Request for Qualifications: Technical Assistance for Green School Works

4. It seems there is incentive for schools to choose vendors under this program that are also Mass Save vendors. Is that correct? Most of the vendor information on the Mass Save website is geared toward contractors (e.g. installers) rather than the type of TA consultants you are looking for here. Can you explain or clarify?

This is correct in the context of Mass Save-eligible schools pursuing a Mass Save scope (Comprehensive Building Assessments, Portfolio Decarbonization Roadmaps, and Focused Studies). Because Green School Works TA is designed to complement Mass Save's offerings, Mass Save-eligible schools are encouraged to leverage Mass Save funding first, with Green School Works providing cost share support to cover portions of the base scope that Mass Save may not. Please see Section 7 Budget of the GSW Technical Assistance RFQ for a complete discussion of cost shares.

5. Is there a list of vendors currently pre-approved for the program?

Yes, our list of Green School Works pre-qualified vendors can be found here: Green School Works Technical Assistance Services | MassCEC under "Green School Works Vendor List."

6. If a school selects a vendor, are they required to perform the work?

Once an eligible Participant selects a vendor, MassCEC will notify the vendor of their selection and initiate the contracting process. If the vendor determines that they do not have capacity to take on the contract at that time, MassCEC will work with the school to select an alternate vendor. MassCEC generally expects vendors to be able to take on work when selected.

7. Are vendors required to be pre-qualified with both Mass Save and MassCEC?

Vendors are not required to be Mass Save qualified vendors to participate in the Green School Works TA program. All vendors must be qualified under the Green School Works Technical Assistance Program to be eligible for program work.

8. If we already conduct CBA audits through Eversource/National Grid for Muni/schools – is there still a need to submit a response to this RFQ? Or would the team be grandfathered in since we are already operating in the region?

Yes, a response to this RFQ is required. Qualification under the Green School Works Technical Assistance Program is separate and distinct from Mass Save qualification, and prior or ongoing CBA work through Eversource or National Grid does not substitute for qualification under this RFQ. To be awarded work through the Green School Works Technical Assistance Program, vendors must submit a response and receive qualification through this process.

9. Given your experience today, what are you most looking for in this next group of qualifications? (ground source aside)

MassCEC is looking to expand the pool of qualified vendors capable of delivering actionable feasibility studies to Participants in support of the Program Goals described in Section 3 of the GSW Technical Assistance RFQ.

10. Can you confirm that new applicants may seek qualification for one or more of the core technical assistance offerings – CBAs, Portfolio Decarb Roadmaps, and/or Focused studies – without seeking qualification for the Green School Works renewables or GSHP feasibility scopes?

Yes. New applicants may seek qualification for any combination of scopes and are not required to qualify for all scopes of work. MassCEC encourages vendors to seek qualification only for the scopes they have the capacity to deliver on and for which they meet the areas of required experience outlined in Section 6, Required Experience & Threshold Selection Criteria, of the GSW Technical Assistance RFQ.

11. Does the RFQ allow manufacturers to serve as a named technical resource or subcontractor on an Applicant team, separate from the Lead Applicant? If so, is there a preferred way to document that relationship in Attachment B?

Applicant teams may consist of more than one organization. Applicants should describe the composition of the team in the "Organization Description" section of Attachment B and identify the role of each participating organization. As described in the RFQ, the Applicant team should collectively demonstrate the experience and expertise necessary to perform the scope(s) of work applied for.

12. For school buildings without existing ductwork or central HVAC, would retrofitting with window-mounted heat pumps be considered within the scope of a Focused Study or Comprehensive Building Assessment, or is the Program's technical assistance primarily intended for other types of equipment?

Please refer to the scope in Attachment D. Focused Study (Task 3) could be the right fit in this case, as it used to study an individual measure, whereas Comprehensive Building Assessments (Task 1) require a holistic look at entire buildings.

13. Is there a recommended way for manufacturers to connect with Applicants or qualified Vendors who may be looking for additional technical or product expertise for their teams?

MassCEC will not connect potential applicant teams. Organizations interested in participating as part of an Applicant team are encouraged to establish those relationships independently.

14. How does the Green School Works TA RFQ scope compare to Mass Save's TA scope?

Comprehensive Building Assessments most closely align with Mass Save's Task 2.2 Scoping Studies; however, Mass Save is continuing to evolve what's included in the scope of a Comprehensive Building Assessment.

Portfolio Decarbonization Roadmaps align with Mass Save's Category 5.4 Decarbonization Master Planning Studies.

Focus Studies align with Mass Save's category 3.1 Technical Assistance Studies.

15. It seems MassCEC used similar wording to Mass Save's technical assistance studies. Can vendors assume that if we've been accepted as a Mass Save vendor for a certain task, we should apply for the corresponding tasks when we apply for MassCEC?

Yes, Mass Save pre-qualified vendors can apply for the corresponding MassCEC tasks in order to complete tasks for Mass Save-eligible schools with MassCEC funding. MassCEC also encourages vendors to apply for other tasks as applicable, as an option for non-Mass Save-eligible schools, even if the vendor is not approved by Mass Save for those tasks. In the application, vendors can indicate whether they're a pre-qualified Mass Save vendor and, if so, for which tasks.

16. Does the relevant project experience need to come from the lead applicant, or can some of the experience be from the partner firm?

The relevant project experience can come from other organizations on the applicant team.

17. If we don't submit by the deadline, could we still become a MassCEC vendor if we are working with a partner school, and they want to pursue MassCEC funding?

Yes. The RFQ will be open on a rolling basis only for vendors that come in with an eligible partner school.

18. Is there a requirement that applicants be in-state Mass entities only?

No.

19. The SOQ asks for up to three report samples. If we are applying for all 3 tasks, would you be looking for an example of each separate scope?

If the three report samples are general enough to show a vendor's ability to complete all three scopes, then three total would be acceptable. If a vendor wants to submit more than three reports to show their ability to do any one of the tasks in particular that would also be acceptable.

20. One of our subcontractors is Mass Save pre-qualified, but we are not, and we would be applying as the prime. Does that mean our team is a pre-qualified Mass Save vendor because our subcontractor is?

The lead Applicant to MassCEC must be a pre-qualified Mass Save vendor for the applicant team to be considered a Mass Save vendor.

21. Are vendors required to follow Mass Save and MassCEC's Comprehensive Building Assessment report template or can our own templates be used?

We expect vendors to follow Mass Save's report templates for each deliverable. If the deliverable is for a non-Mass Save-eligible school, we are open to discussing alternatives with the vendor.

22. How will budgets outside of the suggested range in Section 7 Table 1 be scored or evaluated? For instance, since budgets outside of the provided range will not be approved after the RFQ process, we recommend increasing the upper end of the limit for more complex buildings that may require additional effort.

Applicants should propose a range for what they think these services will cost from small elementary schools to large high schools. This is the first time MassCEC is offering this type of technical assistance, and we recognize that we are still learning about the cost of these services. In cases where the range is outside of MassCEC's suggested range, MassCEC may ask follow-up questions and will also review the hourly project team rates to ensure they are aligned with the rest of the applicant pool. As stated in the application, MassCEC may also approve budgets outside of these ranges if additional scope has been added and approved.

23. We don't know yet whether we're prequalified under Mass Save to do a Comprehensive Building Assessment (CBA). How should we fill out the application?

Since Mass Save is continuing to develop the scope of a CBA and finalize vendor contracts, MassCEC does not expect applicants to be able to check off the box on the SOQ application indicating whether they are Mass Save pre-qualified for Task 1: CBA. Instead, Applicants looking to submit a statement of qualifications for Task 1: CBA should fill out their proposed approach in the "Proposed Approach & Relevant Experience" section of Attachment B: SOQ application. Vendors are welcome to point out in this section if they are qualified to do Mass Save Task 2.2 Scoping Studies, as that will be helpful information for the review committee.