Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) the Office of Purchasing & Contracting on behalf of Buildings and General Services Energy Program (hereinafter the “State”) is seeking to establish contracts with one or more companies that can provide comprehensive investment grade energy audits and ‘energy resilience assessments’, defined in VT 2022 Acts and Resolves No.172 (hereinafter “Act 172”) §2 as follows: (a) Energy resilience assessments. On or before September 1, 2022, the Department of Buildings and General Services shall issue a request for proposal for a comprehensive energy resilience assessment of covered municipal buildings and facilities. (b) Request for proposal. The Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall contract with an independent third party to conduct the assessment described in subsection (a) of this section. The assessment shall be completed on or before January 15, 2024. (c) Application. A covered municipality shall submit an application to the Department of Buildings and General Services to receive an assessment of its buildings and facilities pursuant to the guidelines established in subsection (e) of this section. As part of the application process, a municipality may use the assistance of a regional planning commission to develop plans. (d) Scope. For each covered municipality, the assessment described in subsection (a) of this section shall include a scope of work, cost, and timeline for completion for each building or facility. The assessment shall also include: (1) recommendations for improvements that reduce the operating and maintenance costs, enhance comfort, and reduce energy intensity in a municipal building or facility, including: (A) the improvement or replacement, or both, of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; (B) the use of a renewable energy source for heating systems, provided that recommendations for the use of a heating systems that uses fossil fuels is not eligible; and (C) improvements to the buildings or facilities thermal envelope; (2) an evaluation on the reasonableness of battery storage and EV charging stations and recommended locations, as applicable; (3) an evaluation of the potential for on-site renewable energy generation options and recommendation on the one most feasible, as applicable
