Generic Request for Proposal

To download as a Zipped Word document, try: www.votesolar.org/tools_genericrfq.zip

<Organization Name and Logo>

Request for Qualifications
Turnkey Photovoltaic Installations
<Date>

Section 1: Background and Objectives

<Insert background information – why the Organization is pursuing qualified turnkey installers for PV projects>

The objective of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is to identify and select the most qualified turnkey photovoltaic system supplier to begin negotiating for the design, qualification, assembly, test, shipping and installation, startup and monitoring of up to <10 MW> of fully functioning grid-connected PV systems over a two to three year period.

Section 2: Solicitation Process

Each respondent to the RFQ must demonstrate that it satisfies the minimum requirements described in Section 3 in order to be selected as an eligible Respondent. The response must meet the requirements in Section 4 and must adequately address all questions in Section 5.

Responses to this RFQ must be submitted in writing, signed by an authorized officer or an agent of the respondent. <The Organization> must receive <five> hard copies and one electronic copy of the respondent’s package no later than the close of business day on <date>. Responses submitted after this date cannot be accepted, and responses that are incomplete or do not conform to the requirements of this RFQ will not be considered.

The <organization> intends to select one respondent from the qualified RFQ bidders list to implement its turnkey PV system installation plans over a <two to three year> period.

Responses shall be submitted to:

<Contact person>
<Organization>
<Address>
<City, State, Zip Code>
<Telephone number>
<Fax number>
<email address>

All questions related to this RFQ shall be directed in writing no later than <date> to:

<contact person>
<telephone number>
<fax number>
<email address>

The <Organization’s> Code of Ethics provides:
· During the process leading to the award of any contract, no member of staff of <organization> shall knowingly communicate any matter relating to the contract or selection process with any party financially interested in the contract, or any officer or employee of that party, unless the communication is part of the process expressly described in the request for qualifications or other solicitation invitation. Any applicant or bidder who knowingly participates in a communication that is prohibited by this section may be disqualified from the contract award.
· The process leading to the award of contract means the period between release of a request for qualifications or bids through award of the contract.
· The procedures and prohibitions prescribed by this code of ethics shall not apply to communications that are incidental, exclusively social or do not involve the <organization> or its business.

Key action dates are as follows:

Milestone/Action Item Date
Request for Qualifications Published May 16, 2003
Bidders conference and written questions submitted May 23, 2003
Answers publicly published by May 30, 2003
RFQ Proposals due June 18, 2003
RFQ review by <organization> June 30, 2003
Contract negotiation phase July 15, 2003
Master contract(s) awarded July 30, 2003

Section 3: Assumptions and Minimum Project Requirements That Must be Included in Your Proposal

Proposals submitted in response to this RFQ must be as specific as possible concerning each of the areas identified herein, including obligations of each party as envisioned by the respondent. Each respondent must provide sufficient information to enable <organization> to understand the overall proposal, the service(s) to be provided, and the potential adverse impacts of the proposal. The <organization> reserves the right to deem any proposal as non-responsive and to give it no further consideration. The <organization> also reserves the right to request clarification and or additional information from any respondent.

While specific sites have not yet been identified, for the purposes of responding to the pricing section of this RFQ, respondents are asked to make the following general project assumptions:
· Turn-key grid-connected PV projects
· <state>-based installations in the <local area> area
· Assume one or both of the following two project types and fill out information related to each in Appendix A:
· A 250 kWp flat, roof-mounted installations on facilities with less than 10 floors
· A 1 MWp ground-mounted tracking installation on a covered reservoir
· Assume ‘clean’ installation (with no shading, and no roof protrusions if rooftop system)
· Easy access during working hours
· 480 volt electrical panel located within 100 feet of the installed system
· Prevailing wage rates for all installation labor

Both parties agree to negotiate in good faith to adjust actual pricing as necessary for specific sites to accommodate unique site requirements. Price changes will be implemented via change-order based on mutual consent of both parties.

All products and components outlined herein must conform to the following codes, standards and rating methodologies:
· PV system must be compliant with the requirements of the California Energy Commission (CEC) Renewable Buydown program <<this is a good list for <state> projects as well>> http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/buydown/index.html
· In particular, PV modules specified in the RFQ must be certified by the CEC’s Emerging Technologies Buydown Program and be listed on the following website: http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/buydown/certified_pvmodules.html
· Rated PV system capacity – must be specified in direct current (DC) kilowatts peak STC and PTC:
- The STC rating, or standard test conditions rating, assumes direct current, standard test conditions. (kWdc-stc). It is also referred to as kilowatts peak, or kWp. Specific PV module manufacturer maximum and minimum power data must be specified for this rating.
- The PTC rating, or PV USA Test Conditions rating, is based on 1000 Watts/square meter solar irradiance, 20 degree Celsius ambient temperature and 1 meter/second wind speed.
· The mathematical method for specifying PV system output in kWh must be specified for each of the following steps:
- Calculate effective alternating current (AC) power of the proposed module type, from the rated kWdc-stc. AC losses due to wiring, soiling and power conditioning unit (PCU) (inverter) efficiency must be taken into consideration. For full list of AC losses to consider please see Appendix B.
- Calculate the annual kWh of the system using the PVFORM algorithm, an algorithm developed by Sandia National Laboratories in the early 1990’s. Please use the same AC loss assumptions in Appendix B.
- Specify annual degradation expected over 20 years
· UL certification
· National Electrical Code – NFPA 2002
· Must comply with wind uplift requirements per the American Society of Civil Engineers Standard for Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE 7), and must be able to withstand design wind speeds of at least 100 mph (3-second gusts)
· All outdoor enclosures should be at minimum rated NEMA 3R
· Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) directives
· For roof-mounted installations:
· PV array adds no more than 8 pounds per square foot to the facility roof structure in the array area.
· Rooftop system components should achieve Uniform Building Code (UBC) fire code rating of “B” or better

Warranty and Service Contract Requirements

1) All respondents must offer comprehensive on-site training in PV system operations, safety and maintenance consistent with warranty and service contract provisions.
2) The Respondent's standard warranty coverage should be at least 5 years for systems and 20 years for PV modules and provide:
a. Annual on-site system inspection, including:
- system testing (including a check of the operating current of each electrical string)
- adjustment and routine maintenance
b. System performance monitoring and historical data access for customer via secure website. Data should include: system energy and power production, ambient temperature, wind speed, and insolation
c. Daily system monitoring by Respondent, including:
- reporting of problems to customer
- dispatch of resources for expeditious resolution of problems

Section 4: Comprehensive List of RFQ Proposal Components for all Bidders

1. Transmittal Letter - Please write a transmittal letter signed by a party authorized to sign binding agreements for projects of the nature ultimately contemplated by this RFQ. The letter shall clearly indicate that the respondent has carefully read all the provisions in the RFQ.

2. Project Team Qualifications – Please provide the following information:
a) Identify the team leader for the entire proposal, and his/her full contact information
b) Identify each entity, person or firm involved in the proposal and their role e.g. Design, installation, permitting, equipment supply by component, operations and maintenance
c) Identify the lead person responsible for each of the entities or firms described in 1b.
d) Provide both an organizational chart and a description of responsibilities for each person or firm, and an overall project organization chart

3. Respondent Qualifications – Please provide the following information
a) Provide a complete profile of your firm, including
i) Year founded
ii) Status (private/ publicly-held)
iii) Number of employees
iv) States and countries in which you do business
v) Target customers (residential, commercial, industrial, government etc.)
vi) Organizational structure
vii) Resumes or bios of personnel to be directly involved with the development of the proposed systems
viii) Audited financial statements for the most recent three years
ix) Letter from bonding company on respondent’s performance to date

4. Respondent Experience and References
a) Overview of your company’s grid connected PV experience
i) MWp of grid connected PV installed to date
(1) Total
(2) By application (roof mounted, vs. ground mounted).
ii) Average grid-connected installed PV system size during the last three years
b) Experience: List of 5 or more grid-connected PV projects installed over the last three years that exceed 100 kWp. Include for each:
i) Exact role(s) your organization performed for the project (eg. Lead contractor, electrical subcontractor, design, consulting etc)
ii) Location
iii) Application description (roof vs. ground mounted)
iv) Product name/type
v) Customer name
vi) Date installed, including length of time from bid acceptance to project completion
vii) PV module used
viii) KWdc-STC and kWac-PTC rating
ix) Cumulative kWh produced since system installation
x) Current status of system (operational yes/no)
c) For the systems described above, please provide five active U.S.-based large grid-connected (>100 kWdc) customer references and their contact information.
d) Has your firm or any of the executive officers of your firm been a party to a lawsuit involving the performance of any equipment it has installed? If so, please include a summary of the issues and the status of the lawsuit.

5. Product/technology description
Respondents shall:
a) State that their systems will comply with all of the requirements of Section 3, or list the items that would not comply and state why.
b) Describe the technology (or technologies) that your company typically proposes for rooftop and/or ground-mounted applications including at least the following information:
i) Photovoltaic module description, brand(s) and model numbers
ii) Inverter type and brand(s) and efficiency (in %)
iii) Structural materials
iv) Balance of system components
v) Installed weight per square foot
c) For each technology described above, please provide evidence that your technology and equipment is commercially proven as evidence by completed projects
d) For each technology described above, please describe any other benefits your system provides that other system might not provide, but only if such benefits can be readily measured and confirmed by an independent engineering study.
e) For each technology described above, please provide information about any potentially adverse effects. For example, for rooftop systems, does your system typically penetrate the roof? If so, please describe, including expected number of penetrations per square foot, and plans to mitigate their effect.
f) Indicate the typical degradation experienced in the field, and, if empirical evidence is not available, project the degradation rates for the useful life of the panels (but not in excess of 30 years)

6. Pricing – Using Appendix A as a template, for each PV system product/ application, please provide turnkey system pricing information in $/kW (kWdc-stc) and ($/kWdc-ptc) for a 250 kWp roof-mounted PV system and/or a 1 MWp ground-mounted tracking system.
a) Do not include any sales tax or performance/payment bond fees
b) Provide the estimated total kWh output of the system over 20 years using the methodology suggested in Section 4. Clearly list the AC loss assumptions in Appendix B.
c) Clarify any pricing assumptions inherent in your bid at the time of submittal, and describe any market forces that could occur in the next 6 months to 1-year time frame that could affect those assumptions.
d) Assume a Notice to Proceed will be signed on <DATE>.

7. Please provide an overview of your proposed system output performance verification methodology. Is it web-based? What does the end-user interface look like? Please also indicate whether or not you can comply with the minimum system performance and monitoring requirements set forth in Section 3, under Warranty and Service Requirements.

8. Typical project schedule and timing – For evaluation purposes, please submit a schedule for a typical 250 kW rooftop project indicating the expected milestones, with each task referenced from the notice to proceed:

 

Section 6: Evaluation Criteria

Principal evaluation criteria includes the following:

Criteria Weighting
Prior experience in developing, designing and constructing turnkey grid-connected PV projects in a timely manner (minimum of five 100kWp functioning grid-connected PV projects). 25%
Price in $/kWh (based on 20 years of output) and $/kWdc-stc. 20%
Overall quality of the response to the RFQ. 10%
Building-friendly or structure-friendly product/system design (no or few penetrations, and weighs < 8lbs/sf) 10%
Safe, sturdy product/system design (ASCE 7 compliant, UBC fire code rating of B or better) . 10%
Ability to provide required warranty obligations 10%
For roof-mounted systems - Incremental passive savings to the facility (e.g. energy conservation delivered to the building). 5%
Ability to provide user-friendly, web-based performance monitoring services. 5%
Aesthetics of system. 5%

Total 100%

The <organization> reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to accept a response that does not satisfy all requirements but which, in the <organization’s> sole judgement, sufficiently demonstrates the ability to produce, delivery, design, permit and install a substantial volume of turnkey grid-connected PV projects and to satisfy the major requirements set forth in this RFQ. The <organization> reserves the right to interview any or all respondents to this RFQ, or to ask for additional information or clarifications. The <organization> expects to complete its evaluation process to select qualified contractors, but reserves the right to change key dates and action as the need arises.

Section 7: General Rules

1. No obligation – This RFQ does not obligate the <organization> to establish eligibility for any respondents, or to issue any subsequent RFPs or to enter into any agreements. The <organization> reserves the right to cancel or re-issue this RFQ at any time, and to solicit qualifications through any other appropriate method.
2. Rejection of Proposals – The <organization> may reject any response that it deems to be incomplete, unresponsive, significantly inaccurate in its representation or which is unacceptable to the <organization> in the context of this RFQ.
3. One proposal per organization – a company or non-profit may submit only one response to this RFQ. However, a respondent may be a subcontractor to any number of other respondents that may submit responses to this RFQ.
4. Substitutions – Respondents may substitute or alter their responses subsequent to the submission date only if such changes are approved in writing by <organization>.
5. Cost of Proposal and Non Compensation – Each respondent is solely responsible for all costs associated with responding to this RFQ. The <organization> will not in any event reimburse any respondent for any costs associated with this RFQ.
6. Delivery of Proposals - Each respondent is solely responsible for assuring a timely submittal of its response. Late responses will not be accepted.
7. Withdrawal of Proposal – Reponses to this RFQ maybe withdrawn after submission by written request of the respondent’s authorized representative prior to the date and time specified for response submissions.
8. Disposition of Proposals, Confidential Information – All submittals and the information therein become the property of the <organization> upon submittal. Proposals shall be returned only at the <organization’s> sole discretion and at the Respondent’s expense. The <organization> will employ reasonable efforts to hold portions of the responses specifically identified and marked as “confidential” in confidence to the extent permitted by law, for a period of one year beyond the required date of submittal. Upon request, the <organization> will return or destroy all confidential information that is a trade secret or privately held company’s financial information.

Appendix A – Pricing Table

Module type(s):____________
Type of technology: Crystalline___ Thin film___
Power output warranty term: 10 years__ 20 years__ 25 years__ Other____
Expected annual degradation in output: ____%
PV System Product/Technology Description _________________

Maximum power conditioning unit (PCU) (inverter) efficiency _____ % ,
PCU Brand _____________________

Description of ‘other benefits’ provided by your product/ application ______________

Pricing Table (assume a purchase of 5 MW of PV installations over the next two to three years; if more than one PV module is to be used, fill out table for each module):

System Type in kWp (kW dc-stc) Expected total cumulative kWh output over 20 years Price in $/Cumulative kWh Price in $/kWp (kW dc-stc)
One 250 kWp roof-mount
One 1 MW ground-mount tracking

Appendix B – AC Loss Assumptions – Backup for AC Power Rating and kWh Output Calculation

Loss factors are used to convert theoretical DC output at STC to actual AC output at PTC. Please indicate the AC loss assumptions your kWh output calculation. Please be sure to include efficiency factors for the following average annual loss factors:

- DC Cabling
- Connections
- Module Coefficient of Temperature Calculation
- Module Mismatch
- Power Conditioning Unit (inverter)
- Soiling
- Shading Losses
- Tracking Losses
- Transformer Losses
- AC Wiring
- Auxiliary Loads

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