Price Commons - Solar Panels

The University of Wisconsin-Stout, through its General Services Purchasing Department, is seeking bids for a solar panel installation project at the Merle Price Commons building located in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The procurement involves furnishing and installing a complete solar photovoltaic system, including monocrystalline PERC cell modules approximately 78" x 40" with 72 cells per module, racking systems, a Solar Edge SE20KUS inverter, and associated electrical components. Bidders must have a minimum of three years of experience in solar panel provision and installation, and be either original manufacturers, authorized distributors, or manufacturer-authorized dealers. A mandatory site visit was scheduled for August 15, 2017, at 1:30 p.m., with failure to attend resulting in bid disqualification. The bid was due on August 30, 2017, by 2:00 p.m. CST/CDT, with desired installation between September 15 and November 1, 2017. The project requires modules meeting UL 1703, IEC 61730, and IEC 61215 standards, with a 25-year warranty featuring linear degradation of no more than 3% in the first year and 0.7% annually thereafter.

The University offers a 5% preference to certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (DVB) under Wisconsin Statutes when qualified bids are not more than 5% higher than the lowest bid. Bidders must provide three customer references from comparable-sized institutions served within the past three years and maintain commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate. Contractors receiving purchase orders exceeding $25,000 must submit an Affirmative Action Plan, with potential consequences including debarment from doing business with Wisconsin state agencies if not complied with. The project requires prevailing wage compliance and submission of certified payroll documentation. While no specific budget range was explicitly stated, the project involves removing existing roof ballast, installing solar panels, and constructing a 75-foot concrete paver pathway for array servicing. Bidders were required to provide contact information for supplier diversity reporting and affirmative action compliance, with a signed addendum mandatory for bid submission.