RFP Reference: III. Program Goals and Description (pg. 2)
"Massachusetts has received a $156 million, five-year award from the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to launch the MASFA program, which aims to expand access to clean and affordable solar energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities in Massachusetts."
Which, if any "flow down requirements" from this federal award will be incorporated in this scope of work, RFP, or contract?
Further information on flow down requirements from the EPA’s award to be included in the contract for this program can be found in “Attachment C: Sample Agreement”, and further details and full documentation will be made available during the contracting process with the selected applicant.
RFP Reference: Task 1.1 – Initial Development and Periodic Updates of Minimum Technical Requirements (pg. 5)
"Minimum Technical Requirements may include, but are not limited to, requirements around electrical and building code, equipment, warranties, energy production, and system design requirements. These requirements will be established at the beginning of the programming and may require periodic updates throughout the five-year program period as programming evolves and as Massachusetts and National Electric Code changes."
What requirements have been established to date?
To date, Minimum Technical Requirements for MASFA programming have not yet been established.
Does Mass CEC have an existing technical requirement standard that can be updated/refined, or will we develop Technical Requirements from "scratch?"
Minimum Technical Requirements were established for the Mass Solar Loan program (active 2015-2020), and we expect to use these requirements to inform the development of Minimum Technical Requirements for MASFA. For more information on technical requirements from the Mass Solar Loan program, you may visit the publicly available Mass Solar Loan Resource Archive. We would also welcome applicants to suggest existing requirements from other MA or out of state programming that could inform this development
RFP Reference: Task 2 – PV Design Reviews (pg.5) and Task 3.1 – New Installer PV Inspections/Quality Assurance (pg.6)
Is there expected to be a plan review and initial review of 100% of projects, and a lower percentage sample of inspections that support the overall goal?
It is expected that installers new to working with MassCEC will experience a design review and inspection on their first project submitted through MASFA programming. We do not expect design reviews to cover 100% of projects. Design reviews and inspections will be requested of the Selected Applicant at MassCEC’s discretion, depending on an installer’s past participation in MassCEC’s programming and their performance in past design reviews and inspections, if any.
RFP Reference: Task 3.1 – New Installer PV Inspections/Quality Assurance (pg. 6)
“Spot measure system voltages, currents, and other operating characteristics."
RFP requests measurement of system current and system voltage. Given the expected size and scale of the systems provided and understanding the integrated monitoring capabilities of most equipment is it acceptable to use the installed monitoring software for this task or is it expected that physical measurements will be taken at the time of inspection?
The list of inspection elements detailed in task 3.1 is considered a list of potential components. Applicants should describe and propose elements they deem critical to overall goals of supporting installation quality, and detail how inspection processes and criteria may change depending on project type. Regarding specific spot measurements, applicants may propose to use installed monitoring systems or the taking of physical measurements if they deem it beneficial to confirm appropriate performance of the installed monitoring.
Is there a known inspection rate or volume?
There is not yet a known inspection rate or volume for MASFA, but as a potential point of comparison, throughout the course of MassCEC’s Mass Solar Loan program (active 2015-2020), over 200 inspections were completed out of ~5,800 total systems installed. Please note however that through Mass Solar Loan, only small residential PV systems were installed, whereas through MASFA, systems on multifamily buildings and community solar installations will need to be inspected as well. The total rate or volume of inspections required through MASFA will also depend on the number of participating installers that are new to MassCEC solar programming, as well as the proposed cost per inspection submitted by the applicant and the total available budget for the program. Cost effectiveness of the applicant’s proposal will be a factor in proposal evaluation, as will how the applicant’s proposed approach(es) will impact overall system quality within the program. Applicants should also indicate the maximum volume and rate of design reviews and inspections they have the capacity to support.
RFP Reference: Task 3.2 – Quality Assurance Spot Inspections (pg. 7)
"The total count of MASFA projects is estimated to be 5,500 small residential projects, 150 multifamily projects, and 75 community shared solar projects. The number of needed inspections will depend on actual project and contactor participation and will be cooperatively adjusted with MassCEC staff throughout program operation."
For resource planning purposes, and based on your previous programs, please provide an estimate of what portion or percentage of these projects will need physical inspections.
The total rate or volume of physical inspections required through this program will depend on the number of participating installers that are new to MassCEC solar programming, as well as the proposed cost per inspection submitted by the applicant and the total available budget for the program. For reference, throughout MassCEC’s Mass Solar Loan program, over 200 inspections were completed out of ~5,800 total installations, although the Mass Solar Loan program is not directly comparable to MASFA in all ways, as previously discussed. Applicants should describe how their proposed budget and approach to inspections will lead to the greatest impact in overall system quality under MASFA programming.
RFP Reference: IX. Budget (pg. 10)
Is it the intent of the MassCEC to award the entire $1.3M funding amount to one prime contractor over the four-year period, or is there a possibility that multiple awards could be made for this effort?
At this time, we expect to award the entirety of the funding to one Firm for the full award period. MassCEC reserves the right to award portions of the $1.3M funding to multiple Firms depending on applicants’ proposed costs and capacity. Applicants are welcome to incorporate subcontractors or partner firms into their proposal, provided that there is a single lead applicant who will hold the contract / manage the effort.
