Solar Equipment Operations and Maintenance Services

Howard County, Maryland's Office of Procurement and Contract Administration is requesting proposals for solar equipment operations and maintenance services across multiple County-owned installations under RFP 04-2027, with proposals due September 9, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. EST and a pre-proposal conference on August 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. A 15% Equal Business Opportunity subcontracting goal applies, requiring prime contractors to make good faith efforts to utilize certified minority, women, and disabled business enterprises; contractors are also encouraged to pursue Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise participation with an aspirational goal of 1% of total procurement value.

The scope encompasses operations and maintenance services for approximately 250 kW DC across three existing solar projects and approximately 4,765 kW DC across five projects under construction, including rooftop arrays, ground-mounted systems, parking canopies, and ballasted systems over capped landfills. Required services include daily monitoring via the County's existing Data Acquisition System, performance reporting, corrective and preventive maintenance, thermal imaging, annual site inspections, and warranty claim coordination. Contractors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of commercial solar O&M experience across all specified project types and maintain commercial general liability ($1,000,000), automobile liability ($1,000,000), and statutory Maryland workers' compensation insurance.

The estimated annual contract value falls in Category C ($100,001 to $250,000). The contract begins on or about November 1, 2026, for one year with five renewable one-year options exercisable at the County's sole discretion. Pricing must remain firm for one year; subsequent adjustments are capped at the lower of the Consumer Price Index or 5%. Howard County's living wage requirement of $19.83 per hour applies to covered employers on service contracts exceeding $100,000 annually. Evaluation prioritizes demonstrated experience and technical competence, staff qualifications, identified project risks, experience with unique project types, service comprehensiveness, Certified Local Business status, proposal completeness, and price. Questions are due August 28, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.