Request for Proposals: Net Zero 2030 Action Plan

Request for Proposals

The City of Montpelier, Vermont Seeks a Consultant/Firm

Capable of Developing a 10-Year Action Plan

Designed to Achieve the City’s Net Zero Goal.

November 4, 2020

Proposal Due on or before December 1, 2020

Overview

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals for creation of an action plan that will allow the City to achieve the goal of Net Zero by the year 2030. The focus of this 2030 plan will be solely on municipal facilities, operations, and vehicle/equipment fleet. The selected firm will need to collaborate closely with City departments and the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee (MEAC).

Background

In 2014 the City of Montpelier adopted the goal of achieving Net Zero by the year 2030. In 2018 this goal was further defined in a City Council Resolution providing as follows:

• Montpelier is committed to becoming the first capital city to eliminate fossil fuel use by converting to 100% renewable energy.

• By 2030, 100% of the energy used for municipal government operations (thermal, electrical, and transportation) will be renewable or offset.

• By 2050, fossil fuel use will be eliminated entirely and 100% of energy needs (municipal, residential, and commercial) will be met renewably.

(A copy of the full resolution can be found in the addendum to this document.)

One of the specific actions called for in this resolution was to:

“RECOMMEND THAT CITY STAFF DEVELOP A 10-YEAR PLAN TO ACHIEVE THE CITY’S NET ZERO GOAL. This will include identification of specific actions to reduce municipal energy use and emissions, metrics for cost effective decisions, a public communications plan, and efforts to ensure that targets are achieved in a socially equitable manner.”

RFP Objectives

The City of Montpelier seeks proposals from firms with the capability to produce an action plan that will assess both the potential paths to achieving the net zero municipal goal by 2030 and provide a list of recommended projects, along with their cost and payback. It is anticipated that the list and types of projects likely to be included, but which are not necessarily limited to, will include: efficiency (e.g. weatherization, equipment upgrades), renewable energy generation, review of existing departmental fleet purchases and recommendations for the procurement of more efficient vehicles, fuel switching, and the purchase of renewable energy credits as offsets, as necessary.

The 2030 Action Plan will assess projects across three sectors of municipal energy use including electricity, thermal, and transportation. Metrics for each of the projects should include the amount of fossil fuel that can be offset in units of energy (KWH, MMBTU), as well as the greenhouse gas impacts of the project (mtCO2e). Each project should be evaluated based on its simple payback: total cost divided by energy cost savings per year.

The city seeks to identify those projects that have economic viability as demonstrated by a simple payback in years that is less than the expected useful life of each project. The city further expects to identify those projects that will not be economically viable on their own with existing resources and will therefore need additional resources in order to be achievable.

The plan will include a project timeline for 2021-2030 and basic scope for each proposed project that: describes the action required, the anticipated financial cost, the fossil fuel reduction to be achieved, the emissions reductions to be achieved, and which City department is to be responsible for implementing the project.

In addition to the specific actions noted above, the development of a public communications plan is an essential component, but also an action that requires close collaboration between community volunteers and City staff. Establishing guidelines and actions that underscore the needed collaboration should be considered in the creation of the public communications plan. A schedule and anticipated frequency of information and status updates should be identified for each of these audiences.

Proposers should assume the primary audience to be city residents and businesses, many of whom will need to be educated on why the City is pursuing a Net Zero goal, the types of actions that will likely be involved, the long term benefits and any short term challenges that may be anticipated. Preferred delivery methods and anticipated timing of engagement(s) will be determined in coordination with City staff subsequent to a contract award.

Current Data

The City has taken significant steps to reduce its fossil fuel consumption over the past decade, with the construction of the District Heat system, the contract to purchase electricity from a 1 MW solar array, and significant investments in upgrading the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF). The City, in partnership with the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, has collected ten years of data on municipal energy use from the City’s buildings, operations, and fleet, which will create a baseline for the 2030 Municipal Net Zero Plan. This data will be made available to the firm selected to complete this action plan. The data includes thermal and electricity use for each of the City-owned buildings and fuel usage for the City’s vehicle fleet by department. MEAC has compiled a database of buildings and has energy audits on file for seven of the largest buildings, as well as retro-commissioning feasibility reports completed for three buildings.

Based on FY19 data, the City’s current energy usage is estimated to be approximately 39% renewable, and with projects already underway with District Heat and the WRRF, the City’s fossil fuel use is expected to drop even further by the end of FY21. The 2030 action plan should also take into account Green Mountain Power’s commitment to make its electricity 100% renewable by the year 2030. Therefore, firms submitting proposals should focus on creating action plans to eliminate or offset the City’s fossil fuel use in the thermal and transportation sectors.

Proposals should anticipate at least two formal meetings with the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee and a final presentation to the City Council.

Proposal Submissions

Proposals should be no more than eight double sided pages (not including appendices) and include: a proposed timeline, description of key deliverables, information on modeling capabilities, experience on analyzing energy and economic scenarios, identification of relevant expertise of the organization and the key staff for this project (including projected staff hours) and a detailed budget not to exceed $35,000.

Responses to this solicitation are due at the City Manager’s office, in Montpelier City Hall, by the close of business on December 1, 2020. Email submissions should be sent to MSmith@montpelier-vt.org. To confirm submission, contact Mary Smith, Executive Assistant to the City Manager at 802-229-9502.

The final report will be due to City Council on June 30, 2021.

Responses will be reviewed, and interviews with submitters will be scheduled during the week of December 7, 2020 with the expectation that a contract will likely be offered in mid-January.

Selection Process

The City of Montpelier will review proposals using the following RFP Evaluation Criteria:

• Does the respondent possess the necessary analytical and modeling capabilities to conduct energy/environmental/economic analyses to assess potential projects, their cost and simple payback?

• Has the respondent conducted relevant work in the past for municipal or state governments?

• Has the firm demonstrated the ability to take complex data and information and provide it in a way that is useful, and transparent, for a variety of audiences including policymakers, City staff, and the general public?

• To what degree does the outline of a project plan successful meet all of the requirements identified in this RFP?

• Does the submittal offer evidence that the proposer(s) can meet Montpelier’s targeted timelines for an interim report (ideally late spring 2021) and final report (by June 30, 2021)?

Insurance Requirements Upon Contract Approval

A Certificate of Liability Insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 is required (certificate should name the City of Montpelier as an additional insured for the work the contractor will be doing). Either a Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance OR a waiver form (hold harmless agreement) is required. The Federal W-9 Form will be completed and returned to City, if applicable. Any subcontractors used must comply with liability and workers’ compensation insurance requirements.

Miscellaneous

Equal Opportunity – The selection of a consultant shall be made without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, or political affiliation. The City of Montpelier is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages proposals from qualified minority and women-owned businesses.

Compliance with Law – It is expected that the selected consultant will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in the performance of service.

All reports, documents and materials developed by the consultant for this project shall be considered public information and shall be the property of the City of Montpelier. All products and borrowed materials shall be delivered to the City of Montpelier prior to final payment.

The City of Montpelier reserves the right to withdraw this Request for Proposals, to accept or reject any or all proposals, to advertise for new proposals if it is in the best interest of the City to do so, and to award a contract as deemed to be in the best interest of the City.