RFP27007056 Answers to Questions Received.pdf

Question Answer Contractor does not disclose insurance policies. Will the State accept other forms of insurance documents to evidence proof of insurance? No

Would the State consider providing Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) (ex. State issued Laptops) for performing services requested in the RFP? If not State issued laptops, will the State provide secure virtual desktop/VPN access for all contractor personnel assigned to this engagement?

No, contractor must supply all equipment and labor to complete the scope of work.

Can you confirm which Addenda from the State’s General Conditions of Purchase mentioned in procurement govern the terms of this RFP?

Would the State please provide any additional Addendum that would apply to this solicitation. Addendum A Can OER confirm if a detailed cost and hour breakdown by task is needed for each year (separately for 2026, 2027 and 2028) or cost by task in aggregate for all 3 years?

Cost by task and hour breakdown for 2026, 2027 and 2028.

How will OER/Commerce RI provide state data mentioned in the RFP, such as existing data on clean energy employers? (Secure file transfer protocol, virtual data environment, etc.) Additionally, will the contractor be required to work on any state data or computing environments?

Commerce RI has NAICS codes for clean energy businesses which can be send via email. No, the selected vendor will not work on any state data or computing devices.

What's the definition OER uses to identify a clean energy company that falls within the scope of this project? Is it based on the headquarter of the company or its geographical operation (e.g., doing business in RI)?

Rhode Island defines clean energy jobs based on data from the U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), categorizing workers across specific technology sectors and value chain segments that advance energy efficiency, renewable power, and clean transportation

Please confirm if the economic contribution model is to be conducted at the state level. If not, please specify.

Can OER confirm if it expects the contractor to perform one economic contribution analysis for each year (therefore 3 separate analyses for the 3 years within the scope)?

The economic contribution model is to be conducted specifically for RI. It is expected that one analysis for 2027 will be completed by the vendor.

Section B of the RFP mentions surveys online, by telephone, in person; as well as in-depth interviews. Can OER clarify the preferred survey format? Is it expected the contractor will conduct the survey mainly online, follow-up with telephone if needed (for non-respondent)? What is the purpose and intended target population for in-person survey if that is also expected?

In terms of interviews, are those separate from the surveys and if so how many in-depth interviews does OER expect the contractor to conduct for each industry report? And what's the expected format of those interviews (in person or remote) and who are the target audiences?

OER does not have a preferred survey format.

Regarding interviews, OER will defer to the vendor for the number and type of interviews needed to complete the scope of work.

For Task 1, does OER expect the contractor to conduct a census of all identified survey respondents or construct a representative sample of survey respondents for the purposes of survey?

If a representative sample of respondents is expected, can OER specify relevant criteria it prefers in terms of approximate sample size, # of follow-ups required and any target sampling precision that may be relevant for this sampling and survey exercise?

The selected vendor should conduct a review of all identified survey respondents.

Task 2 mentions compiling a supplementary list of clean energy employers for a supplemental climate tech survey. Can OER clarify if it expects two rounds of surveys to be conducted by the contractor or just one round that includes everyone?

One round of surveys was envisioned but applicants should include alternative pathways for how the scope of work for task 2 is completed.

Does OER have a budget for this 3-year contract (excluding option years)? Is any of the contract funding sourced from federal? No and no.

What is the expected timeline OER has for each cycle of preparation and release of yearly industry report?

For example, is it expected that the contractor would start towards the end of a calendar year or beginning of next calendar year for the industry report related to a specific year? Is there a specific deadline for the industry report to be released each calendar year?

Ideally the report would be published within one year of completion of the survey and data collection.

For the Work Plan, it states "If Contractor intends to use AI for any part of the project […] provide a clear description of the intended use of AI, with a description of considerations related to safety and bias." Can OER confirm if it is amenable for the contractor to propose and utilize AI-enabled (including GenAI-enabled) solutions for delivery of the services under this contract if OER is satisfactory with the contractor's description and consideration related to safety and bias? Are there additional terms and conditions the contractor will be required to comply in order to use AI-enabled tools?

In addition, given the uncertainty related to this matter (using AI/GenAI or not), how does OER expect the contractor to incorporate different scenarios re AI usage (e.g., utilization of such tools/solutions, selective utilization of such tools/solutions, or strict prohibition of such tools/solutions) in its pricing estimate?

Yes, OER is amenable for the contractor to utilize GenAI solutions for this scope of work. All AI workproducts need to meet the standards of work OER expects with any work, especially since the final report will be published and shared with stakeholders. All work is subject to compliance with RI General Laws and the General Conditions of Purchase (220-RICR-30-00-13) that serves as the Contract with the State regardless of the method of procurement.. OER expects applicants to propose the best pricing estimate to complete the scope of work regardless of which tools the applicants proposes to use.

For Task 1, it states "Anticipated expenses for obtaining NAICS database access should be build into the vendor's proposed budget." Is the contractor allowed to use any database that fits the criteria (firm-level data, segmented by NAICS subcodes, etc.), or is there a specific database that OER prefers or mandates?

Please include all databases the applicant deems relevant to complete the scope of work.

Please confirm if utilization of offshore resource is permissible for providing the services under this contract. Yes.

Please confirm if utilization of offshore resource is permissible for providing the services under this contract. Yes.

Please clarify the contractor's responsibilities in terms of being available for questions from various parties including media, legislators and other stakeholders. In particular, please confirm (i) if it is OER's expectation that the contractor is there solely to provide technical responses, only in writing, to questions related to the methodology and analysis associated with the industry report (without direct contact or interaction with those parties), and (ii) that OER will take ultimate and full responsibilities of the responses provided to those various parties.

It is expected that the selected vendor will be OER's technical expert on the report and its contents.

Questions may come to OER through data requests, media inquiries and other stakeholders. Past requests for follow up questions have included legislators, members of the Green Energy Workforce Advisory Committee, and the media. Some questions have come via email but others have come after in-person presentations and requests for follow up information. All written responses will come through OER for a collaborative approach to responding and the final submission of the agreed upon answers will come from OER.

Please confirm the intended circulation for the slide deck that summarizes the key findings of the industry report. Is it going to be branded or unbranded and if branded under which party's name?

Co-branded with OER, REF and the selected vendor.

See this website for past examples:

https://energy.ri.gov/climate-change/clean-energy-jobs

Please confirm the intended audience and expected format (in person or virtual) of the presentations under Task 3. Does OER expect the presentations to be made available to a broad audience via broadcasting of any sort?

OER receives requests from stakeholders for presentations on the annual jobs report. As OER's subject matter expert, the selected applicant will be expected to present either in person or virtually.

The audience may include but is not limited to the Governor's office, legislators, Green Energy Workforce Advisory Commitee, etc. The presentation may be made available on OER's website or if presented to the legislature, may be included as a public record and broadcast on Capitol

TV.

Please confirm if the industry report will be published by OER on its website (OER branded) and be available for the public to view.

In addition, please confirm (i) if the contractor's name will appear in the published report along with descriptions of the nature of the contractor's involvement and methodologies used for survey and analysis; and (ii) the report is not to be branded by the contractor's name.

Yes it will be published on OER's website and available for public view. The selected applicant's name will appear in the published report and the methodology will be included in an appendix or elsewhere in the final report. The selected applicant's logo will appear on the final report.

Section 1.4 states that the Technical Proposal is limited to 15 pages. Could the State please clarify whether the 15-page limit includes or excludes the following items:

- Cover page

- Cover letter/transmittal letter

- Table of contents

- References

We understand that resumes and appendices are excluded from the page limit, but would appreciate confirmation regarding the items above.

The 15 page limit should be for the technical proposal excluding the cover page, cover letter, table of contents, references, and resumes.

What is the anticipated project/award date? Quarter 4 2026

With respect to task 1, is there a current data collection tool, questionnaire, that has been used in the past that the client can share? What mode was the survey collected through, such as online, web, etc)?

The data collection process was conducted under the previous vendor. OER does not have access to the data collection tools and materials issued in the past, outside of the public records of the USEER.

With respect to Task 2, should the review include benchmarking relative to peer and/or neighboring states?

Neighboring states analysis is not a requirement of the scope of work.

With respect to Task 2, are there specific topics for which the State of Rhode Island is seeking "recommendations" (e.g., tax policies on start-up companies, programs implemented by Rhode Island Energy, incentives for workforce training programs, initiatives by public educational institutions)?

Examples of recommendations are specific to topics that would result in the increase of clean energy jobs in the state.

With respect to Task 1, is there a minimum or target number of interviews to be conducted to gain the desired qualitative perspectives? No

With respect to Task 1, should the report focus only on for-profit companies or also include relevant non-profits, not-for profits, government agencies, academic institutions, etc?

To remain consistant across previous industry reports OER uses NAICS numbers. If other entities use NAICS codes, than they can be counted.

With respect to Task 1, what datasets does the State of Rhode Island have that might aid in identifying the complete universe of clean energy employers in the state? See answer to question 5 above.

Are the two required annual presentations expected to be virtual or in-person and should vendors budget for travel?

In-person presentations. Yes, applicants should factor in travel costs in the cost proposal.

Will OER facilitate access to the underlying Rhode Island specific USEER data, including data or detailed industry estimates needed to reproduce the state’s clean-energy employment estimates?

OER only has access to the publicly available USEER data on the Department of Energy's website.

What existing data, research materials, and other resources does OER anticipate making available to the vendor to support continuity with previous reports?

OER only has access to the publicly available USEER data on the Department of Energy's website, links the surveys conducted in the past and final work products (the final jobs report).

If a consultancy is a registered WBE in Massachusetts but is not certified in Rhode Island, will the Parties accept the Massachusetts certification for the ISBE participation component of scoring?

In accordance with Appendix B ISBE Form “Please note that all MBE/WBE subcontractors/suppliers must be certified by the Division of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion MBE Compliance Office and all Disability Business Enterprises must be certified by the Governor's Commission on Disabilities at time of bid”

In Task 1, the scope requires the consultant to compile innovation data for Rhode Island’s clean energy and climate tech companies, researchers, and innovators including “total number of grants received” and “total number of clean energy and climate tech patents awarded.” Do the Parties have, or know of, a grants/patents database that it would like utilized, or will the consultant be responsible for finding information about grants and patents on its own?

OER and REF have a list of many grants awarded to state agencies and private sector companies that have participated in Commerce's programs.

However, non profit and other private sector grants may not been known.

Will the Office of Energy Resources and Rhode Island Commerce Corporation’s Renewable Energy Fund share the survey instrument used to collect information for previous Clean Energy Industry Reports with the selected consultant? Yes Does the Office of Energy Resources and Rhode Island Commerce Corporation’s Renewable Energy Fund have a maximum budget for the scope of work? No