Energy Performance Contracting Services

The State of New Hampshire Department of Corrections is soliciting proposals for Energy Performance Contracting Services (RFP 484-26) to implement a Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contract across ten state-owned correctional facilities totaling approximately 765,180 square feet, with a combined FY24 utility bill of $4,157,450. The primary facility for evaluation is the Northern NH Correctional Facility in Berlin (190,602 square feet; $1,282,000 annual utility bill), with nine additional facilities located in Berlin, Concord, and Manchester available for implementation if selected. Qualified Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) must conduct an investment-grade audit at their own expense, develop and implement detailed energy conservation measures, perform commissioning and training, and deliver measurement and verification services using the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol. The project encompasses an estimated eighteen-month construction phase followed by a sixty-month measurement and verification phase, totaling approximately 78 months, with all energy conservation measures required to achieve a twenty-year payback period or less (ten years for NH State Prison for Men). Deliverables include comprehensive audits covering building automated control systems, HVAC systems, lighting, motors, renewable energy, water conservation, and load management options across all ten facilities. All contractors and subcontractors must pass criminal background checks, comply with PREA regulations and Department of Corrections conduct rules, and adhere to federal, state, and local codes. Proposals must include six original hardcopy and five copies in 3-ring binders plus electronic copies, with required forms including A1, B1, E1, E2, E3, and E4 containing detailed cost estimates and energy savings projections. Evaluation criteria include Technical Approach (35 points), Energy Savings (20 points), Project Cost (20 points), Qualifications and Experience (10 points), Management Approach (10 points), and Presentation (5 points), with up to five highest-scoring proposers invited for oral interviews. Critical dates include a mandatory site visit on March 10, 2026, at 10:00 AM (pre-bid conference and walkthrough with three-person company limit); proposer questions deadline of March 27, 2026, with state responses by April 15, 2026; and final proposal due date of April 30, 2026, at 12:00 PM at the State Offices Main Building, Department of Administrative Services in Concord, NH.

The solicitation does not specify set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises, minority-owned businesses, or women-owned businesses. All proposers must comply with New Hampshire RSA 21-I:11-c regulations and submit certifications regarding prior convictions related to bidding practices, antitrust violations, debarment from federal or state projects, and defaults on government contracts within the past two years. Proposers must furnish a Payment and Performance Bond equal to 100 percent of the contract price during the construction phase and provide two years of audited fiscal year-end financial statements. The project will be financed through a Master Lease Financing Program established by the State at 4 percent interest over a term not to exceed twenty years, with annual appropriations required for continuation and annual level payments commencing upon project completion. No specific incumbent vendors are identified in the solicitation documents, though the Building Management System is currently maintained by ENE Systems of NH, Inc. The State will pay the contractor's proposed investment-grade audit cost only if the State elects not to proceed after accepting the audit report, provided the audit meets compliance standards and achieves minimum energy savings thresholds of 85 percent of proposed savings; all implementation costs will be recovered within twenty years from the date of project implementation at existing energy prices. While specific total contract values are not stated, the procurement encompasses energy efficiency improvements across facilities with approximately $4.1 million in annual baseline utility costs, suggesting substantial project investment and potential for significant guaranteed savings.