Clean Buildings Compliance Support

The Washington State Department of Commerce is soliciting grant applications through Request for Applications (RFA No. 95702-01) for the Clean Buildings Compliance Support program, targeting building owners in five counties: Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Chelan, and Yakima. The procurement focuses on four distinct funding programs designed to help entities meet the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS): Clean Buildings Performance Grants, Energy Audits for Public Buildings, Energy Retrofits for Public Buildings, and State Improvement Grants. Eligible applicants must demonstrate compliance with CBPS requirements, including completed benchmarking, energy management plans, and operations and maintenance documentation. Applications will be evaluated based on work plan quality (70%), program management (25%), and cost (5%), with an additional 5% bonus for organizations not requiring mandatory individual arbitration clauses. Key dates include an application deadline of March 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM PST, two virtual applicant conferences on December 11, 2025, and January 28, 2026, and a question-and-answer period running from December 2, 2025, through February 18, 2026.

Eligible applicants encompass a broad range of entities, including publicly and privately owned building owners, public entities, local agencies, public higher education institutions, K-12 school districts, state agencies, and federally recognized sovereign nations or tribes. The program specifically targets Tier 1 covered buildings, Tier 2 multifamily residential buildings financed by the Washington State Housing Trust, and buildings owned by sovereign nations or tribes. Total budgeted funding across all programs is approximately $32 million, with $4.8 million allocated for Clean Buildings Performance Grants (limited to $125,000 per project under 220,000 square feet), $12.2 million for Energy Audits for Public Buildings (at $0.50 per square foot), $10.6 million for Energy Retrofits for Public Buildings (with 70% reserved for Tier 1 buildings and 20% for small cities under 5,000 population), and $4.8 million for State Project Improvements. Funding will be distributed on a reimbursement basis, with no matching fund requirements, and will prioritize projects serving overburdened communities, K-12 schools, facilities in rural counties, and those that have not previously received Department of Commerce grants. The contract period of performance extends from May 11, 2026, through June 30, 2027.