the following URL: http://smbcc.sc.gov (.) [04-4015-4]

SUBMITTING REDACTED OFFERS (MAR 2015)

If your offer includes any information that you marked as "Confidential," "Trade Secret," or "Protected" in accordance with the clause entitled "Submitting Confidential Information," you must also submit one complete copy of your offer from which you have removed or concealed such information (the redacted copy). The redacted copy should (i) reflect the same pagination as the original, (ii) show the empty space from which information was redacted, and (iii) be submitted on magnetic media. (See clause entitled "Electronic Copies - Required Media and Format.") Except for the information removed or concealed, the redacted copy must be identical to your original offer, and the Procurement Officer must be able to view, search, copy and print the redacted copy without a password. [04-4030-2]

IX. ATTACHMENTS TO SOLICITATION

ATTACHMENTS LIST [09-9002-1]

The following documents are attached to this solicitation:

ATTACHMENT A: TERMS AND ACRONYMS

ATTACHMENT B: IMPORTANT TAX NOTICE - NONRESIDENTS ONLY

ATTACHMENT C: OFFEROR’S CHECKLIST—AVOID COMMON BID/PROPOSAL MISTAKES

The Following Attachments Are Attached Separately in SCEIS:

ATTACHMENT D: HOMES AND HEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

ATTACHMENT E: HEAR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PLAN

ATTACHMENT F: HOMES EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PLAN

ATTACHMENT G: HEAR CONSUMER PROTECTION PLAN

ATTACHMENT H: HOMES CONSUMER PROTECTION PLAN

ATTACHMENT I: HOMES UTILITY DATA ACCESS PLAN

ATTACHMENT J: HEAR PRIVACY AND SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT

ATTACHMENT K: HOMES PRIVACY AND SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT

ATTACHMENT L: USDOE CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSURANCES

ATTACHMENT M: IRA SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The following questions were received pursuant to the original date and time specified on the front of the solicitation:

1. To what extent will the State be receptive to selected offeror feedback on proposed Implementation Plan adjustments that incorporate learnings and best practices from HOMES/HEAR implementation experience in other states?

State’s Response: The USDOE has not approved the SCEO State Implementation Plan or Blueprints. SCEO reserves the right to incorporate feedback from the selected Implementation Contractor into the State Implementation Plan or Blueprints with the understanding that USDOE would need to approve any changes once initially approved.

1. For Section III, 6 – Milestone Dates in the solicitation, can the State describe in greater detail what it means by “Contractor must start providing services within 30 days following the effective award date”? For example, can the State specify which services it expects the selected offeror to perform or deliver?

State’s Response: In the event USDOE issues approval of SCEO’s State Implementation Plan and Blueprints, Contractor should be prepared to mobilize and implement the State Implementation Plan and Blueprints in coordination with SCEO. The Services to be performed are listed in detail in Section III.

1. Given the State’s stated contract set up of 1-year plus 1-year extensions thereafter, does SCEO expect to rebid HOMES/HEAR implementation services after the first year?

State’s Response: See Section VII. TERMS AND CONDITIONS – B. SPECIAL under TERM OF CONTRACT – OPTION TO RENEW (FEB 2021). In addition, and currently, SCEO does not anticipate resoliciting HOMES/HEAR implementation services after the initial term.

1. Section III – Payment Item 7 states “ORS will approve project work for reimbursement to the Contractor for up to 95% of the total grant award prior to processing the final reimbursement and completing the monitoring report.” Can the state clarify whether the monitoring report is completed on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or another cadence? In other words, can the State clarify the duration that the selected offeror(s) will be expected to carry the 5% in unreimbursed expenses between the time of invoice submission to the completion of the monitoring report?

State’s Response: There is no required monitoring report. Section III. SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS under 7. Payment h. has been updated as follows (stricken text is deleted): ORS will approve project work for reimbursement to the Contractor for up to 95% of the total grant award prior to processing the final reimbursement and completing the monitoring report.

1. Section IV – INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT –

a) Can the State confirm that the information requested in Item 4 of the solicitation is what offerors should submit as the price proposal?

State’s Response: Section IV contains detailed instructions for the Qualifications and Experience, Technical Solution, Price, and Timeline elements of the Contractor proposal.

b) It is safe to assume that offerors should not include any pricing information in the technical proposal?

State’s Response: You shall submit a Technical Proposal and Price Proposal of your offer in separate and distinct documents.

1. There appears to be a difference between the RFP (Solicitation 5400028662, page 17 Deliverable 1- sub-bullet e.) and Attachment D: Implementation Plan (Page 21, section A2) regarding the party responsible for conducting home assessments. Could the State please clarify whether assessments are expected to be performed exclusively by contractors, or if implementors may also be considered for this role (beyond the pilot phase)?

State’s Response: The offeror which is awarded the contract may choose to perform this work itself or through subcontractor(s). Regardless, the offeror which is awarded the contract is fully responsible for complying with the terms of the contract, all work, and for payment to any subcontractor(s).

1. How will the State determine reasonableness of price, e.g., what are the evaluation criteria and metrics the State will employ?

State’s Response: See Section VI. AWARD CRITERIA under EVALUATION FACTOR – PROPOSALS (MODIFIED) (3) PRICE (Maximum 20 Points)

1. Upon full approval from USDOE, can the State provide additional detail / explanation regarding the flow of funds? Based on section 7 how long should the awarded vendor expect to receive payment?

State’s Response: See Section VII. TERMS AND CONDITIONS – A. GENERAL under PAYMENT and INTEREST (FEB 2021).

1. Section IV – #3c Technical Solution – “Table of Key Personnel and their allocation to this contract.” Can the state clarify what it means by “allocation to the project?”. For example, is the State interested in reviewing and evaluating the estimated percent level of effort, the number of estimated hours allocated, and/or the general roles and responsibilities that key personnel will perform?

State’s Response: Provide a Table of Key Personnel and their allocation to this contract so that SCEO may evaluate the personnel working on this contract, general roles and responsibilities being performed and the hours being billed for their effort.

1. Could you please provide the anticipated timeline for the State’s responses to offerors’ questions?

State’s Response: Questions submitted by Offerors’ will be answered by an Amendment. See Section II. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – A. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS under AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004)

1. Ref. Page 17 under Section III, 3. Scope of Work, Services to be provided item m). “Assist SCEO to maintain the program website…”. Q. Who is hosting the website and what is the platform?

State’s Response: SCEO’s program website is hosted by the State. Assistance is required from Contractor in the form of providing updated content (program updates, graphs and charts, eligibility tools, etc.) regarding the IRA HOMES and HEAR Programs. This information will then be provided to SCEO’s internal IT Team for website maintenance.

1. Ref. Page 17 under Section III, 3. Scope of Work, Services to be provided item s). " Provide Installation Incentives for qualifying activities…" Q. Please expand on what SCEO means by the contractor providing this service and what types of incentives does SCEO have in mind?

State’s Response: Under DOE guidelines, states are required to pay Contractors per-household incentives for qualifying installations/activities under HOMES and HEAR. For HOMES, Contractors performing installations in disadvantaged, LMI communities will receive a $200 incentive. For HEAR, SC has adopted USDOE’s default Contractor incentive structure without modification. See Attachment D for additional information.

1. Ref. Page 17 under Section III, 3. Scope of Work, Deliverable 1 - item a) “Process and disburse rebates to eligible households”. Q. Is the intent for the selected vendor to issue the rebates and then seek reimbursement from the state or will the state be issuing rebates directly to recipients based on confirmed eligibility?

State’s Response: The intent is for the selected vendor to issue rebates and seek reimbursement from the SCEO after the rebate has been issued.

1. Ref. Page 17 under Section III, 3. Scope of Work, Deliverable 2 - item c) “Paying and processing rebates to eligible households”. Q. Is the intent that the awarded contractor will be responsible for fronting the monies needed for rebates?

State’s Response: The intent is for the selected vendor to issue rebates and then seek reimbursement from the SCEO after the rebate has been issued.

1. Ref. Page 18 under Section III, 3. Scope of Work, Deliverable 2, item d) Provide Installation Incentives for qualifying activities. Q. Please expand on what SCEO means by the contractor providing this service and what types of incentives does SCEO have in mind?

State’s Response: See State’s Response to Question 12.

1. Ref. page 20, under INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT -- EVALUATION (MODIFIED) “In addition to your original offer, you are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to submit a redacted copy of the Technical Proposal.” Q. Please confirm that we may submit a redacted copy for both Technical and the Price proposal.

State’s Response: See Section II. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – A. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS under DISCLOSURE OF YOUR BID / PROPOSAL and SUBMITTING CONFIDENTIAL DATA (FEB 2021)

1. Ref. Page 21 under Section IV, 3.a. (Technical Solution) requires offerors to "Describe the Offerors solution to meet or exceed the Program Goals, Objectives and Deliverables listed in Section III – Scope of Work/Specification, Numbers 1 – 4." Section III - Scope of Work/Specifications, 4.a under Contractor Role and Qualifications (page 18) appears to directly align to some of the response requirements of Section IV, 2. Qualifications and Experience. Q. To avoid duplication of information, please confirm that we may use our best judgment on placement of qualifications and experience information to address Section III 4.a. “Contractor must possess expertise regarding…” in response to Section IV, 2. Qualifications and Experience in lieu of item Section IV, 3.a. Technical Solution (which also asks us to provide information regarding qualifications and experience).

State’s Response: Offerors may use best judgment on placement of qualifications and experience information to avoid duplication of information.

1. As a privately held company there is a high degree of sensitivity concerning our financial reports, therefore is it possible to have a (mutual) non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in place before we release our company financial reports? Will SCEO be willing to provide an NDA or can bidder provide their NDA to SCEO to execute prior to our submittal on Nov. 18th?

State’s Response: For the Evaluation Panel to perform their duty, they require an Offeror to provide the information requested in Section IV. INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT. To address a potential Offerors apparent concern regarding the information, be advised that Each Panel Member must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before Technical Proposals are released to them, and this NDA remains in effect after their duties as a Panel Member are concluded. In addition, if an Offeror submits a copy of its Technical Proposal with that information redacted, that Redacted Technical Proposal is what will be released should there be a request for documentation under the Freedom of Information Act (a FOIA request). See Section II. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR BID / PROPOSAL and SUBMITTING CONFIDENTIAL DATA (FEB 2021).

1. In the Solicitation Document, Section III (SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS) Item 3 (Scope of Work) line-item “r” regarding financing organizations. Is it the expectation that the selected Implementer will manage this process or simply provide access to such organizations to the program participants?

State’s Response: Expectation is that the selected Contractor will facilitate access to such organizations for the program participants, as necessary.

1. Under I. Scope of Solicitation, we have a question about this statement: “Furthermore, notwithstanding anything in the Agreement to the contrary, in the event USDOE or other authorized federal agency denies reimbursement of ORS for or claws back funds paid to Contractor under the Agreement, ORS shall have the right to terminate the Agreement and receive a refund from Contractor for any such payment that was not reimbursed or was clawed back.” For that statement, can the state provide an example situation where this claw back would be applied?

State’s Response: The language in the Solicitation speaks for itself and shall not be modified by the following example. If ORS pays an invoice submitted by Contractor and USDOE or other authorized federal agency later clawed back the reimbursement to ORS of that paid invoice in whole or in part, Contractor would be obligated to refund to ORS the payment which was clawed back.

1. While Section 7. Payment clarifies the cadence for administrative invoicing as monthly, can the state clarify the cadence for reimbursement for paid HEAR and HOMES rebate dollars? Is the state open to a cadence more frequent than monthly for rebate reimbursement?

State’s Response: Offerors may submit “Requests for Exceptions” or “Requests for Negotiation” as an attachment to their Offer. Offerors requiring the State to negotiate prior to Contract Award will be deemed non-responsive. See Section VI. AWARD CRITERIA under DISCUSSIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS – OPTIONAL (FEB 2015) for additional information.

1. Regarding this statement under CONTENTS OF OFFER (RFP) (FEB 2015), “Offers which include either modifications to any of the solicitation's contractual requirements or an offeror's standard terms and conditions may be deemed non-responsive and not considered for award,” does this mean that Bidder cannot ask to negotiate language in the General or Special Terms & Conditions in the RFP.

State’s Response: Offerors may submit “Requests for Exceptions” or “Requests for Negotiation” as an attachment to their Offer. Offerors requiring the State to negotiate prior to Contract Award will be deemed non-responsive. See Section VI. AWARD CRITERIA under DISCUSSIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS – OPTIONAL (FEB 2015) for additional information.

1. If the offeror is submitting an offer with multiple partners, will the collective experience of all offering parties be considered for both “qualifications and experience”?

State’s Response: Joint Bids are not allowed. See Section II. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – A. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS under BID/PROPOSAL AS OFFER TO CONTRACT (JAN 2004). For an Offeror who includes sub-contractors, the sub-contractors experience will also be evaluated.

1. Page 17 of Solicitation attachment: Please clarify what is meant by j. “provide third party training verification.” With the selected Contractor being responsible for "providing training specifically to assist contractors in participating in the rebate programs”, it is unclear what third-party training verification the selected Contractor would then be responsible for.

State’s Response: Please provide any relevant third-party training verification (BPI, etc.) that the prospective Contractor may possess that could be relevant to, assist in, or provide additional assistance with implementation of SCEO’s IRA HOMES and HEAR Programs.

1. If the ongoing government shutdown affects the planned program launch dates, will the state revise the implementation timeline accordingly?

State’s Response: USDOE has not approved the SCEO Implementation Plan or Blueprints; therefore, no launch dates have been determined for the IRA HOMES and HEAR Programs.

1. In the Minority Participation section (Pg. 21) the state asks what percentage of the contract will be assigned to a state registered minority owned business; is there a state requirement or goal for this percentage?

State’s Response: No. There is not a state requirement or goal for this percentage.

1. In the RFP under ‘Technical Solution: Solution to meet or exceed program goals, objectives and deliverables,’ the RFP states that the offerer must ‘Describe the Offerors solution to meet or exceed the Program Goals, Objectives and Deliverables listed in Section III – Scope of Work/Specification, Numbers 1 – 4; including a comprehensive plan that defines the approach and methodology it intends to utilize to meet the goals and objectives of each Program as well as a Narrative of how they will meet the deliverable requirements.’ Will you please clarify which sections are included in ‘Numbers 1-4’?

State’s Response: All of Section III 1-4: Overview/History; 2. Project Goals; 3. Scope of Work; and 4. Contractor Role and Qualifications

1. Will the SCEO consider contracting with multiple bidders for specific portions of this work (i.e., income verification software and specialized services), or will SCEO only consider responses submitted by a single implementer or team?

State’s Response: See Section VI. AWARD CRITERIA under AWARD TO ONE OFFEROR (JAN 2006)

1. Can the SCEO confirm the percentage of HOMES/50121 funds that will be allocated to low- and moderate-income households?

State’s Response: In alignment with the proportion of low-income households across the state, South Carolina will allocate at least 39.9% of total rebate funding to low-income households (defined as those with incomes below 80% of the area median income (AMI)). Additionally, at least 10% of rebate funds will be directed to support energy efficiency improvements in low-income multifamily buildings.

1. Can the SCEO confirm whether the evaluation of vendor proposals will favor bidders who’ve worked on IRA Rebates that have been launched or awarded?

State’s Response: See Section VI. AWARD CRITERIA under EVALUATION FACTOR – PROPOSALS (MODIFIED) image1.png