Solar Procurement and Installation for projects identified by the Sustainable Energy Partnership (“SEP”)

The Sustainable Energy Partnership (SEP), a consortium comprising Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County in Pennsylvania, issued an Invitation to Bid on April 23, 2026, for solar photovoltaic procurement and installation across 14 projects on county-owned properties. This solicitation seeks qualified Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firms to design, procure, and install solar systems ranging from approximately 22.82 kilowatts to 1.78 megawatts across the four counties, with bidders permitted to submit proposals for projects in one or more counties but required to bid on all projects within any selected county. Deliverables include complete solar installation systems utilizing either Enphase microinverters or SolarEdge string inverters with power optimizers, depending on financing structure; comprehensive permitting and structural engineering; construction and installation labor; year-one operations and maintenance agreements; and extended warranty coverage of at least five years. Key evaluation criteria include contractor NABCEP certification, demonstrated experience with prior solar projects, sufficient cash flow and bonding capacity, compliance with prevailing wage requirements, OSHA 10-hour safety training completion for all craft employees, and participation in Class A Apprenticeship Programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor for each trade employed. Bidders must submit bid bonds equal to 10 percent of project costs, with performance and payment bonds of 100 percent of total contract price required upon award. The bid due date is May 21, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., with site visits scheduled throughout late April and early May 2026 for locations including correctional facilities and county youth centers requiring pre-clearance, and a questions and answers period extending through May 15, 2026. For Bucks County specifically, bidders must submit a separate Responsibility Certification Form two weeks prior to the bid deadline, meaning by May 7, 2026.

All contractors and subcontractors performing work valued over $250,000 on these public works projects must submit completed Contractor Responsibility Certification Forms demonstrating valid licensing, bonding and insurance compliance, absence of debarment or default history, satisfactory law compliance records, and prevailing wage certification as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, which specifies hourly rates and fringe benefits for approximately 80 distinct trade classifications with total compensation ranging from approximately $41.20 to $121.72 per hour depending on trade and effective date. The counties are evaluating two financing structures: a Direct Pay structure in which the county owns and finances projects through cash resources and tax-exempt debt while pursuing federal investment tax credits, and a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) structure in which Capital Good Fund becomes the project owner and operator; Bucks County pursues only the PPA structure, Chester County's CCP-West site accepts only Direct Pay bids, and all other projects require bidders to submit both pricing options utilizing the specified inverter systems for each financing structure. All projects must comply with Inflation Reduction Act requirements including apprenticeship, prevailing wage, and domestic content provisions for projects exceeding one megawatt, and public works employment verification through E-Verify. Awards will be made on a county-by-county basis to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with the counties reserving the right to award on a project-by-project basis. The Pennsylvania Solar Center will receive a one-time customer assistance contribution of $0.025 per contracted watt-direct current, with at least 20 percent due 30 days after contract execution and the remainder due 30 days after interconnection approval. Specific project budget ranges are not disclosed in the solicitation documents, as pricing is determined competitively through the bid process with all proposals required to include itemized costs for equipment, labor, permitting, structural engineering, construction, installation, operations and maintenance, and warranties.