Notice of Intent to Award for RFP 20*1377-PV Panels-Oden

The State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued RFP #200000001377 to procure a turnkey solar photovoltaic (PV) system for the Oden Fish Hatchery Visitor Center located in Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula. The formal solicitation was posted on SIGMA VSS on June 11, 2020, with an initial deadline of August 4, 2020, which yielded no bids. Subsequently, the Department conducted an informal solicitation via email to solar-related companies with a revised deadline of August 14, 2020. The procurement required vendors to submit comprehensive technical proposals addressing Schedule A Statement of Work specifications, staffing qualifications documentation, and responses to a detailed vendor questions worksheet. Evaluation criteria consisted of a weighted scoring methodology allocating 60 points for technical specifications, 10 points for staffing qualifications, and 30 points for vendor questions responses, with an 80-point minimum threshold required to advance to pricing evaluation. Three vendors submitted informal proposals: Charthouse Energy, Green Panel LLC, and Utopian Power LLC. The contract term spans three years with no renewal options, and the Department negotiated pricing following technical evaluation.

This procurement did not identify any service-disabled veteran-owned business set-asides among the bidders. Utopian Power LLC, headquartered in South Lyon, Michigan, was selected for award based on achieving a technical score of 90 out of 100 points, exceeding the minimum threshold with perfect marks (60/60) on its technical proposal and 25/30 points on the vendor questions worksheet, though it received only 5/10 points for staffing due to incomplete documentation. The competing bidders failed to meet the technical evaluation threshold, scoring 20 and 0 points respectively. The final award recommendation totaled $27,050.00, comprising a negotiated contract price of $26,500 plus $550 for spare panels, representing the lowest-cost option among qualified vendors that met minimum technical requirements and delivered best value to the state.