Electric Vehicle Charging Program

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is soliciting proposals through RFP 605 2300000290 for the design, build, operation, and maintenance of Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) stations across Kentucky's federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors along primary interstates and parkways including I-24, I-69, I-65, I-75, I-64, and various state parkways. Proposals were due August 24, 2023, at 5:00 PM, with questions for the second round due by August 14, 2023. Qualified proposers must submit proposals for one or more candidate sites within seventeen identified Corridor-Groups, with KYTC intending to award contracts to multiple developers across various corridor groups to achieve comprehensive network build-out. Each required EVSE station must include a minimum of four simultaneous charging ports delivering at least 150 kilowatts per port with 600 kilowatt total capacity, and must be capable of charging vehicles equipped with SAE J1772 CCS and North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors. Developers are responsible for all site acquisition, design, hardware and software purchase, construction, installation, operation, and maintenance activities for a five-year operational period, with no requirement to transfer assets back to KYTC at contract conclusion. Proposals are evaluated on a weighted basis with Technical Proposals worth 1,600 points and Cost Proposals worth 600 points, for a total of 2,200 points, and all proposals must comply with NEVI Requirements as established by the Federal Highway Administration, including compliance with 23 CFR 680, uptime performance standards of at least 97 percent annually, NEVI reporting requirements, prevailing wage requirements, and non-discrimination provisions under FHWA Form 1273.

The RFP includes mandatory Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation requirements and emphasizes consideration of disadvantaged communities as defined by federal guidance. Proposers must provide a minimum 20 percent non-federal match of total project costs, with KYTC covering up to 80 percent of eligible costs through NEVI Formula Program funding. Eligible expenses include pre-construction, design, permitting, utility upgrades, EVSE hardware and software, construction, and five years of operations and maintenance costs, with specific exclusions for ground lease payments, real estate purchases, and canopy coverings. Developers must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation, commercial general liability, and umbrella liability insurance, along with performance and payment bonds as specified in project agreement terms, and must retain ownership of installed infrastructure without handback requirements. The Commonwealth will receive $69.5 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program funding between Fiscal Years 2022-2026, with $25 million currently available for expansion on primary interstates and parkways; with the required 20 percent non-federal private sector match, total available funding is approximately $87 million. Liquidated damages provisions apply for EVSE uptime failures below 97 percent annually and for delays in NEVI reporting requirements at $25 per day, and all awarded developers must execute Project Agreements with KYTC establishing terms, conditions, capital milestone payments, and operational period invoicing for eligible expenses.