RFP-2025-10313 - final updated 06.24.25.pdf

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Managed and Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

Request for Proposals (RFP) Number RFP-2025-10313

“Building America Subject Matter Expert Technical Support”

The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC has entered into Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308 with the Department of Energy (DOE), an agency of the U.S. Government, for the management and operation of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (hereinafter called “NREL”). All references to “NREL” in this solicitation shall mean the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

This solicitation is being conducted under the procedures for competitive subcontracts established by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

SOURCE SELECTION DETAILS

The type of sourcing strategy for this RFP is Full and Open procurement.

The selection process used to determine the offeror(s) awarded the anticipated subcontract(s) is Best Value. The offer(s) selected will meet all stated requirements and represent the best combination of:

• Technical factors (based on qualitative merit criteria), and

• Evaluated price (or cost)

IMPORTANT DATES

Issue Date: 6/23/2025 Technical Question Due Date 7/14/2025

Proposal Due Date: 8/4/2025 Time Due: 4:00 pm Mountain Time

NAICS CODE

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this solicitation is:

Code Classification Size Standard 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting

Services $19 million in average annual receipts

Amounts shown in the table above represent the corresponding small business size standard for each NAICS.

Dollar amounts are reflective of total annual receipts. (“Annual receipts” of a concern means the annual average gross revenue for the last three fiscal years.)

RFP SECTION 1: SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS

SUBMIT OFFERS TO AND REQUEST INFORMATION FROM THE NREL RFP CONTACT

BELOW

1. NREL RFP Contact Nancy Levit, Subcontract Administrator National Renewable Energy Laboratory

15013 Denver West Parkway, MS: RSF041 Golden, CO 80401

Email: Nancy.levit@nrel.gov

Electronic copies of forms and appendices can be found at:

http://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/standard-terms.html

2. Proposed subcontract award

It is the intent of NREL to award multiple Labor Hour and Expenses with Work Order Process Subcontract with Option Periods under this solicitation.

3. Proposed subcontract period of performance

The anticipated basic period of performance is 12 months, beginning on the date of subcontract execution.

Due to the need for continuity of operations for this work and the relative certainty that disruption in in this work would be costly, NREL intends to incorporate the possibility of four (4) twelve-month option periods that may further extend the total period of performance for the subcontract. Options are typically unilaterally exercised by NREL holding all negotiated terms and conditions but extending the amount of time work will be performed on the subcontract.

4. Competitive negotiated subcontract using Best Value Selection

This solicitation shall be conducted using Best Value Selection that results in an award that is most advantageous to NREL based on the best value combination of (a) evaluated qualitative merit and (b) evaluated price of the offers submitted.

Best Value Selection is based on the premise that, if all offers are of approximately equal qualitative merit, award will be made to the offeror with the lowest evaluated price. However, NREL will consider awarding to an offeror with a higher evaluated price if the offer demonstrates the difference in price is commensurate with the higher qualitative merit.

Conversely, NREL will consider awarding to an offeror with a lower evaluated qualitative merit if the price differential between it and other offers warrant doing so.

5. Evaluation process

NREL will evaluate offers in two general steps:

Step One—Initial Evaluation An initial evaluation will be performed to determine if all required information has been provided for an acceptable offer. Offerors may be contacted only for clarification purposes during the initial evaluation. Offerors shall be notified if their offer is determined unacceptable and the reasons for rejection will be provided. Unacceptable offers will be excluded from further consideration.

Step Two—Discussion, Selection, Negotiation, and Award

All acceptable offers will be evaluated against the Statement of Work and the qualitative merit criteria listed above. Based on this evaluation, and taking into consideration the proposed price (cost), NREL has the option, depending on the specific circumstances of the offers received, to use one of the following methods of selection:

(a) make individual selection(s), conduct negotiations, and make an award(s);

(b) conduct parallel negotiations with all offerors and make award(s);

(c) conduct discussions with all offerors, select successful finalists, conduct parallel negotiations with successful finalists, and then make award(s);

(d) conduct discussions with all offerors, conduct parallel negotiations with the finalists, select successful finalist(s), and then make award(s);

(e) select successful finalists, conduct successive negotiations, and make successive selections and awards;

(f) make no award(s).

6. Proposal Preparation Information

(a) This solicitation requires the submittal of electronic proposals. Details relating to the requirements of the technical proposal and submission requirements are located in Section 2: Project Overview & Selection Details. This section of the RFP provides logistical proposal submission requirements. This solicitation does not commit NREL to pay costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this

RFP.

(b) Proposals shall be comprised of two sections: (1) the technical proposal, and (2) the business proposal.

(c) The technical proposal must begin with a cover letter which contains the following information:

i. The cover letter must include the RFP title and number, name of your organization and principal investigator or project manager (with postal address, telephone number(s), and email address). The title should be succinct and capture the essence of your offer.

ii. The cover letter must include acceptance or exceptions and accompanying rationale for the exception to the sample subcontract, anticipated period of performance, standard terms and conditions, intellectual property terms and conditions, or other appendices incorporated into this RFP and planned to be incorporated in the ensuing agreement. Any proposed changes must contain sufficient justification to permit evaluation. Proposed changes will not, of themselves, automatically cause an offer to be deemed unacceptable. However, a large number of proposed changes/exceptions or multiple significant exceptions not providing any obvious benefit to the NREL or the Department of Energy may result in rejection of such offer as unacceptable.

iii. The cover letter must include a summary statement indicating acceptance of the statement of work or any change with the reason(s)

iv. Additional requirements for the technical proposal are provided in this RFP in Section 2: Project Overview & Selection Details.

(d) The business proposal shall be submitted with the technical proposal and contain the following elements:

i. A completed “labor rate breakdown proposal form” in an electronic copy

(converted to pdf). The offeror’s price or cost and delivery terms must be valid for 120 days from the date of the offer. The price or cost proposal should include support documentation for all categories of the proposal. The price or cost proposal should separate price or cost for lower-tier subcontract(s) and include support documentation for all categories of the proposed lower-tier subcontract(s) price or cost. See the “Labor Rate Breakdown Proposal” form for specific instructions.

ii. A completed “Representations & Certifications for Subcontracts” form.

iii. EITHER the “Organizational Conflicts of Interest Representation Statement” OR the “Organizational Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Statement”, as applicable per the “Instructions for Completion of Organizational Conflicts of Interest Statement – Disclosure or Representation Statement”.

(e) The proposal should be formatted as follows:

i. A page is defined as one side of an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper.

ii. Use a 12-point font.

iii. Maintain at least 1-inch margins on all sides.

iv. All pages must have the same page orientation (i.e., do not present pages that offset by 90 degrees).

7. Solicitation Provisions—full text provided

a. Late submissions, modifications, and withdrawals of offers

Offers, or modifications to them, received from qualified organizations after the latest date specified for receipt may be considered if received prior to award, and NREL determines that there is a potential price (cost), technical, or other advantage, as compared to the other offers received. However, depending on the circumstances surrounding the late submission or modification, NREL may consider a late offer to be an indication of the offeror’s performance capabilities, resulting in downgrading of the offer in the technical evaluation process. Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before award.

b. Restrictions on disclosure and use of proprietary data in the Technical

Proposal (Nov 2018)

Offerors who include in their technical proposals proprietary data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the government or NREL, except for evaluation purposes shall, in addition to including the “Notice for Handling Proposals” required in Paragraph #. b. above—

1. Mark the title page of the technical proposal with the following legend:

“This offer includes proprietary data that shall not be disclosed outside the government or NREL and shall not be used or disclosed—in whole or in part—for any purpose other than to evaluate this offer. If, however, a subcontract is awarded to this offeror as a result of—or in connection with— the submission of proprietary data, the government or NREL shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the proprietary data to the extent required in the resulting subcontract. This restriction does not limit the government or NREL’s right to use this proprietary data if obtained from another source without restriction. The proprietary data subject to this restriction are contained on pages [insert page and line numbers or other identification of pages] of this offer”; and

2. Highlight (in yellow) the proprietary data on each page of the technical proposal it wishes to restrict and add the following footer:

“Use or disclosure of proprietary data contained on this page is subject to the restriction on the title page of this offer.”

c. Restrictions on disclosure of sensitive financial information in the price/cost proposal

Offerors who include in their price/cost proposals sensitive financial information (e.g., labor rates, indirect rates, etc.) they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the government or NREL, except for evaluation and execution of the subcontract, if awarded, shall, in addition to including the “Notice for Handling Proposals” required in Paragraph #.b. above, mark the title page of the price/cost proposal with the following legend:

“This offer includes Sensitive Financial Information.”

d. Notice of right to receive patent waiver (derived from DEAR 952.227-84) and technical data requirements.

Offerors (and their prospective lower-tier subcontractors) in accordance with applicable statutes and Department of Energy Acquisition Regulations, (derived from DEAR 952.227-84) have the right to request a waiver of all or any part of the rights of the United States in inventions conceived or first actually reduced to practice in performance of the subcontract that may be awarded as a result of this solicitation, in advance of or within thirty (30) days after the effective date of subcontracting. Even where such advance waiver is not requested or the request is denied, the subcontractor will have a continuing right during the subcontract to request a waiver of the rights of the United States in identified, individual inventions.

Domestic small business firms, educational institutions, and domestic nonprofit organizations normally will receive the clause: Patent Rights - Retention by the Subcontractor, which permits the offeror to retain title to subject inventions, except in subcontracts involving exceptional circumstances or intelligence activities. Therefore, domestic small business firms, educational institutions, and domestic nonprofit organizations normally need not request a waiver.

If an offeror’s proposal includes a lower-tier subcontract to another organization, that lower-tier organization's business type will determine the applicable intellectual property provisions that will apply to the lower-tier subcontract. Note that a lower-tier subcontractor may apply for a patent waiver under the same conditions as the offeror.

Under a research, development, and demonstration project, the Department of Energy and NREL are unable to ascertain, prior to receipt of offers or performance of the project, their actual needs for technical data. It is believed that the requirements contained herein are the basic needs of the Department of Energy and NREL.

However, if the offeror indicates in its proposal that proprietary data will be used or withheld under its proposed effort, the Department of Energy and NREL reserve the right to negotiate appropriate rights to the proprietary data. The appropriate rights may include "Limited Rights in Proprietary Data" and/or "Subcontractor Licensing."

e. Disclaimer

NEITHER THE UNITED STATES; NOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY; NOR

ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC; NOR ANY OF THEIR

CONTRACTORS, SUBCONTRACTORS, OR THEIR EMPLOYEES MAKE ANY

WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OR ASSUME ANY LEGAL LIABILITY OR

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS

FOR ANY PURPOSE OF ANY OF THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION OR DATA

ATTACHED OR OTHERWISE PROVIDED HEREIN AS REFERENCE MATERIAL.

f. Solicitation disputes

The General Accountability Office and the Department of Energy do not accept or rule on disputes for solicitations for Requests for Proposals issued by Management and Operating Contractors for the Department of Energy (operators of Department of Energy National Laboratories). Should an offeror have any concerns regarding the NREL solicitation process or selection determination, the offeror may contact Paul White, Advocate for Commercial Practices, at (303) 384-7575. NREL will address each concern received from an offeror on an individual basis.

g. Prohibition on use of certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment per the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act Section 889(a)(1)(B)

In accordance with the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act Section

889(a)(1)(B), NREL is prohibited from contracting with any offeror that uses, and/or whose lower-tier subcontractor(s) use, covered telecommunication equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as a critical technology of any system, on or after 08/13/2020, unless an exception applies or a waiver is granted. This includes such equipment or services from five Chinese companies: Huawei, ZTE Corporation, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision, and Dahua Technology.

h. Compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (found at 29 U.S.C. 794d)

The requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act apply to NREL’s procurement of all electronic and information technology (EIT) and any development, maintenance, or use of EIT.

8. Notice Regarding NREL Payments to Subcontractors

It is NREL’s standard practice to make all payments to domestic subcontractors via electronic (ACH) payments or to international subcontractors via wire transfers. Any Offeror receiving notification of an award under this solicitation must complete and submit a “Request for ACH/Wire Banking Information” form to the applicable NREL Subcontract Administrator. Payments to subcontractors will be deposited directly into the subcontractor’s designated bank account in accordance with the banking account/wire transfer information provided on the form by an authorized company representative. An electronic (PDF) copy of the form will be provided by the NREL Subcontract Administrator upon notification of award. Please do not include an ACH form with your response to this RFP.

9. Small Business (Lower-Tier) Subcontracting Plan (derived from FAR 52.219-9)

The following requirement does not apply to small business offerors. This requirement only applies if offeror is notified of intent to negotiate a subcontract in response to this solicitation after the source selection process described above is complete.

Successful offerors shall be required to submit a lower-tier subcontracting plan upon notification of intent to negotiate a subcontract in response to this solicitation. The lower-tier subcontracting plan shall separately address lower-tier subcontracting with small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns. If the offeror is submitting an individual subcontracting plan, the plan must separately address lower-tier subcontracting with small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns, with a separate part for the basic subcontract and separate parts for each option (if any). The plan shall be included in and made a part of the resultant subcontract. The lower-tier subcontracting plan shall be negotiated within the time specified by the NREL subcontract administrator. Failure to submit and negotiate a lower-tier subcontracting plan shall make the offeror ineligible for award of a subcontract. Lower-tier subcontracting plan requirements can be found at the following link:

http://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/standard-terms.html (see Appendix F)

10. Solicitation provisions

The following solicitation documents are attached:

▪ Attachment 1, Statement of Work dated 5/15/2025

▪ Attachment 2, Sample Subcontract Schedule - Labor Hour and Expenses with Work Order Process

11. Solicitation provisions—incorporated by reference—general access

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. The following documents can be downloaded from http://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/standard-terms.html and http://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/forms.html or the NREL RFP Contact (see item 2) will make available upon request.

The documents and forms that are listed below are applicable to this solicitation and resulting award Appendix/Form

NREL Standard Terms and Conditions: Appendix B-6 (01/23/23);

NREL Intellectual Property Provisions: Appendix C-1 (8/1/2022) – As Applicable;

NREL Intellectual Property Provisions: Appendix C-2 (8/1/2022) – As Applicable

NREL Terms and Conditions for Subcontracts in excess of $700,000.00 Appendix D (3/01/2020);

NREL Standard Terms and Conditions: Appendix E (03/01/2020);

NREL Small Business Lower-Tier Subcontracting Plan Requirements:

Appendix F (for subcontracts in excess of $700,000.00).

NREL Representations and Certifications for Subcontracts;

NREL Proposal Form – Labor Rate Break-Down Proposal Form;

NREL Conflicts of Interest Forms.

http://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/forms.html

SUBMIT OFFERS TO AND REQUEST INFORMATION FROM THE NREL RFP CONTACT BELOW