RFx-2024-10021_DuraMAT FY24.pdf

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

Request for Proposals (RFP) Number RFx-2024-10021

“Durable Module Materials Consortium DuraMAT, FY24 Open Call Request for Proposals”

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY

This solicitation is being conducted under the procedures for competitive subcontracts established by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL will award a subcontract based on the following:

BEST VALUE, TRADEOFF SELECTION

All project requirements being met with the best combination of:

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

• Evaluated price (or cost)

Issue Date: 11/6/2023 Due Date: 12/15/2023 Time Due: 5pm Mountain Time

Technical questions must be received in writing no later than 11/20/2023

Written questions concerning this solicitation document and its requirements will be answered in writing. In response to technical questions, NREL will issue an amendment to this solicitation document that will formally provide all the questions and answers. All recipients of the solicitation document will receive responses to questions.

1. Solicitation Type Best Value, Tradeoff, Selection

Firm Fixed Price, Subcontract

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

2. NREL RFP Contact Jacob Nofsinger, Sr. Subcontract Administrator National Renewable Energy Laboratory 15013 Denver West Parkway, MS: RSF030 Golden, CO 80401

Email: jacob.nofsinger@nrel.gov

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Electronic copies of forms and appendices can be found at:

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

Procurement Forms | NREL

3. Statement of Objectives (SOO):

a. Background and Purpose.

The DuraMAT Consortium brings together DOE national lab and university research capabilities with the photovoltaic (PV) and supply-chain industries to accelerate a sustainable, just, and equitable transition to zero carbon electricity generation by 2035 through our five core objectives: development of a central data resource for PV modules, multi-scale and multi-physics modeling, disruptive acceleration science, forensic tools for fielded modules, and materials solutions for more durable, reliable, and resilient modules. DuraMAT leverages the decades of experience, expertise, and world-class facilities at the national laboratories to create a “one-stop-shop” for timely solutions to critical barriers limiting module reliability and durability. In its first five years, DuraMAT has become a trusted partner for the US industry.

The core objectives have been defined in partnership with DuraMAT’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB) and are long-term research objectives that are expected to continue throughout the duration of the DuraMAT program. Selection and funding of specific projects however are dynamic, allowing the consortium the flexibility to address the most current and pressing industry concerns. DuraMAT funding supports research projects through a number of different competitive processes, this RFP is intended for University or Industry led projects. All of the core objectives are focused on the DuraMAT goal of accelerating a sustainable, just and equitable transition to zero carbon electricity generation by 2035 by addressing these two questions:

1. Which materials and module designs will enable sustainable, high energy yield 50-year modules, and how do we ensure these new modules are not going to fail prematurely?

2. What triggers wear out, defined as a rapid increase in degradation at end of life, and what are the characteristics, rates, and mechanisms of long-term degradation in PV modules?

In close collaboration with the IAB, DuraMAT leadership has identified understanding which materials and packaging designs will enable high energy yield modules with the potential for 50-year lifetimes and identifying long term degradation mechanisms and wear out failures as our highest priorities. Building confidence in 50-year modules requires an understanding of early failures and end of life wear out. Our planned work in DuraMAT includes:

• De-risking high yield modules and screening them for weaknesses that lead to early failure.

• Identifying the triggers and dominant contributors to wear out failures.

• Understanding the role of polymeric materials in wear out and long-term degradation.

• Study of bifacial modules, glass/glass packaging, and impacts of high energy yield module design.

• Development of new accelerated testing methods, modeling approaches, and scalable forensics.

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

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• Development of materials solutions and designs to enable new applications and address known risks.

• Development of software, data science tools, and methods to quickly identify trends in reliability and technologies.

Techno-economic analyses quantify the potential value and risk for new material solutions and designs and de-risking projects. Sustainability analyses quantify the potential impacts of proposed research on our national decarbonization goals. One or both types of analyses can be leveraged to quantify project impacts. Both the long term and the early-stage de-risking projects will leverage our cutting-edge data analytics and processing tools, along with our access to historical and streaming field performance data at the laboratories and from the PV Fleets Project.

The DuraMAT Consortium is currently divided into five core objective areas: Central Data Resource;

Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Modeling; Fielded Module Forensics; Disruptive Acceleration Science;

and Materials Solutions. Proposals should leverage this structure and build on the resources established in FY17 – FY23. Descriptions of these core objectives are available at https://www.duramat.org/core-objectives.html. Proposals should directly address the research questions above and the challenges of making a 50-year module and system, having confidence that that module may indeed last 50 years, and knowing which components must be field repairable or replaceable in order to achieve the 50-year goal.

b. Performance Objectives.

The DuraMAT IAB has identified five critical research outcomes and expected key results for DuraMAT to accomplish that are the focus of this RFP (listed below). Proposals may leverage several core objectives and topics or focus in a single area.

1. Evolve the DuraMAT DataHub into the Central Data Resource for PV

i. Addition or useability improvements for data in the DataHub to ensure that it contains data from all DuraMAT projects, is scalable, and contains indexable data sets (digital object identifier/doi, good metadata, license for use, FAIR).

ii. Development of publicly available, open-source data, and analytical tools that address stakeholder needs.

iii. Quantitative analyses on topics such as: module reliability, degradation, sustainability, and economics, including the development of new data analysis techniques, simulations, and models.

2. Create a Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Model

i. Development of validated modeling capabilities to de-risk high energy yield module designs and materials, including multiscale, multiphysics modeling of bifacial modules and glass/glass packaging.

ii. Develop experimentally validated models for long term degradation of polymers and polymeric interfaces and identification of the most likely contributors to wear out failures.

iii. Development of models for long term degradation studies and validation of accelerated testing.

3. Develop Disruptive Acceleration Science

i. Development of accelerated testing capabilities to de-risk high energy yield module designs and materials, including bifacial modules and glass/glass packaging.

https://www.duramat.org/core-objectives.html

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ii. Demonstration of an accelerated testing method(s) capable of identifying materials and design field failures that are not captured by existing standardized tests.

iii. Demonstration of detection of an unanticipated material or module weakness(es) using a test derived from outdoor field-use conditions.

iv. Develop an accelerated testing method to study the initiation of wear out and key material degradation modes for wear out.

v. Validate an accelerated test method not yet adopted in the PV industry and benchmark relative to popular test methods.

vi. Testing and modeling to determine realistic and potentially predictive accelerated stress conditions.

vii. Accelerated stress testing experiments to determine material, stress, or other parameters for use in modeling other applications.

4. Develop Fielded Module Forensics

i. Pioneer new non-destructive/ field compatible methods to evaluate the failure modes and mechanisms associated with long-term wear out.

ii. Development of materials forensics capabilities to de-risk high energy yield module designs and materials, including bifacial modules and glass/glass packaging.

iii. Validate accelerated test protocols against field failures using a combination of structural, chemical, and mechanical characterization.

iv. Use lab scale analysis and characterization to provide feedback for PV materials and components, including: backsheet, cell, encapsulant, glass, gridlines, interconnects, solder bonds, etc.

v. Validation of multiscale modeling and/or accelerated stress testing experiments.

vi. Measurement and parameterization of material, stress, or other physical characteristics.

5. Develop Module Material Solutions

i. De-risk innovative materials using the DuraMAT datahub, multiscale modeling, accelerated and field testing, and/or materials forensics.

ii. Enable emerging architectures such as flexible PV.

iii. Development of sustainable materials solutions include repairs, component replacement, remanufacture, reuse, and design for recycling.

iv. Quantitative evaluation of material substitutions for use in module designs and comparisons of different material/design options in terms of performance, reliability/durability, cost, and/or sustainability.

c. Scope.

The final scope of work will be determined upon award selection to fit the successful awardee(s)’ specific project following the proposal selection and solicitation process. Based upon the Statement of Objectives (SOO) and anticipated activities presented herein, the Offeror will propose a scope of work which, upon selection of the successful offer, will be converted to a Performance Work Statement (PWS) by NREL. The PWS will be transmitted to the successful Offeror for agreement and the PWS will be mutually agreed upon and incorporated into the resultant subcontract.

In addition to the core objective areas, the DuraMAT IAB identified a list of priority research areas for the DuraMAT consortium. The highest ranked priorities are listed below. PIs are encouraged to consider these topics when developing their proposals:

• Reliability of new cell technologies.

• Characterization tools for modules in the field.

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• Development of more predictive accelerated tests; towards service life prediction.

• Use of accelerated testing and module forensics to improve, support or validate models.

• Experimental determination and parameterization of material properties, field stress conditions experienced by modules, interfacial characteristics, and relationships between applied stresses and module/material properties.

• Case studies on fielded module degradation.

• Correlations between accelerated stress testing performance and field performance.

• Predictive tools for long term degradation studies.

• De-risking emerging packaging designs and materials.

• Packaging or interconnect material substitution.

• Reliability of high-power density modules.

• Durability and reliability of large format modules.

• Thin film (non-silicon) module reliability.

• Enabling domestic manufacturing of reliable PV modules and durable materials.

• Circularity and sustainability of modules.

• Module level power electronics.

• New materials and design durability with Technoeconomic Analysis (TEA) and sustainability/circular economy analysis.

Proposals should be carefully differentiated from other SETO-funded programs. Successful proposals will be expected to have a mid- to long-term impact on addressing the DuraMAT goals by answering the DuraMAT questions, leveraging the results and capabilities of DuraMAT to date, and creating effective links between core objectives at the national laboratories. Proposals may compliment or coordinate with existing DuraMAT projects. Proposals must have a well-defined work plan with clear yearly milestones and deliverables that support the DuraMAT key results listed in section 3b of this solicitation. Proposals are encouraged to include industry participation and should address problems or challenges identified as longer-term research needs by the PV industry.

The DuraMAT Consortium supports research opportunities in PV modules, focusing on packaging, interconnect, module materials, and module design. Cell research at the sub-cell level (e.g., absorber or contacts) is excluded. Studies of high efficiency cell degradation as a function of module packaging and design may be submitted if they are clearly differentiated from other funded programs in the SETO portfolio. For example, research may include innovative accelerated testing, novel packaging materials and design, simulations or modeling that predict the durability and degradation mechanisms of new materials or designs, new data analytics that connect accelerated testing to field performance, data and risk-based technology evaluation tools, and more.

All project proposals are required to include a plan to submit FAIR compliant data with the DuraMAT datahub. All proposals including the development of software tools must include open-source development and release with full documentation and an example or demonstration data set for use. Modeling proposals relying on proprietary or commercial software packages must commit to sharing methods, input data, boundary conditions, output data, etc. so their work can be replicated using alternative software packages to the extent permitted by license conditions.

d. Qualification Requirements.

Project teams may be led by a Prime that is a for-profit business, educational institution, or non-profit. The Prime and its lower-tier subcontractor(s) must be incorporated (or otherwise formed)

RFx-2024-10021 Page 6 of 22 under the laws of a State or territory of the United States. Project teams are strongly encouraged to have a significant participant (at least 20% of the work effort) that is a for-profit business.

National laboratories are encouraged to participate as lower-tier subcontractors in collaboration with an eligible Prime.

RFP submissions are limited to one per Prime organization.

Project teams must include participation from one or more DOE National Laboratories. These laboratories include the DuraMAT National Laboratory partners (NREL, Sandia, LBNL) and the proposed effort must utilize one, or more, of the DuraMAT core objective areas listed in section 3b.

The DuraMAT webpage (https://www.DuraMAT.org ) provides additional information on the core objective areas and a list of laboratory contacts for each of these areas and current and past funded projects within the DuraMAT consortium. Proposals are not required to include participation from the core DuraMAT National Lab Partners. Proposals from teams that use National Laboratories outside of the DuraMAT core should include a brief summary of how those National Lab resources add unique capabilities to the DuraMAT network. Examples of unique, impactful, and significant national lab participation include (but are not restricted to):

1. The national lab contribution is integral and critical to the success of the project,

2. Use of a capability or resource that only exists at a national lab,

3. Multiple exchanges of samples, data, and measurement or simulation results,

4. Joint publication with documented contributions from the collaboration,

5. Staff exchanges or visits between institutions to perform work,

6. Student or postdoctoral exchanges between organizations, and/or

7. Internship exchanges between organizations.

NOTE: For evaluation purposes, Offerors are to propose National Laboratory support as lower-tier subcontractor(s) in their proposal, including when NREL is the participating DOE National Laboratory. In any case, National Laboratory support will be reimbursed directly by DOE, and as such the Offeror shall not include any costs associated with National Laboratory subcontract administration in their proposal.

State, local, and tribal government entities are only eligible to apply for funding as a subcontractor.

FFRDCs, GOCOs, and GOGOs are only eligible to apply for funding as a subcontractor.

Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are only eligible to apply for funding as a subcontractor.

Foreign entities, whether for-profit or otherwise, are eligible to participate within a project team but are not eligible to apply as a Prime nor are they eligible to receive funding as a subcontractor under this RFP.

e. Period and Place of Performance.

The anticipated period of performance is 12, 24, or 36 months with funding added incrementally as it becomes available. The final period of performance will be determined by the Offeror. The place of performance shall be defined by the Offeror and may include the Offeror’s facilities, a lower-tier subcontractor’s facilities, and/or a national laboratory facility.

https://www.duramat.org/

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4. Proposed subcontract award

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.

It is the intent of NREL to award three to four (3 to 4) Firm Fixed Price subcontract(s) under this solicitation. The actual number of awards may vary based on the submissions received and the availability of funds. NREL reserves the right to make any number of awards or make no awards under this solicitation. It is anticipated that NREL funding available for each award under this solicitation will not exceed $850,000 for the anticipated 24 to 36-month duration or $500,000 for 12-months of work effort. Note, available funding corresponds to the amount NREL will fund and does not include price participation amounts. All proposed efforts shall be in annual phases, with an annual milestone deliverable at the end of each year and a final milestone deliverable at the end of the project. A go/no-go decision will be reviewed with NREL and DOE and the annual milestone deliverable must be successfully completed to advance into the subsequent phase.

NREL reserves the right to conduct site visits to Offerors prior to selection.

This RFP is for research and development. It is not intended to fund the acquisition of capital equipment. Therefore, there are no capital equipment funds available under this Solicitation.

Capital equipment is defined as equipment with a unit value of $500,000 or more, including applicable shipping and installation charges, and having a life expectancy of two years or more.

Offerors are further advised that all equipment (personal property) purchases must be included in Offeror’s Price Participation. This includes funds contributed by the Offeror and/or Offeror’s lower-tier subcontractors or suppliers at no cost to NREL.

The resultant awardee is responsible for establishing all non-National Laboratory subcontractor contractual agreements and payments. Project funding for National Lab work efforts will be sent directly from DOE to the corresponding National Lab but should be included as part of the proposed budget.

The following italicized information is provided for planning purposes only and is not part of the submittal requirements of this RFP.

(Note: In the event an Offeror is selected for negotiations with the intent of reaching agreement on the award of a subcontract, the successful Offeror will be required to provide a detailed list of any equipment items planned to be purchased along with a price for the acquisition of each. The individual price proposed for each item shall be verifiable via vendor quote, price sheet, or other means deemed acceptable by NREL.)

A minimum of 20% price participation is required for an award. Price participation is defined as a percentage of the total allowable and allocable costs under the subcontract, which may be met by contributions by the Subcontractor and by contributions from the Subcontractor's lower-tier subcontractors or suppliers at no cost to NREL. The anticipated available funding amounts listed above correspond to the amount NREL will fund and do not include price participation amounts.

Additionally:

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- all costs, both proposed NREL price participation amount and Subcontractor’s amount, must be allowable, reasonable, and allocable in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 31 and DOE Acquisition Regulations (DEAR) Part 931;

- the Subcontractor’s and lower-tier subcontractor’s price participation amounts shall not be funded by other Federal contracts and/or grants;

- legal, financial and management costs in connection with the planning or execution of a corporate structure and raising capital (net worth and long term liabilities) are not allowable (FAR 31.205-

27) and should not be included in the proposed direct or indirect costs in either NREL’s or the Subcontractor’s price participation amount;

- material, labor, and other costs incurred for the manufacture of products intended for resale will not be considered under either NREL’s or the Subcontractor’s price participation amount; and

- foreign travel is not allowable under either NREL’s or the Subcontractor’s price participation amount.

5. Competitive negotiated subcontract using Best Value, Tradeoff, Selection

This solicitation shall be conducted using Best Value, Tradeoff, 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, Tradeoff, 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.

6. Qualitative merit criteria for Best Value, Tradeoff, Selection

The Project Description (item 3 above) serves as NREL’s baseline requirements that must be met by each offer.

The qualitative merit criteria establish what NREL considers the technical factors valuable in an offer. These qualitative merit criteria are performance-based and permit selection of a higher priced offer that provides higher qualitative merit.

The following qualitative merit criteria will be used to determine the technical value of the offer in meeting the objectives of the solicitation. Sub-criterion, if listed, are not individually weighted, but are factors in the overall weighting.

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Each qualitative merit criterion (and sub-criterion, if included) and its assigned weight are listed below:

Criteria # Criteria

Assigned Weight

Description

6.1 Technical Merit

and Relevance 70% Impact of the proposal relative to state of the art, technical merit, and relevance to the DuraMAT goals

6.1.1 Transition to

zero carbon electricity n/a

How effectively does the proposal address the DuraMAT goal of accelerating the transition to zero carbon electricity generation by 2035 by answering one or both of the following questions: (1) Which materials and module designs will enable sustainable, high-energy yield 50-year modules and how do we ensure these new modules are not going to fail prematurely? (2) What triggers wear out, defined as a rapid increase in degradation at end of life and what does long-term degradation look like in PV modules

6.1.2 50-year module system n/a

How does the proposal address the challenges of making a 50-year module and system, provide confidence that the module may indeed last 50 years, or provide knowledge to understand which components must be field repairable or replaceable in order to achieve the 50-year goal?

6.1.3 Potential impact

n/a

What is the potential impact of this work on the DuraMAT goal of a 50-year module system if it is successful?

6.1.4 Contribution to

core objectives n/a

How might the proposed work contribute to the achievement of the DuraMAT core objectives and key results listed in 3b above?

6.1.5 Continuation of

core objectives n/a How might the proposed work build upon DuraMAT’s core objectives and integrate with the existing network?

6.1.6 Solar industry

impact n/a What is the likelihood this research would be effectively leveraged by DuraMAT collaborators in the solar industry?

6.1.7 Stakeholder

engagement n/a What is the plan for stakeholder engagement to use this research or build upon the results from this work?

6.1.8 Learning

opportunities n/a If the proposed work is unsuccessful, what can DuraMAT or the PV community learn?

6.2 Organization

and Execution 30% Effectiveness of the proposed technical approach

6.2.1 Workplan n/a Is the workplan clearly articulated and effective in achieving the goals of the project?

6.2.2 Milestones n/a Are the milestones and deliverables clearly articulated and appropriate?

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6.2.3 Sourcing

modules n/a

For proposals including characterization, does the proposal provide a clear plan for sourcing fielded modules or fabricating samples to enable a meaningful comparison between samples?

6.2.4 Success factors n/a What is the likelihood of the proposed work to succeed based on the budget and work period proposed?

6.2.5 Team

qualifications n/a Does the team have the skills and resources necessary to build this capability?

6.2.6 Data standards

n/a

Does the proposal include a data plan that includes providing data meeting FAIR standards (www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/) to provide data sets and/or analysis tools to the DuraMAT datahub?

6.2.7 Approach

distinctiveness n/a

Is the proposed effort differentiated from the research in other SETO-funded reliability projects (e.g., SETO lab call, PVQAT, PVRD, PREDICTS) and how does it compare to the current state of the art?

100% Total of Merit Criteria

7. Price evaluation for Best Value, Tradeoff, Selection

After evaluation of the qualitative merit criteria, the following price evaluation will be used to determine the best value of the offer in meeting the objectives of the solicitation.

The combined qualitative merit value will be considered substantially more important than the price.

NOTE: For evaluation purposes, Offerors are to propose National Laboratory support as lower-tier subcontractor(s) in their proposal, including when NREL is the participating DOE National Laboratory. In any case, National Laboratory support will be reimbursed directly by DOE, and as such the Offeror shall not include any costs associated with National Laboratory subcontract administration in their proposal.

8. Additional Factors for Evaluation

In addition to the qualitative merit criteria and price evaluation above, each proposal will be evaluated against other programmatic factors to determine the final rank order. Programmatic factors will include funding, technology topic area, portfolio diversity, and the goals of DuraMAT.

These factors are not weighted.

9. 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 http://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/ http://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/

RFx-2024-10021 Page 11 of 22 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 Scope and the qualitative merit criteria listed above. NREL reserves the right to conduct site visits at Offeror’s location prior to selection. 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).

Offerors selected through the best value, tradeoff, selection process will be contacted with the intent to negotiate an acceptable PWS, based on the Offeror’s proposal.

10. Proposal preparation information

Proposals should be arranged in the following order. The total response is limited to the sections defined below and must adhere to the section page limits listed below (excluding the Representations and Certifications and Organizational Conflict of Interest form). A proposal exceeding the page limitations that does not provide an obvious benefit to NREL may be rejected as unacceptable.

a. Title Page: 1 page maximum

The proposal must include a title page that includes:

• RFP title and number,

• The project title,

• Name of your organization and principal investigator or project manager (with postal address, telephone number(s), and email address),

• A list of the National Laboratories and other subcontractor(s) participating in the project,

• Total requested funding and project duration. Include a 1-2 sentence budget justification detailing budget breakdown by institution, and

• A brief summary paragraph of the project objectives.

The title should be succinct and capture the essence of your offer.

Include the following notice on the title page:

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“Notice for Handling Proposals:

This proposal shall be used and disclosed for Alliance/NREL and Government evaluation purposes only. Any authorized restrictive notices which the Offeror places on this proposal shall also be strictly complied with. Disclosure of this proposal outside the Government, Alliance/NREL, Alliance/NREL consultants, or other national laboratories personnel for evaluation purposes shall be made only to the extend authorized by, and in accordance with, the procedures in DEAR 915.207-70 and, as applicable stated in the procurement solicitation document for source evaluation and selection process.

Upon completion of the evaluation, the evaluator shall certify in writing to the Source Evaluation Team Chairperson that all copies of this proposal have been destroyed and/or deleted from any electronic device, medium or storage location with the exception of those retained in the procurement file or in the case of successful offeror(s) in the project management file.”

b. Performance Work Statement: 8 pages maximum

As part of their proposal, Offerors shall prepare and submit a Performance Work Statement (PWS) based on the objectives outlined in the SOO. The proposed PWS should form the bulk of the response to the RFP and should contain the major portion of the technical work effort. It should include the technical discussion of approaches and should be presented in sufficient detail to permit a comprehensive evaluation. The PWS shall describe the work to be performed in terms of required results rather than how the work is to be accomplished. The portion of work to be completed by the National Lab(s) shall be identified as such and listed separately from the work to be performed by the rest of the Offeror team within the PWS document. It should also contain, as a minimum, the following sections:

Section 1. Proposal Background, Goals, Motivation:

This section should be a summary of the proposed project and its potential to contribute to the RFP goals. Offerors shall accomplish this by clearly defining the proposed technology/concept, the current state of that technology/concept, the target markets for the technology being developed, and how the proposed technology relates to existing or competing technologies.

Offerors shall include data or references to support cost and performance claims. The following subsections are required:

1.1 Project Goals: technical problem and proposed solution

Define the specific scientific/technical question you want to address, state the hypothesis for the project and briefly explain the proposed approach to the solution.

Describe the technical approach and specific technical goals in detail. Describe how the proposed work is novel and different, and how the proposed research will advance the state of the art. Describe how this research is high impact.

1.2 Relevance to DuraMAT Goals and Core Outcomes

Describe how the proposed research will use and expand current DuraMAT capabilities.

Describe which DuraMAT core outcome areas will be impacted and how that impact will be achieved. Describe how the work will work towards the DuraMAT goal of accelerating

RFx-2024-10021 Page 13 of 22 a sustainable, just, and equitable transition to zero carbon electricity generation by 2035.

Specifically, how will the proposed work address these two questions:

1. Which materials and module designs will enable sustainable, high-energy yield 50-year modules and how do we ensure these new modules are not going to fail prematurely?

2. What triggers wear out, defined as a rapid increase in degradation at end of life, and what are the characteristics, rates, and mechanisms of long term degradation in PV modules?

1.3 Data Sharing

• All project proposals are required to include a plan to submit FAIR compliant data with the DuraMAT datahub, including a yearly deliverable to submit data to the DuraMAT datahub.

• All proposals including the development of software tools must include open-source development and release with full documentation and an example or demonstration data set for use. Proprietary and/or commercial code or software may be used in DuraMAT, but not developed.

• Modeling proposals relying on proprietary or commercial software packages must commit to sharing methods, input data, boundary conditions, output data, etc. so their work can be replicated using alternative software packages to the extent permitted by license conditions.

1.4 Extensibility/Dissemination Plan

A dissemination plan for the model shall be described in the proposal, including a description of how others can use your work, model, or data without working with you.

1.5 Current State of the Art & Prior Results within DuraMAT

Detail the current state of the art in the area of your proposed work. Detail successes, uses of the DuraMAT network, teaming, how feedback from workshops are informing the current proposal, and why this effort is important. Please do not mention continuation of any existing DuraMAT project as this is an independent proposal call, however you may refer to how the proposed project connects with and builds off of prior DuraMAT work.

Section 2. Scope of Work – Task Descriptions:

This task description section shall contain a task-by-task description of the work to be conducted necessary to meet project objectives. Task descriptions shall also consist of:

a distinctive title, a concise statement of the objectives, description of the R&D procedures, potential risks or barriers and approaches for overcoming them, key personnel or resources, quarterly milestones and/or deliverables that demonstrate progress towards meeting the project’s technical objectives, RFx-2024-10021 Page 14 of 22 as well as any subtask activities that make up that task effort. Subtask narratives contained within task description should similarly describe the focus, approach, and goals of each subtask as they relate to reaching the goals of their specific task.

Section 3. Deliverables:

The DuraMAT Program employs a Firm Fixed Price with Price Participation subcontracting mechanism and thus requires quantifiable deliverables in subcontracted projects. Please take care in considering the deliverables that are proposed. These deliverables are what the subcontract will be written around and what, if awarded, the Offeror will be reimbursed for when the deliverables are actually achieved/received. The deliverables should be challenging but achievable.

The milestones discussed in the task and subtask narrative form the foundation for defining and achieving the project deliverables. It is important that the task structure supports the proposed deliverables and that the proposed deliverables are of high value.

In addition to project-specific deliverables, DuraMAT requires several program-related deliverables to ensure data dissemination and data collection objectives are met. These deliverables are included in the table below, along with the financial value associated with these, relative to the total project award.

Table 10-1 must be included in your response but may be modified to fit the Offeror’s proposed approach. The table must include due dates (in months relative to the start date), the proposed price associated with each deliverable, and minimum acceptance criteria for each deliverable (i.e., specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant outcome(s) related to the applicable deliverable).

Note that the following deliverable requirements should be planned and budgeted:

• A deliverable that represents the current performance baseline of the proposed technology due within the first month. The payment for this deliverable is limited to a maximum of 25% of the total subcontract price.

• DuraMAT Workshop participation is required. These are held at approximately 6-month intervals with specific time and locations to be determined. Successful participation requires attendance, presentation (oral or poster), and submission of a project summary report. The payment for these deliverables, in total, is limited to a maximum of 25% of the total subcontract price.

• Brief (3-5 slide) quarterly report documenting progress and financial update.

• One annual milestone deliverable per year, with a go/no-go stage gate review for the project annually.

• A Final Project Deliverable, due at months 12, 24 or 36, depending on project duration, and limited to a maximum of 25% of the total subcontract price, that includes:

a final report, suitable for public dissemination, detailing the accomplishments of the project, and a final deliverable that demonstrates the achieved level of progress with respect to the defined project technical objectives.

RFx-2024-10021 Page 15 of 22

Additional deliverables are acceptable if they represent a key accomplishment or achievement associated with a critical success factor.

Table 10-1. Example Deliverable Table

Deliverable Designation

Deliverable Description Due Date (months after project start)

Acceptance Criteria

D_Initial Baseline Deliverable 1 TBD by Offeror

D_Annual Milestone

Annual milestone deliverable, including the submission of information to the DuraMAT Datahub, if applicable

12, if 24 month duration; 12 and 24, if 36 month duration

TBD by Offeror

D_Final Final Report & Hardware Deliverable 12, 24 or 36 depending on project duration

TBD by Offeror

D_Workshop_1 Workshop Participation TBD TBD by Offeror

D_Workshop_2 Workshop Participation TBD TBD by Offeror

Section 4. Team Composition, Coordination, and Capabilities

Strong team composition, available resources and capabilities, effective leadership and coordination, and impactful use of National Lab Capabilities are vital components of a successful proposal. This section should clearly address these (see evaluation criteria 6.2) and highlight how this team is uniquely suited to achieve the project objectives, how the project is leveraging the DuraMAT network capabilities, how the DuraMAT datahub will be utilized, and how the advances will be implemented or commercialized. The Offeror shall also address how subcontractor(s) outside of the DuraMAT core national labs add critical capabilities to the consortium.

Additional Supporting Documentation (not included in the final page count)

References and Bibliography – 2 page maximum:

Relevant references may be cited, but do not include copies of referenced articles in the electronic submission in response to this RFP.

Resumes Abbreviated (2-page maximum per person) resumes shall be supplied for at least the primary investigator and, optionally, the co-investigator (submitted resumes shall not include social security numbers). As an alternative to a resume, it is acceptable to use the biographical sketch approved by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The biographical sketch format may be

RFx-2024-10021 Page 16 of 22 generated by the Science Experts Network Curriculum Vita (SciENcv), a cooperative venture maintained at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv.

List of Government Contracts A list and brief description of selected government contracts and/or NREL subcontracts awarded to the Offeror and key sub-tier contributors in the past five (5) years, to include the contracting agency’s name, the contract or subcontract amount, and a brief description of the project. The information may be provided in the format approved by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which may be generated by the Science Experts Network Curriculum Vita (SciENcv), a cooperative venture maintained at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv.

Project Summary Slides Completion of the 2-slide PowerPoint project summary slides (see Attachment 4). These shall NOT contain proprietary information and are intended for distribution at workshops, meetings, and other public events.

Letter of Support (optional) Letters of support from external partners not explicitly listed as proposal participants are acceptable.

Formatting instructions

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

- Use a 12-point font.

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

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

- All files are to be provided as separate PDF files.

Each proposal must be submitted to the NREL Subcontract Administrator via e-mail at Jacob.nofsinger@nrel.gov. The e-mailed submission must include the RFP number (RFX- 2024-10021) and the project title (“DuraMAT FY24 Open Call RFP”) in the subject line. The proposal must be directed toward meeting the requirements of the RFP. You should provide only the minimum amount of information required for proper evaluation. Keep your proposal as brief as possible and concentrate on substantive information.

c. Price Proposal

A completed “Fully Burdened Labor Rate and Expense Proposal Form” in an electronic copy (Microsoft Excel). An individual offeror’s price (cost) proposal standard format can be used if the data included is substantially the same as the NREL form. The offeror’s price (cost) and delivery terms must be valid for 180 days from the date of the offer. The price (cost) proposal should include support documentation for all categories of the proposed price (cost). The price (cost) proposal should separate price (cost) for lower-tier subcontract(s) and include support documentation for all categories of the proposed lower-tier subcontract(s) price (cost). See the “Fully Burdened Labor Rate and Expense Proposal Form” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv mailto:Jacob.nofsinger@nrel.gov

RFx-2024-10021 Page 17 of 22 for specific instructions. This form is found under “Request for Proposal (RFP) Forms (Non- Construction)” at the following link:

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

In addition to the Fully Burdened Labor Rate and Expense Proposal Form, the price summary sheet (Attachment 2) to include all categories of the proposed price and totals for the entire effort (12, 24, or 36-month duration).

NOTE: For evaluation purposes, Offerors are to propose National Laboratory support as lower-tier subcontractor(s) in their proposal, including when NREL is the participating DOE National Laboratory. In any case, National Laboratory support will be reimbursed directly by DOE, and as such the Offeror shall not include any costs associated with National Laboratory subcontract administration in their proposal.

d. Representations and Certifications

A completed “Representations & Certifications for Subcontracts/Purchase Orders” form.

Please download from the NREL general access website link below:

e. Organizational Conflict of Interest Form

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”. The forms and instructions are located at the following link:

f. Cover Letter

A cover letter including either acceptance or change/exception with reason to the sample subcontract schedule (Attachment 1), anticipated period of performance, and the standard terms and conditions and/or the intellectual property terms and conditions in the appendices. The offeror shall explain any proposed change/exception with respect to the sample subcontract schedule and terms and conditions. Any proposed change/exception must contain sufficient amplification and justification to permit evaluation. Such proposed changes/exceptions will not, of themselves, automatically cause an offer to be termed unacceptable. However, a large number of proposed changes/exceptions or one or more significant exceptions not providing any obvious benefit to the NREL or the Department of Energy may result in rejection of such offer as unacceptable.

g. This solicitation requires the submittal of electronic proposals.

h. This solicitation does not commit NREL to pay costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this RFP.

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

RFx-2024-10021 Page 18 of 22

11. 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 (Nov 2018)

Offerors who include in their 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 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 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. 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

RFx-2024-10021 Page 19 of 22 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 -…