Request for Energy Performance Contracting

Rapid River Schools, a Michigan school district located in Delta County, issued a Request for Proposals for comprehensive energy performance contracting services on October 23, 2019, with sealed proposals due by 2:00 PM on November 4, 2019, at the district's administrative office located at 10070 Highway US-2, Rapid River, Michigan 49878. The procurement seeks a single Energy Service Company (ESCO) to design and implement district-wide energy conservation measures and capital improvements across all school facilities, including potential retrofits to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting systems, and other energy-saving modifications. The contract is structured as a guaranteed savings performance contract with a contemplated 15-year term, requiring the selected contractor to provide a minimum written guarantee of measured energy savings for five years with the option to extend the guarantee for the entire 15-year contract duration; failure to achieve guaranteed annual savings obligates the contractor to reimburse the district for the difference between guaranteed and actual savings. Key deliverables include detailed engineering calculations, a comprehensive measurement and verification plan complying with International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) or Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) guidelines, a 15-year cash flow analysis with level payment schedules, training programs, warranties documentation, and references for all K-12 performance contracting projects completed in Michigan since September 2014. The contractor must be NAESCO-accredited and demonstrate completion of a minimum of three guaranteed energy savings programs with Michigan school districts, provide a minimum 18-month warranty on all equipment, materials, design, and workmanship, and assume responsibility for all design services, permitting, code compliance, state filing requirements, asbestos remediation if necessary, and supervision in accordance with Michigan Public Acts 306 and 299. A mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on October 25, 2019, at 9:00 AM, with attendance required for proposal eligibility. Bidders must submit a 5 percent bid bond, and the selected contractor must provide performance and payment bonds equal to 100 percent of the total contract price.

No set-aside designations or restrictions limiting response to particular organization types, including disadvantaged enterprises, are specified in the procurement documentation. No incumbent vendors, current contractors, or existing infrastructure integration requirements are identified in the available materials. The district will incur no start-up costs, with all project costs primarily offset by energy conservation and operational savings generated through the implementation of energy efficiency improvements. While no explicit award value or budget range is provided in the RFP summary, the contract structure indicates that the total award value will be determined based on the scope of energy savings measures proposed and the guaranteed savings calculations submitted by qualified ESCOs, with financial terms structured to be self-funding through operational savings achieved over the 15-year performance period.