Division of Parking Management

Montgomery County Department of Transportation

Division of Parking Management

REQUEST FOR ENERGY PROPOSALS

Per the RFEP, SECTION II SOLICITATION PROCESS, Article 1, sub-article a), Montgomery County Maryland has chosen to reject all the bids/proposals.

Thank you for your proposal.

Procurements of on-site solar photovoltaic systems with financing, hosted by Montgomery County Parking Lot Districts.

Montgomery County (“County”) Government is committed to creating a more vibrant, healthy, prosperous and sustainable community. The County’s 2009 Climate Protection Plan and 2010 Green Economy Plan both identify deployment of clean energy systems as a priority of the County’s climate and energy goals. Montgomery County is launching an effort to identify and install solar photovoltaic systems at Montgomery County facilities.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (“Department” or “DOT”) is issuing this Request for Energy Proposals (“RFEP”) to solicit proposals from qualified solar electric power (“photovoltaic” or “PV”) project developers (“Solar Provider(s)” or “Providers”) interested in the development of over 3.5 MW of on-site solar electric power generation systems (“solar power” or “Systems”) on twelve (12) municipal parking garages. To provide best value to the County, various financing options are sought so that the Department can select from appropriate choices including, but not limited to direct purchase, power purchase agreement (“PPA”) and other cost-effective options that create net cost savings to DOT. The Department intends to purchase the Systems OR all electricity generated by the Systems on an annual basis, including the associated Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (“SREC”). The County will consider selling SRECs for a limited period to help offset system cost. This project will provide the County with the following benefits:

  1. Reduce transaction costs, financing and administrative time across a portfolio of facilities;
  2. Achieve competitive contract terms (buyout options, performance guarantees, termination options, etc.) compared to similar projects;
  3. Accelerate financing and deployment of solar energy projects;
  4. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with operations; and
  5. Promote local economic activity and job growth.

At a minimum, Solar Providers must have successfully developed at least five (5) projects totaling at least two (2) megawatts (MW) that are in commercial operation at the time of the issuance of this RFEP, including at least one (1) on a multi-story parking garage. A proposal that fails to meet this standard shall be deemed non-responsive.

Process Timeline
EVENT DATE *
Issue RFEP June 25, 2014
Initial Questions/Clarifications Due July 11, 2014 by 3:00 pm EDT
Addendum 1 Issued July 23, 2014
Site Tours July 28 – August 5, 2014
Last Day for Questions/Clarifications August 8, 2014
Addendum 2 Issued August 20, 2014
Addendum 3 Issued August 25, 2014
RFEP Response Due September 19, 2014 by 3:00 pm EDT
Evaluation Period September 19, 2014 – October 6, 2014
Vendor Interviews October 6 – October 10, 2014
Contract Negotiations Q4 2014 – Q1 2015
Consideration Award Date Q1 2015
Contract Start Date Q2 2015

* Note: Timeline is approximate and subject to change at the Department's sole discretion.