Amendment No. 1 to RFX-2021-10469 - 2021 Distributed Wind Turbine Competitiveness Improvement Project.pdf

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

Request for Proposals Number RFX-2021-10469

AMENDMENT NO. 1

"2021 Distributed Wind Turbine Competitiveness Improvement Project”

Amendment Issue Date: 02/15/21 Due Date for Proposals: 02/26/21 Time Due: 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time

Solicitation Type Best Value Selection Fixed Price with Price Participation

Submit offers to the NREL RFP Contact below

NREL RFP Contact Kyndall Jackson, Subcontract Administrator National Renewable Energy Laboratory 15013 Denver West Parkway, MS RSF 030 Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 275-4253 Email: Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov

Amendment No. 1 is hereby issued in response to questions received regarding the subject Request for Proposal (RFP) No. RFX-2021-10469. Please note that some questions may have been edited to address duplicate questions or to protect business-sensitive information provided in the original questions. The essences of the original questions are not affected. Questions are in no particular order.

1. On page 16 of the RFP, in the 1st paragraph under the heading "Notice for Handling Proposals", the 7th line from the top uses the word "extend", is the intended word "extent"?

NREL Response: Yes, that is correct, it should be extent.

2. Regarding Prototype Testing, can offerors include about 20% of needed funds for the improvement of an already manufactured 5/20 kW HEWS unit?

NREL Response: Yes, offerors can include funds for technology improvement as part of their price participation as long as it is referenced as part of the proposed work and the expense occurs after a subcontract is fully executed with NREL for a CIP award. No expenses incurred before a subcontract is in place can be included as part of price participation. NREL would further refer potential applicants to Section 4 of the RFP and Part 31 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations at https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-31.

mailto:Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov

3. Due to the fact that our unit is located in Colorado (Denver area), how can we negotiate to install and test our unit at NREL Denver facility? If this is possible, could you please direct us to the proper people to discuss the terms and conditions of installation and testing?

NREL Response: This is discouraged as there are other very suitable private and university affiliated accredited testing sites. It also creates a conflict of interest for NREL. If there is a clear justification of why testing must happen at NREL, this typically should be discussed prior to the formal solicitation process. If this is still of interest, please contact Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov directly to initiate a dialog around what services NREL could provide.

4. As we plan our submission for the distributed wind energy CIP, we read with interest this report on Sandia Labs’ work on carbon fiber blades. https://indiaeducationdiary.in/sandia-labs-carbon-fiber-optimized-for-wind-turbine-blades-could-bring-cost-performance-benefits/. We’d like to explore how this technology could boost our turbine efficiency and streamline our manufacturing under the CIP. Can you advise on the best way to partner with Sandia in this regard?

NREL Response: NREL recommends that offerors engage with specific staff at Sandia to investigate potential collaboration opportunities. While NREL staff cannot easily discuss the CIP solicitation, Sandia and other national laboratories are free to do so. The proposal can also request specific technical support from NREL that involves Sandia, but this support is not guaranteed and thus should not be critical to the success of the project. If this information is critical to the success of the project and cannot be obtained from a private sector or university-based sources, it can be included in the proposal as a direct expense.

Including Sandia as a defined lower-tier subcontractor is a qualified expense for either NREL cost or an awardee’s price participation.

5. Due to the distribution of population centers and industries, there are a significant number of applications for distributed wind in regions near to the coast (Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico), where real-estate is limited/unavailable or too expensive to install land-based turbines. Would a wind turbine installed on/in water be considered responsive to this solicitation?

NREL Response: The solicitation encourages innovation around different distributed wind energy applications and technologies, so there are no restrictions relating to a specific topology or application context. However, specific review criteria are related to market impact and cost savings compared to existing systems that serve those markets. Proposals should be able to demonstrate a defined path to product certification and a viable market with a technology that is cost competitive in supplying similar services. NREL recommends reviewing the RFP thoroughly for the merit criteria to see if a good case can be made that meets those requirements.

6. Is partnering with a turbine manufacturer required for a prototype design development proposal to be considered responsive?

NREL Response: For the prototype design development topical area, the linkage to an existing manufacturer is not required. The intention of the CIP is supporting the development of new and improved distributed wind technology with the result of new and mailto:Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Findiaeducationdiary.in%2Fsandia-labs-carbon-fiber-optimized-for-wind-turbine-blades-could-bring-cost-performance-benefits%2F&data=04%7C01%7CKyndall.Jackson%40nrel.gov%7C975f5f9c84be476ccba908d8c1532702%7Ca0f29d7e28cd4f5484427885aee7c080%7C0%7C0%7C637471910178493606%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=0xxoea2zX8ll0aUDyoXZBkBQL0rjDjyY5xcGsRpug0Q%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Findiaeducationdiary.in%2Fsandia-labs-carbon-fiber-optimized-for-wind-turbine-blades-could-bring-cost-performance-benefits%2F&data=04%7C01%7CKyndall.Jackson%40nrel.gov%7C975f5f9c84be476ccba908d8c1532702%7Ca0f29d7e28cd4f5484427885aee7c080%7C0%7C0%7C637471910178493606%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=0xxoea2zX8ll0aUDyoXZBkBQL0rjDjyY5xcGsRpug0Q%3D&reserved=0 innovative turbine options in the market. For this reason, the proposal should demonstrate a potential path to market, so future manufacturing should be part of that consideration.

7. Is the maximum award amount listed for each topic inclusive or exclusive of the required cost share?

NREL Response: It is the NREL’s portion, so would be exclusive of any industry price participation.

8. Regarding Topic Area 8: Prototype Manufacture and installation, in Section 3.8 of the Statement of Work, under Topic Area 8: Prototype Manufacture and Installation, can NREL provide additional clarification or an example for this statement: "Turbine installation is provided here to allow development flexibility; the Subcontractor should consider using a separate proposal under Prototype Testing (Topic Area 2) to cover costs associated with the installation and testing of any prototype turbine design when ready as an alternative to simply installing the turbine under this topical area."

NREL Response: The intention is to make the program flexible. Depending on development timing or manufacturer planning it might be better to include the installation of the prototype as part of a Prototype Manufacture or in Prototype Testing focused proposal.

Please note that installation has a separate funding cap under Prototype Manufacture. As an example, a manufacture may wish to install an early prototype to gain operational experience or to try out different components before a formal prototype test is undertaken.

In this case completing installation under Prototype Manufacture may be more useful.

9. Regarding Topic Area 8: Prototype Manufacture and installation, can installation costs under

Topic Area 8 (Prototype Manufacture and Installation) include other balance of plant costs?

Specifically costs for zoning, permitting, interconnection, engineering studies, transportation, foundation, and electrical infrastructure?

NREL Response: Yes.

10. Regarding Topic Area 8: Prototype Manufacture and installation, can installation costs under

Topic Area 8 (Prototype Manufacture and Installation) include tooling required for installation (e.g. hydraulic tensioning equipment, foundation templates, rigging, lifting tooling, etc.).

NREL Response: Yes.

11. Can an individual submit a proposal, or do they need to be represented by a business organization?

NREL Response: It must be a business organization. That can include a sole proprietor registered as a business.

12. Are there any other instructions for completing attachments?

NREL Response: Instructions for completing forms are provided within the RFP and the individual form templates. For specific instructions regarding the Price/Cost Proposal Form, see pages 3-5 of the form. Any further questions regarding the filling out of forms can be directed to Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov.

13. How can I locate the accompanying spreadsheet for attachment 4, with embedded calculations?

NREL Response: For all attachments, see the RFP posting at https://beta.sam.gov/opp/b2fc5822d651424a953835333920b29a/view.

14. Does NREL provide any coaching for teams?

NREL Response: Yes. There are three types of general support provided by NREL to companies with CIP subcontracts. Each awardee is assigned a technical monitor with extensive relevant expertise who can provide limited support throughout the project. The technical monitor may also bring in other NREL experts as needed for additional, limited support. NREL also provides direct engagement within topics that require a design review in which the turbine design team will work with a collection of NREL experts to assess and forward technology development. Lastly an awardee may request technical support on a key concern at any point during the subcontract period of performance. This support is not guaranteed and is based on available technical expertise and resources outside of the CIP award. It is strongly encouraged that proposals rely on technical expertise from the private and university sector before identifying NREL as a source. If a specific technical need is known from the onset of the project and this expertise is only available at NREL or another national laboratory, this requested technical support should be clearly identified in the proposal as discussed in section 10. P. of the RFP. However, because receiving this support is not guaranteed, NREL discourages offerors from submitting proposals dependent on receiving that support. Any clarifications should be directed to Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov.

NREL is not able to provide coaching on the development of a proposal but may consult with individuals or companies when there are no open CIP solicitation. To support proposal preparation NREL has provided workshops on the CIP proposal process. Workshop material is available online for viewing at https://www.nrel.gov/wind/competitiveness-improvement-project.html.

15. Our company manufactures Diffuser and Duct based wind turbines, which gives higher output than existing turbines of same size. We would like to know whether we can participate in this program as our wind turbine design is very different than other existing wind turbines?

NREL Response: Yes, this technology would be considered. Please refer to the response given to Question 5 of this amendment as it is relevant to this question.

16. Do you have an idea of when SWT-1 will be officially released?

NREL Response: That is difficult to say with confidence, possibly as early as March 2021 but there are several procedural steps that still must be completed. Given the expected timeline of solicitation award and the implementation of engineering and testing work, it can be assumed that SWT-1 will be in place prior to the substantive start of subcontract work.

Proposals will be reviewed as if the current version of SWT-1 is in place and consideration given if the standard changes substance before it is approved.

https://beta.sam.gov/opp/b2fc5822d651424a953835333920b29a/view https://www.nrel.gov/wind/competitiveness-improvement-project.html https://www.nrel.gov/wind/competitiveness-improvement-project.html

17. Is this open to companies that are trying to bring a new wind turbine products to market, or is this only open to existing companies that are already manufacturing turbines to further the wind turbine industry in one of the areas defined in the proposal?

NREL Response: This solicitation is open to both new and existing companies, technology configurations and applications. Proposals must however be submitted within the defined topical areas. Some topical areas, such as component innovation, as an example, require a defined turbine system to be identified. If the proposing company is different from the turbine manufacture than a defined agreement is needed to ensure a clear production path to market. To further this example, a company proposing a component innovation for a new turbine blade would only be considered responsive if the company currently manufacturing the turbines that would use that blade is identified and supportive of the development effort.

Other topical areas, such as prototype development, are more suited to either new market entrants or existing distributed wind companies with a new turbine or application concept.

See the responses given to Questions 5, 6 and 15 of this amendment as they are relevant to this question.

As a reminder, each proposal must be submitted as an electronic PDF file by 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time on 02/26/21. Please send submissions to Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov.

Please include confirmation of receipt and acceptance of this Amendment in your cover letter.

Thank you for your interest in this project. We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Submit offers to the NREL RFP Contact below