Questions RFP No. 00042061.pdf

RESPONSE TO CONTRACTOR QUESTIONS

RFP No. 00042061 – Roof-top Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Project(s) at UMCP

1. Q: Is this project intended to include a solar canopy system where the contractor is required to design/build the canopy structure as well, or is the scope limited to rooftop solar only? If it is a combination of both rooftop and canopy solar, please clarify the expected scope for each.

A: Contractors are expected to build, own, operate, and maintain complete solar generation systems that, at a minimum, include a solar canopy structure and solar array at the Shuttle Bus facility. However, if the Shuttle Bus facility is insufficient to meet UMD’s stated goal of developing 1,300 MWdc of solar capacity, additional rooftops have been offered for consideration. We are not seeking to develop any more area than is required to meet our 1,300 MWdc goal at this time.

2. Q: What is the service voltage rating for the project site?

A: Service is provided by a 13.8 kVA to 480V transformer, with 480V out to charger.

Chargepoints have DC converters.

3. Q: How many utility meters are associated with the proposed solar installation?

A: This installation is behind a single utility meter.

4. Q: Can the electric bills be provided so we can prepare a proper cashflow and savings analysis?

A: We are not requesting that bidders prepare a cash flow analysis. We are requesting fixed PPA pricing for power purchased from the successful Bidder’s project during the term of the contract.

5. Q: Is there an available site plan or layout showing the proposed installation areas?

A: Yes, See Attachment 6.

6. Q: Is the site visit mandatory for bidders?

A: No, but it is highly recommended that bidders are familiar with the site(s) prior to submitting a proposal.

7. Q: Could you please clarify what is meant by the “Required Commercial Operation Deadline”?

A: This should be read as synonymous with Commercial Operation Date. If more guidance is needed, we suggest referring to IRS guidance regarding production and investment tax credits.

8. Q: Is a bid bond mandatory for this solicitation?

A: No, see Section 4.2.2.3

9. Q: Are there any bird control scope work for this project?

A: None are specified with the RFP, but an effective bird mitigation strategy should be included in the proposal and included in the PPA pricing.

10. Q: Can you provide the electrical diagrams/drawings available for the property?

A: Yes, see Amendment 002. Any additional drawings available will be provided to the successful Bidder.

11. Q: May projects performed by a proposed subcontractor in a defined scope role satisfy the §

4.2.4.1 project-experience requirements, or must all five project descriptions be for the prime Contractor’s projects? If subcontractor projects are permitted, please confirm what evidence of the subcontractor’s commitment the University requires and how “substantial ownership” under § 4.2.4.4 will be assessed.

A: UMD is seeking Prime Contractors that are qualified to design, build, own, and operate the types of systems sought in this solicitation. Bidders that are heavily reliant on subcontractors to meet core qualifications will be received less favorably during the evaluation process unless the proposal makes a strong case that Prime/Sub have strong and long-term business relationships that allow the team to provide the required services in a stable and reliable manner.

12. Q: Please issue the omitted § 4.2.1.1 by amendment, or confirm that the references are to be drawn from the five projects described in § 4.2.4.1. Please also confirm whether the three active references and one inactive reference are in addition to, or the same as, those project descriptions.

A: Please delete three active references and one inactive reference under 4.2.

13. Q: Does SDVOSB status receive any evaluation credit or consideration in the best value determination under § 3.1.2.4? If so, in which volume should the certification documentation be submitted?

A: No, although they are highly encouraged to respond.

Q: Which provision governs? In the “Contractor retains SRECs” case, please confirm how proposers should address the Scope of Work requirement for exclusive University ownership of environmental credits, and whether the University would accept substitute green-e RECs under § 4.4.2.4 in that case.

A: UMD is seeking pricing for two cases. In the first, the PPA pricing includes UMD’s ownership of the SRECs. In the second, the contractor retains ownership. In the second case, UMD will manage the purchase of its own SRECs or Green-e equivalent RECs to meet its needs.

14. Q: Please confirm whether “fixed price” means a level $/MWh rate held constant for the full term, or whether a rate with a stated fixed annual escalator is acceptable. If an escalator is permitted, please confirm any cap and how escalating and level proposals will be normalized for financial evaluation under § 3.1.4.

A: UMD requires a fixed, level $/MWh rate for the term of the PPA.

15. Q: Please confirm that the governing degradation figure is the annual degradation rate stated by the Contractor in its Attachment 2 submission, applied to the Attachment 3 hourly production values. Please also confirm whether that figure is fixed for the PPA term or subject to periodic re-establishment, and how it relates to the 1% annual ceiling in § 4.4.1.5.

A: The annual degradation rate is to be proposed by the Bidder and reflected in the annual generation estimates for the term of the PPA. However, UMD will not accept bids that include a degradation rate estimate that exceeds 1% annually.

16. Q: Please confirm whether the buy-down is a single payment made upon final acceptance of all awarded sites, and the expected interval between acceptance and payment. If the award includes two sites that reach acceptance at different times, please confirm whether any portion of the buy-down is payable at the first site’s acceptance.

A: The buy-down is expected to be payable within 60 days of acceptance for the entire 1,300 MWdc worth of project(s). The buy-down is a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration and funds would be first received by UMD, then payable to the successful bidder.

17. Q: Should the buy-down be allocated pro rata by site — and if so, on the basis of kWdc or capital cost — or may proposers allocate it at their discretion, provided the total is correctly reflected?

A: No. UMD is seeking a single PPA price for all sites and so we do not believe it is necessary to prorate the buy-down.

18. Q: Please confirm that federal investment tax credits and applicable adders are assumed to be claimed and retained by the Contractor for purposes of the federal-leverage requirement, and identify the evidence of that leverage the University requires with the proposal.

A: At the proposal phase, contractors must simply state the type and amount of incentives included in their PPA pricing. Documentation received from the IRS can be provided once it is received.

19. Q: How will the University evaluate proposals whose aggregate capacity is materially above or below 1,300 kWdc, and is there a minimum or maximum that would make a proposal unacceptable?

A: UMD’s stated capacity goal is consistent with its grant application to MEA and a condition of the grant award. We would discourage bids that fall short of the 1,300 kWdc capacity. Likewise, UMD discourages bids that are more than 5% above the target.

20. Q: Please confirm which direction governs. If roof replacement pricing is required, please identify the roof area, scope, and specifications to be priced, and indicate the line on Attachment 5 where that pricing is to be entered, as the current form does not appear to include a roof replacement line.

A: UMD does not anticipate that any roof replacements will be required. A modification will be issued to clarify.

21. Q: Please identify the specific rooftop building(s) the University intends to make available, or confirm that proposers may select from the buildings for which data have been provided in

Attachments 6 and 6a. If additional buildings are eligible, please issue the corresponding data sheets, roof drawings, and consumption history by amendment.

A: UMD is open to any of the additional buildings in Attachment 6, but UMD prefers that bidders limit their scope to as few locations as possible. Attachment 6a provides as much data as UMD has been able to collect to date for the rooftop sites.

22. Q: For each candidate rooftop, please provide the membrane type, installation date, remaining warranty term, warranty issuer, and the name of any roofing contractor whose involvement is required to preserve that warranty. Please also confirm whether results of any prior roof condition assessment will be made available.

A: Attachment 6a provides as much data as UMD has for these roofs. Bidders will be responsible for conducting the necessary evaluations to ensure the constructability of any rooftop arrays. UMD will accept appropriate and limited caveats at this stage in the project regarding unknowns which should be provided for in the proposal narrative.

23. Q: Please confirm the status and construction schedule of the UMD project FM24-12332, and identify which party is responsible for interface coordination between that project and the solar canopy. Please also confirm whether the canopy is expected to accommodate, span, or avoid the EV charging equipment and its platform, and whether any of that scope is intended to be included in this solicitation.

A: The EV charger project is planned for completion by Jan/Feb of 2027. UMD expects the solar canopy to accommodate and span the EV charging equipment and platforms. The bidder will be responsible for coordinating with UMD engineering staff regarding electrical tie-ins.

24. Q: After adding the FM24-12332 EV charger load, what distribution capacity remains at the

Shuttle Bus Facility for an approximately 1,300 kWdc solar interconnection? Is the same tie-in point near manhole 1030 intended for the solar project? Please identify the intended point of interconnection and serving equipment for each site, provide the transformer load analysis and any utility pre-application or feasibility screening already completed, and confirm how “significant expense” under § 4.4.2.1 is determined and by what date the Contractor may invoke that provision without prejudice.

A: The Shuttle Bus Facility is located off of Feeder 9 on the UMD medium voltage grid.

That feeder is anticipated to be approximately 50-60% capacity (summer peak) at EV Charger project completion. This translates to 3 - 3.5 MW available at peak summer load after the work is completed. No other projects are planned for the feeder at this time.

Section 4.4.2.1 is intended to offer the bidder relief if, after the project has been awarded, the bidder determines that new distribution equipment is needed for interconnection that was not included in the Bidder's cost basis and PPA pricing. Bidders are responsible for all coordination with the utility and determining the feasibility of the tie-in. UMD will provide technical documentation to the extent that it is available, but as the owner/operator of the solar generating assets, it is the Bidder’s responsibility to conduct and manage all necessary studies and engineering.

25. Q: Will the University provide the current record drawings and as-builts for the Shuttle Bus

Facility lot, including the FM24-12332 set as constructed, so proposers can locate foundations clear of existing and new underground infrastructure? Please also confirm whether relocating any existing utility, light pole, or hand hole is permitted, and which party bears that cost.

A: UMD will provide all drawings and project engineering data it has for any site being developed. UMD is open to any minor modifications to lighting locations provided that illumination levels are maintained. All costs are to be borne by the Bidder and reflected in PPA pricing.

26. Q: Is there a geothermal ground loop, bore field, or associated piping beneath or adjacent to the proposed canopy area? If so, please provide the field layout and depths, and identify any required setbacks or prohibitions on drilling, driving piles, or excavating within the loop area.

A: Yes. Additional data was provided as an amendment. All additional data and drawings, to the extent they exist, will be provided to the successful bidder.

27. Q: Is the canopy design required to preserve all existing parking spaces, bus stalls, drive aisles, and circulation paths as they will exist after completion of FM24-12332? Please identify whether any temporary or permanent loss of parking is permitted, and if so, the maximum number of spaces that may be taken out of service and the duration. Please also provide the post-EV-project striping plan.

A: The canopy is required to preserve all planned circulation paths and parking.

Temporary loss of parking is permitted, but the Bidder should provide information about those plans in its project narrative. All additional site data that UMD possesses will be provided to the awarded Bidder.

28. Q: What minimum vertical clearance at the low point is required to accommodate buses, maintenance vehicles, and emergency vehicles using the facility? Please identify the governing vehicle and specify whether the clearance is measured to the lowest structural member or to the lowest point of the PV array.

A: In addition to the buses parked at the site, the site also receives deliveries from full-size tractor-trailers. We believe that the lowest vertical clearance should be designed at 13’6”.

Any building abutments should be cognizant of bay door clearances.

29. Q: Please issue the University’s Basic Electrical Requirements by amendment or provide a link so proposers can confirm compliance and price accordingly.

A: UMD’s published Division 1 guidance can be used at this phase of project development: https://facilities.umd.edu/info-resources/call-general-contractor-specs-info

30. Q: Please confirm whether the systems are to be net-metered, behind-the-meter, or aggregate net-metered; the utility account(s) to which generation is credited; whether the University or the Contractor is the customer of record under the Net Metering Agreement; and the required revenue-grade meter specification and ownership.

A: The solar array will be installed behind the campus main meter. The output of the array will remain on the UMD’s medium voltage grid, and no net metering will occur. The specifications provided in Question 30 provide information on required metering.

31. Q: Please confirm whether the 80% threshold is measured against the applicable month’s expected values in Attachment 3, without weather adjustment, and what relief is available if consecutive qualifying test days cannot be obtained due to weather. Please also confirm whether achieving the test is required to establish Commercial Operation by December 31, 2027.

A: The testing is expected to occur without weather adjustment. If, solely due to weather and after good faith efforts have been made to complete the testing, the necessary conditions and data can not be collected, at UMD’s sole discretion, some relief may be offered.

32. Q: Please confirm whether design and construction permitting proceeds through the University or USM internal review, or whether Prince George’s County permitting applies, and provide the University’s expected duration for each required approval and inspection.

A: UMD’s Planning and Construction group will send out design reviews that will include UMD staff and the UMD Fire Marshall. UMD is the permitting authority, and Prince George’s Permitting is not required. Standards are forthcoming later this year that will include language for 3rd party electrical inspection. In this case, the UMD Fire Marshall will delegate the inspection to a 3rd party generally paid for by the GC.

33. Q: Please confirm whether the Attachment 4 PPA is offered on a non-negotiable basis. If proposer comments on specific PPA sections are permitted without prejudice, please identify where in the proposal they should be presented and confirm that submitting them will not render the proposal unacceptable.

A: Attachment 4 is offered with the expectation that it will be adopted in its entirety without modifications. The terms and conditions are consistent with UMD procurement rules and state law and are generally immutable.

34. Q: Will site access be granted through a separate lease or license, or solely through the PPA? If a separate instrument applies, please issue it for review and confirm its term and whether any rent or fee is payable to the University

A: Site access during construction and during the PPA term is covered in Attachment 4, section 7.2(e). No other agreement is planned.

35. Q: Please confirm whether the University requires a purchase option, which contract years it may be exercised, and whether the price is fair market value or a fixed schedule. Please also confirm whether, at the end of the term, the Contractor removes the systems, transfers them to the University, or does either at the University’s election, and whether decommissioning security is required.

A: Removal of the system after expiration is covered in Attachment 4, section 2.5.

36. Q: Please state the required bond duration in years, the event from which the term runs, and the conditions under which the bond is released, so proposers can obtain conforming surety commitments.

A: The duration of the bond shall be in accordance with the term of the Grant as noted in the attachment with the original solicitation: MEA Grant NO. 2025-11-577-AP.

37. Q: Please confirm whether October 23, 2026, is a contractual milestone or a planning estimate.

If contractual, please explain how it reconciles with the thirty-day and ninety-day periods in §

4.4.1.2. Please also provide the University’s anticipated award date.

A: October 23, 2026 is a planning estimate.

38. Q: Please confirm whether a delay attributable to a utility interconnection study or construction, or to a permitting authority review, constitutes an excusable delay for purposes of the December 31, 2027 date, and whether the MEA grant funds remain available if Commercial Operation occurs after that date.

A: UMD is the permitting review authority and UMD will provide approvals in a timely manner. Construction delays are not excusable. As noted in Question 25, if an issue associated with distribution system upgrades is encountered, UMD will evaluate its options at that time.

39. Q: Please confirm which of these addenda the University considers applicable to this procurement, whether the $3,000,000 Network Security and Privacy Liability requirement applies when no personal or institutional data is handled, and whether the Section 889 Affidavit is required for inverter and monitoring communications equipment.

A: This does not apply

40. Q: Please confirm whether an MBE participation goal applies to this procurement.

A: There are no MBE goals established for this project, but firm’s are highly encouraged to include MBE participation.

41. Q: Please confirm that proposals are to be submitted as two separate volumes, Technical

Volume I and Financial Volume II, uploaded separately to the Box folder identified in § 2.4.

A: That is correct

42. Q: Please confirm whether an overall page limit applies to the Technical Volume and identify any required font, margin, or file-naming conventions. Please also confirm whether the two volumes are uploaded to the same Box folder as separately named files and whether the University issues confirmation of receipt, given the § 2.3 direction that Contractors verify receipt of their submissions.

A: No, but please only submit the information that has been requested. The University is seeking limited Marketing materials.