Bid Notice-Geothermal Feasibility Study - City Of South Lake Tahoe.pdf

City of South Lake Tahoe

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Geothermal Feasibility Study

RFP Issue Date: June 12, 2026

Proposal Due Date: July 13, 2026 (5:00 PM PDT)

Contact: Ricky Riddle, CIP/Facilities Program Manager, Public Works, City of South Lake Tahoe

Email: rickycriddle@gmail.com Phone: (530) 721 - 1250

1. Project Background & Objectives

The City of South Lake Tahoe seeks qualified mechanical engineering firms or geothermal specialists to provide budgetary estimates and preliminary feasibility assessments for deploying ground-source heat pump (GSHP / geothermal) systems at key municipal facilities, in addition to other recommended geothermal applications potentially suited for the City.

Primary Goal: Evaluate technical viability, economic feasibility, lifecycle costs, and federal incentive optimization (especially IRA Section 48 ITC direct pay) to reduce natural gas use for high-load applications in a cold, snowy climate. Specific attention towards regulatory agencies/Authorities Having

Jurisdiction’s within the Tahoe Basin will be required.

Focus Areas:

• Snowmelt Systems (highest priority): Existing ~8 million BTU/hr boiler assembly at the Explore

Tahoe Visitor Center (4114 Lake Tahoe Blvd), snowmelt options at the new Recreation & Aquatic

Center, and other general pedestrian/vehicular snowmelt opportunities.

• Recreation & Aquatic Center: Supplement or replace pool heating boilers and evaluate integrated or dedicated geothermal snowmelt systems.

• New Fire Station (~12,000 sf): Integrate geothermal HVAC and/or snowmelt from schematic design phase.

• Citywide Feasibility Evaluation of geothermal applications towards existing city infrastructure.

Specifically focused on current high energy/natural gas utilization facilities and targeting cost effective/cost neutral installation(s) of geothermal mechanical assemblies.

This informal RFP supports early screening, viability assessment, and scope refinement before a potential full formal study.

2. Scope of Services Requested

The City seeks answers to 3 general questions:

1. Is it technically feasible to use Geothermal energy in South Lake Tahoe?

a. Is there a need for test wells?

b. How deep would wells need to be to tap into Geothermal energy?

2. What types of service could use Geothermal (e.g snow melting, heating pools, or heating buildings?

3. What steps would the City need to take to use Geothermal energy?

4. Identify potential project’s associated risks—including but not limited to potential subsurface conditions, permitting, building integration, estimated cost, and long-term performance via geothermal operations.

a. Explain the likelihood, potential impact, proposed mitigation, and any conditions that could make the project impractical or not cost-effective.

Firms should propose a phased, desktop-level assessment delivering Rough Order-of-Magnitude (ROM) costs for implementation and high-level recommendations focused on geothermal viability and cost analysis.

Key Tasks:

1. Desktop Resource & Load Assessment

2. Technical Feasibility Screening (with specific attention to focus areas such as snowmelt at the new Rec Center, Explore Tahoe, and City Parking Garage)

3. Economic & Incentive Analysis (including ITC maximization)

4. Regulatory & Risk Overview

5. Deliverables (technical memos per site, consolidated summary, phased recommendations, presentation materials)

Note on Scope Flexibility: The study is designed to start as a desktop-level assessment but can expand to a more intensive effort (site visits, preliminary ground-loop modeling, or test bores) depending on grant funding availability and City priorities.

3. Qualifications & Experience

• Demonstrated expertise in cold-climate GSHP systems, municipal snowmelt, and pool heating.

• Experience with federal tax credits (IRA Section 48) and public-sector projects.

• Familiarity with California/Tahoe Basin projects preferred.

• Team must include licensed mechanical engineers (PE).

4. Proposal Requirements

Submit a concise PDF proposal (max 10 pages) including:

• Cover Letter with firm qualifications

• Approach & Methodology

• Scope Confirmation & Deliverables

• Budgetary Cost Proposal (itemized, no fixed City budget established)

• Schedule

• Relevant Project Examples

• References

5. Evaluation Criteria

1. Technical approach & understanding of geothermal viability/cost analysis (35%)

2. Relevant experience & team qualifications (30%)

3. Cost competitiveness & value (20%)

4. Schedule & responsiveness (15%)

6. Timeline

• RFP Issued: June 12, 2026

• Questions Deadline: July 6, 2026

• Proposals Due: July 13, 2026

• Selection: Late-July 2026

7. Terms & Conditions

This is an informal solicitation. No fixed budget has been established — final budget will be determined based on proposals received, and grant funding availability. For reference, similar municipal geothermal feasibility studies range from $15K to $150K+ depending on depth and deliverables.

The City of South Lake Tahoe reserves the right to not award to any proposers.

8. Funding Strategy

Consultants are encouraged to identify potential external grant funding sources to support the study, including:

• California Energy Commission (CEC) Geothermal Grant and Loan Program

• EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG)

• DOE Community Geothermal Heating & Cooling programs