SOURCES SOUGHT
Z -- Request for Information for Installing a Solar Array - JFKC Solar Array -RFI
- Notice Date
- 6/5/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 238290
— Other Building Equipment Contractors
- Contracting Office
- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Facilities Management Division, Contracting Office, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20566, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20566
- Solicitation Number
- JFK12SA
- Point of Contact
- David Hoffman,
- E-Mail Address
-
dhhoffman@kennedy-center.org
(dhhoffman@kennedy-center.org)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- JFKC Solar Array - RFI Request for Information for Installing a Solar Array At The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Note: This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). Please do not submit confidential or proprietary information in response. A. Organization The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a national presidential monument and living memorial, presents more than 2,000 performances each year to audiences totaling nearly 2 million. The Center also hosts more than 1 million tourists each year. Sited on 17 acres, the facility includes 1.7 million square feet and features a large flat rectangular roof. B. Purpose The goal of this RFI is to solicit information from the renewable industry to assist the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (the "Center") in determining the optimum project funding mechanism, as well as structuring and issuing a future solicitation for an on-site solar array. The Center, a non-profit quasi-governmental entity, seeks to install a solar energy generation system on the roof of its facility. In addition to the cost savings related to on-site electricity generation with photovoltaics, the Center is considering a solar project (approximately 1 MW) at the facility for the following reasons: 1. The Kennedy Center desires to increase the amount of electricity it obtains from renewables with an on-site project where the energy will be used on-site to offset conventional utility power supply. 2. The Center seeks to protect against volatile energy markets. 3. The Center realizes the benefits of employing local trades to install and maintain the system rather than spending that money to import energy into the district. 4. The Center has a unique opportunity to educate a large number of visitors about solar technology utilizing real-time displays in the building, providing literature for visitors, or through other means. For these reasons, the Center is looking for ideas on approaches, opportunities and strategies in implementing a cost effective on-site solar energy system directly on the roof of the facility and other on-site opportunities. The Center is not currently considering off-site solar generation or other non-solar energy conservation measures under this Request for Information. The Center is primarily interested in implementing this project under a third-party financing arrangement such as Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), or other contracting and funding mechanisms to involve a partner with a tax liability and realize the tax benefits. The Center seeks to determine feasible and advantageous options that would be in compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Responses to this RFI will assist the Center with determining the optimal method for financing an on-site solar energy system that is most beneficial in the long-term to the Kennedy Center. C. Description The Kennedy Center building consists of 1.7 million square feet of floor space, on 17 acres of land. The building contains nine theaters, two public restaurant facilities, nine function/special event rooms, five public galleries/halls/foyers, and approximately 50,000 square feet of administrative offices. Major energy consuming systems include HVAC systems housed in 13 mechanical rooms and rooftop mechanical wells, 23 elevators and six sets of escalators, specialized lighting systems including theatrical equipment and 108 crystal chandeliers, and restaurant equipment. Building systems operate at capacity in excess of 18 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. The roof of the Kennedy Center is flat. The roof was installed in 1995; recent surveys and expert reviews of the roof have not found any significant deterioration or problems with the roof. The type of roof is "ballasted built-up" consisting of gravel over membrane over foam on top of a concrete understructure. The roof is amenable to locating PV systems due to large open areas and good exposure (no shade). The total roof area is 135,000 square feet. Of that area, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that approximately 50% is available for solar array construction, providing approximately 65,600 square feet of PV area or an estimated 1.0 MW of generation. Electrical systems and interconnection points are available in several mechanical/electrical rooms directly below the roof level. The following parameters relate to the Center's potential solar project: 1. A solar project on the roof will require the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, and other governing bodies. The approval process may require a presentation and other activities with associated costs. The project may also require the development of an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act, although a categorical exclusion may be granted. The costs associated with these processes are to be considered project costs. 2. The Center intends that roof penetrations are to be minimized. 3. The system for any roof-top PV installation should not be overly visible from any vista from a distance; aesthetic and historic preservation considerations are of utmost importance. 4. Buy American requirements are intended to be implemented where there are American-made products available. 5. The project is intended to include all photovoltaic modules, electrical and utility connections, inverters, transformers, disconnects, electrical components and other equipment as necessary to provide a fully functional system. 6. The project is intended to include a component of patron education and awareness related to the solar generation on the roof. The solar panels will not be visible to visitors. The Center's electricity consumption and rate information is as follows: Electricity Rates, 2010 - 2011 Summer Peak Summer Intermediate Peak Summer Off Peak Winter Peak Winter Intermediate Peak Winter Off Peak Energy Generation per kWh 0.09268 0.09268 0.09268 0.09229 0.08256 0.08256 Transmission per kWh 0.00113 0.00113 0.00113 0.00113 0.00113 0.00113 Distribution per kWh 0.00692 0.00692 0.00692 0.00692 0.00692 0.00692 Reliability Surcharge per kWh 0.00111 0.00111 0.00111 0.00111 0.00111 0.00111 Public Space Surcharge per kWh 0.00194 0.00194 0.00194 0.00194 0.00194 0.00194 Delivery tax per kWh 0.0077 0.0077 0.0077 0.0077 0.0077 0.0077 Res. Aid Disc. Surcharge per kWh 0.000691 0.000691 0.000691 0.000691 0.000691 0.000691 Admin. Credit per kWh -0.00111 -0.0011062 -0.00111 -0.00111 -0.0011062 -0.00111 Total Energy Cost per kWh 0.111065 0.1110648 0.111065 0.110675 0.1009448 0.100945 Demand Transmission per kW 0.7476 0.7476 0.7476 0.6127 0.6127 0.6127 Distribution per kW 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 Total Demand Cost per kW 4.9476 4.9476 4.9476 4.8127 4.8127 4.8127 Electricity Use and Cost, October 2010 - September 2011 Month 10 11 12 1 2 3 Energy (kWh) 1,800,643 1,510,617 1,977,581 2,295,304 1,961,971 1,737,750 Demand (kW) 3,068 2,850 3,370 4,042 3,343 3,060 Basecase Cost ($) $229,115 $195,823 $250,258 $288,870 $248,393 $222,088 Month 4 5 6 7 8 9 Grand Total Energy (kWh) 1,623,904 1,600,964 2,008,500 1,998,530 1,986,033 2,067,085 22,568,882 Demand (kW) 2,767 2,728 3,537 3,406 3,497 3,522 4,042 Basecase Cost ($) $207,996 $205,254 $254,518 $252,762 $251,827 $260,954 $2,867,857 D. Questions The following list of questions should be addressed in your response. 1. Please provide the following information about your company: A short (1 page or less) summary of the company's qualifications and a list of similar agreements/contracts that are completed or currently in progress, with a special emphasis on those projects at a Federal Government site. Include customer information and location, number of megawatts installed, and type of contract. 2. Have you worked with the Federal Government before? If so, have you completed any solar projects for Federal clients? What roadblocks or other significant issues did you encounter during that process, especially related to solar? 3. What specific information about the Center's site should be included in a future Request for Proposal (RFP) to allow a potential bidder to accurately estimate the size, configuration, and cost of a solar project? 4. Certain acquisition regulations currently limit Federal contract term to 10 years. Would an on-site renewable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) be viable with a 10-year contract? How could a PPA be structured so as to minimize the required contract length? Provide a non-binding, indicative estimate of the PPA price (cents/kWh) and escalation rate (if applicable)? If an up-front partial capital investment is necessary in order to fit the PPA within a 10-year time frame, what is the approximate value of that investment? 5. Would a project be viable with a 25-year contract, utilizing the Government's Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) authority? This would involve a PPA as an ESPC energy conservation measure (ECM). Provide a non-binding, indicative estimate of the ESPC PPA price (Cents/kWh) and escalation rate (if applicable), keeping in mind that the price must be lower than the current and forecasted Kennedy Center electric rates. The forecasted escalation rate is estimated at 3.6%, based on the Energy Escalation Rate Calculator - see http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/information/download_blcc.html#eerc. 6. Would the solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) be sold to improve the project economics? If so, what is your estimation of the SREC price and available contract length? If the SREC sale contract length is less than the PPA or ESPC PPA contract length, what is your SREC price estimation for the out-years? How important is an SREC sale to a low PPA electricity bid? Any comments on current or developing SREC markets? 7. What types of local incentives - tax credits, rebates, etc. - can be used to reduce the electricity price, considering the systems are being installed on Federal property? 8. What product information should the Center request from bidders regarding proposed renewable energy projects: efficiency, estimated kWh production per area of array, reliability, capacity factor, inverter and interconnection details, warranties, maintenance requirements, or other characteristics? 9. What information would a bidder need regarding National Environmental Policy Act actions, such as environmental assessment, in order to respond to an RFP? 10. What information would a bidder need regarding the Commission of Fine Arts and National Capital Planning Commission approval process to be able to respond to an RFP? 11. Do you have any other suggestions or comments? Submission of information or an expression of interest does not commit a responding party to submit a proposal to any subsequent solicitation. The Center will use the information to inform its renewable energy initiatives and incorporate suggestions in future solicitations or other procurement documents where appropriate and the submitter consents to such use. E. Responses Responses are limited to 15 pages (12-point font, 1-inch margins). Please send your response (one attachment only) via email with the subject title "Kennedy Center Solar RFI Response" to David Hoffman at DHHoffman@kennedy-center.org. Please include contact names(s), address, phone number, and email. Any questions regarding the RFI should be included in the RFI response. These questions will be addressed after the RFI response date through a FedBizOps posting. Responses will not be considered confidential. The Center may use responses to structure future solicitations; therefore, do not provide confidential or proprietary information in your response. The requested information is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute an obligation by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement. Nor does it constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that the Center will issue a procurement in the future. The Center will not be responsible for any costs incurred by offerors in furnishing this information. Due Date for Responses: July 6, 2012 Point of Contact: David Hoffman, Kennedy Center Contracting, DHHoffman@kennedy-center.org
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/JFKC/FMD/CO/JFK12SA/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20566, United States
- Zip Code: 20566
- Zip Code: 20566
- Record
- SN02766331-W 20120607/120605235107-6971c6e5c36fe7c3ac6ab86d5914270f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |