Solar Campaign Name

Request for Proposals from Solar Photovoltaic Installers

Table of Contents
Summary
Section One: Campaign Overview
Section Two: Application Process
Section Three: Proposal Requirements
Section Four: Evaluation Criteria
Summary

Town name(s) requests proposals from solar photovoltaic (PV) installers (“installers”) who can provide competitive tiered pricing for solar PV installations at private residences and businesses (average size 5 to 6kW) located withintown name(s). As more residents sign contracts to go solar with the partner installer prior to the campaign deadline, prices will be reduced for everyone.

One installer will be chosen by a volunteer selection committee. Relevant experience, quality and value of services and equipment, capacity to implement the campaign, proposed pricing, and unique or creative offerings will be considered during the selection process.

A group of two or more installers may bid jointly, as long as the installers take responsibility for managing their partnership and maintaining a simple campaign message and single point of contact for volunteers and residents.

The chosen installer will partner with the volunteer team to develop and implement a 15-week community outreach campaign between Month and Month, Year. During this time, residents will be encouraged to complete a site visit and sign a contract with the partner installer. This partnership is designed to lower customer acquisition costs and transfer savings directly to customers.

SECTION ONE – Campaign Overview

Campaign Goals

  1. Lower the cost of solar energy
  2. At least double the number of residential solar installations in our community

Why This Model Works

This campaign is modeled after successful solar campaigns in communities across the country. The model works because it overcomes common barriers to going solar:

  1. Consumer Confidence
  • Volunteer outreach will offer many ways to learn about solar, meet other interested neighbors, and take next steps (e.g. site visit, financing, signing a contract).
  • Everything about the campaign will be transparent, with program pricing and equipment posted online OR available to the public, along with details about the campaign, contact information, lists of other installers, and other related resources.
  1. Complexity
  • For many people, the most complicated aspect of going solar is knowing where to begin. This campaign provides an easy starting point and access to resources.
  1. Cost
  • In exchange for outreach efforts, we expect the partner installer to offer competitive pricing discounted from typical installation prices. This pricing will be tiered, allowing the cost to go down for everyone as more residents sign contracts to go solar.
  • The volunteer team will work with the partner installer to direct participants to information about financing options.
  1. Inertia
  • Residents must sign a contract with the partner installer by the program deadline in order to receive the special tiered pricing offer.
  • The tiered pricing structure serves as a motivator for residents to talk with their neighbors and encourage one another.

Timeline

Request for Proposals sent to installers / Date
Proposals Due from Installers / Date
Interviews with Installers / Date, between Time and Time
Team Meeting – Volunteers and Selected Installer
(discuss partnership, plan launch event, and plan post-launch outreach) / Month (month before launch event)
Kick-Off Event
(installer presentation and Q&A to start the campaign) / Date - first half of Month 5
Campaign Deadline / Last Day of Month 8
Follow-Up Team Meeting – Volunteers and Selected Installer
(reflect on the process, plan for install updates) / Mid-Month 9
Installs Completed (Goal: installs complete w/in 120 days of contract signing) / Month 12

Between the kick-off event and campaign deadline, anyone with a property located in town name(s) can contact the selected installer to receive a site visit and quote based on the equipment and tiered pricing outlined in the installer’s proposal. Participants must sign a contract with the selected installer by the campaign deadline to be eligible.

Throughout the campaign, residents are free to seek bids from and work with other installers, and other installers are free to continue marketing and doing business in the community. The volunteer team will be open about the installer selection process and the fact that the campaign partnership in no way limits customer choice. Any installations contracted during the campaign with non-partner installers will be celebrated but will notbe counted as progress toward the tiered pricing established by the partner installer.

Though the campaign will mainly target on-site residential solar, small businesses and farmswill be welcome to participate. Bidding installers should be comfortable working with farms and small businesses and familiar with any relevant incentives or tax considerations. The pricing offered by the partner installer will be optimized for systems averaging 5 to 6kW. Businesses and farms interested in larger solar installations may prefer to seek bids outside of the solar campaign to achieve greater cost savings.

Community Profile

Demographics

  • Households: Number from US Census (Town Name); include information for all partnering towns
  • Land Area: Square Miles from Wikipedia (Town Name); include information for all partnering towns

Town Website: include information for all partnering towns

Solar History: According to source of your data, there are currently # residential solar electric installations (# of total kW) in town name(s). This may be a low estimate. Other solar installations in our town include: List known solar projects at local businesses, on town property, etc.

Electric Utilities: List the electric utilities that serve your town(s), describing the extent of the service area for each.

Local Permitting: Describe any necessary permitting process for solar in your town.

Local Taxes: Ask your local lister(s) or tax assessors whether they currently consider solar when evaluating property value for tax assessment. Describe the current process and indicate whether any formal policy is in place.

Volunteer Team Profile and Outreach Plan

This section is up to you. Suggestions:

  • Introduce your team and your experience with local energy outreach
  • Briefly describe/list the outreach activities you plan to organize during the campaign(look for ideas online at VitalCommunities.org/Energy/SolarizeToolkit-Outreach)

Demonstrate to bidding installers that your team is capable of generating enough site visit requests to make this campaign a success.

D. Detailed Installer Commitment

Collaboration with the Volunteer Team

  1. Participate in check-in calls at least every other week with the volunteer team.
  2. Participate in community events throughout the campaign (participation at the kick-off event, including a 20-30 minute presentation, is required).
  3. Collaborate with the volunteer team in developing/implementing an outreach campaign (installer must attend a planning meeting with volunteers prior to launch).
  4. Collaborate with the volunteer team on press releases and in the event of media attention.
  5. Collaborate with the volunteer team in developing additional marketing materials, including but not limited to providing or helping to obtain photographs, testimonials, or other information for use in marketing the campaign.
  6. Collaborate with the volunteer team to recommend alternative opportunities, where appropriate (i.e., through energy efficiency or other renewable energy projects), for interested residents without feasible sites for a solar PV project.
  7. After the campaign deadline, meet with the volunteer team and provide ongoing updates until all campaign-related installations are completed.

Pricing for Eligible Customers during the Campaign

  1. For potential customers within town name(s), provide a dollar per watt ($/W) purchase price[1]for a typical, all-inclusive, roof-mount installation (average size 5 to 6kW), complete with a list of equipment and services included in that price.
  2. Provide a tiered structure to reduce that $/W price as the total contracted capacity of solar PV within the community increases. Tier levels will be determined by the installer.
  3. Provide a list of additional system features that may be preferred or required in some (but not the majority of) cases and would impact the final project cost. This list of adders and associated costs will available to the public.
  4. Provide all customers within town names(s) with pricing at the appropriate tiered level. Any contract between installer and customer must acknowledge the current tier price at time of signing and lay out a process through which the final system cost will be adjusted and/or reconciled to reflect the community’s final tier price after the campaign deadline.

Marketing Materials, Presentations, and Claims Made Throughout the Campaign

  1. The partner installer will mention the campaign on their website, including any relevant hyperlinks.
  2. The partner installer will provide appropriate contact information for customers to be posted on campaign marketing materials and webpages.
  3. All partners will refer to the campaign as “Solar Campaign Name).”
  4. The installer will ensure that any media they produce does not claim to represent the opinion or position of the volunteer teams or the partner town(s).
  5. The installer will use a reasonable escalator rate for predicted utility price in all marketing and in predicting payback periods, and make clear that all figures are based on given assumptions.
  1. The installer will use an average current utility rate based on current rates in all marketing and make clear that rates are based on averages.
  2. All claims regarding federal tax credits should include a suggestion to contact a tax professional.
  3. The installer will not market under the campaign name in communities other than those for which they are selected. The installer may continue working in other communities outside of this campaign.

Sharing of Participant Information

  1. The installer and volunteer team will have access to a shared Google spreadsheet containing contact information and current status of program participants.
  2. The installer will only contact an individual on the shared spreadsheet if that individual has requested a site visit from the partner installer.
  3. The installer will regularly update the shared spreadsheet with new leads and current status of existing leads.
  4. The installer will communicate to all leads verbally at the time of the site visit that their contact information and project status will be shared with the volunteer team.
  5. The installers will include in their proposals to potential customers language explaining that their contact information and project status will be shared with the volunteer team unless they request otherwise.
  6. The installers will notify the partner community volunteers of any leads who, at any point in the campaign, request their information not be shared.
  7. In the event that a potential customer is uncomfortable with sharing their information with the volunteer team, the installer will remove their name and contact information from the spreadsheet, leaving only their anonymous project status.

Customer Service

  1. The installer will contact all customers who request a site visit within two business days.
  2. The installer will make every attempt to complete site visits within two weeks of first contact and will clearly communicate with leads about the expected timeline and any changes in that timeline.
  3. The installer will provide objective information to enable customers to choose among any solar financing options offered or otherwise available.
  4. The installer will make every effort to accommodate questions and requests from potential customers.
  5. The installer will work with customers to identify and apply for available incentives, and all projects applying for incentives will meet requirements for incentive eligibility.
  6. The installer will work with the customer’s utility to ensure the process of connecting with the grid and securing a net metering relationship proceeds smoothly.
  7. The installer will strive to complete installations within 120 days of contract signing and will clearly communicate with customers about when installation is likely to take place.
  8. The installer will maintain high standards of quality and value when presenting proposals to potential customers and strive to design high-efficiency systems.
  9. The installer will outline and be prepared to enact a contingency plan in the event that the customer service expectations described are not being met (as determined by the volunteer team and installer) due to an unexpected volume of leads or any other reason.

Compliance with Regulations and Codes

  1. The installer will be familiar with and comply with all relevant codes and requirements, at the local, state, and federal levels, for all installations contracted through the campaign.
  2. The installer will be up to date with current and upcoming policy changes (e.g. rebates, net metering) and code changes (e.g. National Electric Code) and will proactively inform the volunteer team and, where relevant, participants of any changes during the campaign and through the completion of the last campaign installation.
  3. All work related to the campaign must be completed by owners or employees of the partner installer(s), OR by owners or employees of a subcontractor. All individuals working on projects must be covered by workers compensation insurance and/or liability insurance in accordance with state law.

SECTION TWO – Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

Bidding installers must:

  1. Demonstrate experience and proficiency in solar PV installations, with previous experience installing solar in our state
  2. Read and be fully prepared to fulfill the installer commitment outlined in this RFP
  3. Submit a complete proposal

B. Application Deadline and Submission Instructions

Responses to this RFP must be received by the volunteer team no later than 5:00 p.m. on Date. Proposals should be in PDF format and attached to an email sent to Name of Team Contact (email address). Please label your proposal materials clearly.

C. Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by a volunteer selection committee. Please keep in mind that we are not solar experts. Simple, clear language with definitions and explanations will be appreciated. Information contained within the bids will not be shared publicly. In the event that a proposal is found to be incomplete or the selection committee has a question or request, the bidding installer will be notified and given three business days to respond.

D. In-Person Interviews

Interviews will take place on Day, Date at Location. Interviews will last one hour and will take place between Time and Time. Not all bidding installers will be invited to interview.

E. Questions and Contact Information

Name of Team Contact (email, telephone) can be contacted directly if you have any questions, concerns, or technical difficulties in submitting your bid(s).

F. Guidelines for Installers Bidding as a Group

A group of two or more installers may submit a joint proposal. Partnering installers should strive to maintain the following critical campaign components:

  • A single lead contact person for the partnering installers.
  • A single, tiered pricing structure, or a pricing structure that is otherwise simple for residents and volunteers to understand.
  • Protocols for shared responsibility and assignment of individual leads and jobs to participating installers. Partnering installers take full responsibility for managing their relationship.

G. Regarding Subcontractors

If any portion of the work related to completing an installation will be subcontracted out to another company, be prepared to disclose their role(s) and provide a subcontractor profile.

SECTION THREE – Proposal Requirements

Bidding installers must complete the Solar Campaign Proposal Template. The Proposal Template is available as a Microsoft Word document. Bidding installers must complete the entire template and save as a PDF document prior to submission. If applying as a group, please submit one proposal jointly. Proposal sections include:

  1. Contact Information
  2. Company Profile(s)
  3. Key Roles and Staff
  4. Subcontractor Profile(s) (if applicable)
  5. Individual Profiles
  6. Campaign Proposal
  7. Equipment, Warranties, and Pricing
  8. Authorized Signature(s)

Required Attachments:

□Sample customer PROPOSAL (for a residential system), as adapted specifically for use in this campaign

□Sample customer CONTRACT (for a residential system), as adapted specifically for use in this campaign

If any lease, power purchase agreements, or in house financing will be offered, please also submit:

□Sample terms for any lease/PPA/financing options offered

□Explanation of any lease/PPA/financing options offered and how they will be incorporated into the campaign, particularly with respect to the tiered pricing model

SECTION FOUR – Evaluation Criteria

If any proposal is found to be incomplete, the installer will be notified and given three business days to produce any missing information.

Evaluation Criteria: Complete proposals will be evaluated by the volunteer selection committee based on the following criteria:

  • Relevant experience of the installer company and its staff.
  • Overall quality and value of the proposed services and equipment.
  • Capacity for successful campaign implementation – the installer’s ability to collaborate with community volunteers and to deliver timely and high-quality customer service and installation.
  • Tiered pricing and cost adders proposed by the installer are clear and offer good value.
  • Perceived fit and compatibility of the installer company with the volunteer team and community.
  • Unique or creative offerings – e.g. unique technology, creative outreach ideas.
  • Commitment to the community and surrounding region outside of the campaign.

1

[1]The RFP assumes a direct purchase model. Other pricing/financing options may be proposed. The priority is a simple, high-value package for customers,and we’re open to alternative approaches.