June 11, 2015
RE: Request for Proposal – Victory 15 MW DC Solar Generation Project
To Whom It May Concern:
Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA) is issuing this request for proposal (RFP) to experienced companies to construct, operate, and maintain a 15 MW DC of solar photovoltaic generation facility in IREA’s service territory to interconnect and deliver solar energy to IREA under a power purchase agreement.
The attached documents include Project requirements, respondent eligibility, and instructions for drafting and submitting a proposal. The objective of this RFP is to provide sufficient information to enable responding companies to submit a written proposal. This RFP is not a contractual offer or commitment to contract for goods or services.
The facility will be constructed on property owned by IREA in Adams County, Colorado. A site visit is being offered June 25, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. Attendance is mandatory and a condition for submitting a proposal. Interested companies must confirm attendance with Amy Watson by email no later than June 24, 2015.
Proposals must be received by IREA by close of business on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. Please refer to the RFP document for additional information on scope and submittal requirements. Any requests for clarification or additional information regarding this RFP shall be directed only to Amy Watson,
IREA’s Attorney, at (720) 733-5451 or by email at awatson@irea.coop.
IREA appreciates your interest in this solicitation opportunity and looks forward to hearing from you in the future.
Regards,
Pam Feuerstein
Assistant General Manager, Operations and Engineering
INTERMOUNTAIN RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION
5496 N. U.S. Highway 85, P.O. Drawer A
Sedalia, Colorado 80135
Telephone (303) 688-3100

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1
Section 1 – RFP Scope .......................................................................................................... 1
Section 2 – Project Information ............................................................................................ 1
2.1 Project Description..................................................................................................... 1
2.2 Project Site and Site Visit .......................................................................................... 1
2.3 Power Purchase Agreement ....................................................................................... 1
2.4 Renewable Energy Credits ......................................................................................... 2
2.5 Pricing ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.6 Regulatory Approval .................................................................................................. 2
2.7 Contract Length ......................................................................................................... 3
2.8 Purchase Option ......................................................................................................... 3
2.9 Contract Accounting .................................................................................................. 3
Section 3 – Delivery and Interconnection Information ......................................................... 3
3.1 Power Delivery Requirements ................................................................................... 3
3.2 Proposals Requiring Electric Service ......................................................................... 4
Section 4 – Proposal Content Requirements and Submission Procedure ............................. 4
4.1 Proposal Submittal ..................................................................................................... 4
4.2 RFP Schedule ............................................................................................................. 5
4.3 Proposal Requirements .............................................................................................. 5
4.4 RFP Questions ........................................................................................................... 9
4.5 Clarification of Proposals .......................................................................................... 9
4.6 Confidentiality ........................................................................................................... 9
4.7 Addenda to RFP ......................................................................................................... 9
Appendix A – Proposed PPA, Property Lease, and Purchase Option Agreement
(To Be Released 6/29/2015)
Appendix B – Proposed Facility Datasheets
Appendix C – Proposed Site Property (Provided Upon Request)
Appendix D – Interconnection Diagram
Appendix E – IREA Rates and Regulations for Large Power Service
Appendix F – Adams County Zoning Regulations and Conditional Use Permit Checklist
Appendix G – ALTA Property Survey (To Be Released 6/29/2015)

INTRODUCTION
Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA) is a nonprofit, member-owned, electric distribution cooperative that serves more than 145,000 meters within a service territory covering approximately 5,000 square miles in parts of eleven counties in Colorado.
IREA desires to purchase renewable power, associated energy, and renewable energy credits from a 15 MW DC solar photovoltaic distributed generation facility within its service territory through a power purchase agreement.
Section 1 – RFP Scope
IREA is requesting proposals for a 15 MW DC solar photovoltaic distributed generation facility (1) with a commercial operation date (COD) on or before December 1, 2016, (2) that is contracted through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and (3) located adjacent to IREA’s Victory Substation in Adams County, Colorado.
Section 2 – Project Information
2.1
2.2
2.3
Project Description
IREA intends to enter into a PPA with a company to design, permit, install, own, operate, maintain, and deliver renewable energy from a 15 MW DC solar photovoltaic distributed generation facility interconnected with the distribution facilities adjacent to IREA’s existing Victory Substation (“Project”).
Project Site and Site Visit
IREA is purchasing a 160.00 acre site located near the Town of Bennett in Adams
County, Colorado, on which to lease approximately 100.00 acres to the selected company for the Project. The proposed lease will be provided in an addendum.
A site visit is mandatory prior to submitting a proposal. The site visit is being offered on June 25, 2015, from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Interested companies must contact
Amy Watson by email at awatson@irea.coop by 5:00 p.m. on June 24, 2015, to confirm attendance. Ms. Watson will respond with the property location and other site visit information. The site will not available to interested parties at any other time during this solicitation.
Power Purchase Agreement
Bidders to this RFP should propose a PPA rate structure subject to the considerations discussed in later sections of this RFP. The proposed PPA will be provided as Appendix A on or before June 29, 2015. Bidders should review and respond to the terms and conditions of the proposed PPA when submitting their proposals.
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2.4
2.5
2.6
In the event IREA desires to proceed with negotiations of a PPA, IREA negotiate the proposed PPA with an individual or multiple short-listed Bidders selected through this solicitation. Bidders should provide requested modifications, if any, to the proposed PPA with their proposals. In preparing proposals, Bidders should also note that certain bid-specific information contained in each proposal will be inserted into a final PPA should an agreement be reached.
To the extent that the validity of a Bidder’s proposal, and a Bidder’s ability to execute the PPA, is contingent upon changing language in the proposed PPA, the proposal must specifically identify the required changes or exceptions and should indicate what impact complying with the terms of the proposed PPA would have on their bid pricing.
Renewable Energy Credits
Proposals shall provide IREA with ownership of 100% renewable energy credits
("RECs") associated with the energy generated by the Project and purchased by
IREA.
Pricing
The pricing for solar generation PPA proposals shall be in terms of dollars per megawatt hour ($/MWh) or cents per kilowatt hour (¢/kWh). IREA prefers fixed price proposals; however, Bidders wishing to submit bids with terms t h a t periodically adjust prices shall do so in accordance with following sections of this RFP .
IREA will be responsible for land acquisition, rights-of-way and property taxes on the underlying property and IREA-owned improvements. All other taxes, fees, and requirements associated with the construction and operation of the facility, as well as the cost of the lease to rent the land from IREA and all fencing, security, surveying, grading, drainage, and erosion control permit and requirements, shall be borne by the Bidder.
Bidders shall complete the pricing sheets included in Appendix B in their entirety.
Failure to complete these forms shall indicate a non-compliant proposal.
Regulatory Approval
The property is currently zoned Agricultural. Major energy facilities are a permitted conditional use subject to the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of County Commissioners. ( See Appendix F.) The Conditional Use Permit, construction permits, such as grading permits, building permits, or other federal, state or local permits shall be the responsibility of the Bidder.
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2.7
2.8
2.9
Contract Length
Bidders to this RFP shall propose a contract term length of twenty-five (25) years, with renewal options as will be provided in the PPA. Bidders may submit alternate term lengths for IREA’s consideration.
Purchase Option
On or before June 29, 2015, IREA will issue a purchase option agreement for
IREA to purchase the solar facility after the sixth (6th) commercial operation year. In the event IREA, or an affiliate, elects to exercise the option, the agreement will provide details regarding, among other things, the determination of the facility purchase price.
Bidders should provide requested modifications, if any, to the proposed purchase option agreement with their proposals.
Contract Accounting
IREA prefers arrangements that do not result in a capital lease or variable interest entities (VIE) consolidation. As a result, all Bidders shall state in their proposals (i) that the Bidder has considered applicable accounting standards in regard to capital leases and VIE, (ii) summarize any changes that the Bidder proposes to the PPA in order to attempt to address these issues, and (iii) whether to the Bidder’s knowledge and belief, the Bidder’s proposal would result in such treatment as of the date of the proposal.
By submitting a proposal, each bidder agrees to make available, at any point in the bid evaluation and throughout any resulting contract negotiation process, any and all financial data associated with the Bidder, the facility included in the proposal and/or the PPA and any other information that is required to verify or independently determine the accounting and tax treatment associated with a proposal. Such information may include, but shall not be limited to, data supporting the economic life (both initial and remaining) of the facility, the fair market value of the facility, and any and all other costs (including debt specific to the asset being proposed) associated with the Bidder’s proposal. This shall be in addition to financial data contained within the Bidder’s financial statements (e.g., income statements, balance sheets, etc.).
Section 3 – Delivery and Interconnection Information
3.1
Power Delivery Requirements
The Association will provide three, three-phase, 60Hz, 12.47kV circuits, arranged in a wye configuration, for interconnection to IREA provided pad mount switches. Bidder’s control system shall provide sync check relaying at Bidder’s breakers before those breakers can be closed into IREA’s electric system. Threephase station power shall be metered and billed to Bidder in accordance with
IREA’s Rates and Regulations, which rates are attached as Appendix E.
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3.2
Bidders shall provide communications to IREA provided Ethernet switch at the metered interconnection point. The communications shall provide breaker status of all breakers owned by the Bidder and real-time inverter output for each inverter in the facility. No single inverter shall exceed 2MW AC output.
Facility designed by the bidder such that power delivered at the interconnection point shall meet the requirements of IEEE 519 and IEEE 1547.
Proposals Requiring Electric Service
If Bidder requires electrical service to be provided to the facility during construction and/or operation, the Bidder will be billed in accordance with
IREA’s Rates and Regulations, which rates are attached as Appendix E. IREA will provide a separate metered 277/480V service. The interconnection feeders shall not be used for station power.
Section 4 – Proposal Content Requirements and Submission Procedure
4.1
Proposal Submittal
Proposals will be accepted until 10:00 a.m. (MDT) on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 .
All proposals must be transmitted by express, certified or registered mail, or hand delivered to IREA at the following address:
Intermountain Rural Electric Association
Attn: Amy Watson, Attorney
5496 North U.S. Highway 85
Sedalia, Colorado 80135
Office: (720) 733-5611
Email: awatson@irea.coop
Proposals received later than the due date and time indicated will be rejected and returned unopened, unless IREA determines in its sole discretion that extenuating circumstances led to late delivery.
Three (3) bound hardcopies of the proposal must be included in the submittal. In addition, Bidders must submit one electronic copy on a USB drive or CD.
Proposals must be submitted in a sealed package with the following information shown on the package:
Victory 15 MW DC Solar Generation RFP
Attn: Amy Watson, Attorney for IREA
The Bidder’s company name and address must be clearly indicated on the package containing the proposal.
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4.2
RFP Schedule
A preliminary schedule for this RFP process is provided below. IREA may revise this schedule at any time in its sole discretion.
4.3
RFP Issued
Site Visit ( Mandatory )
Questions Due
Addendum Issued
Proposals Due
Bidder Short-List Issued
Proposal Discussions
Notice of Award
Notice to Proceed
Proposal Requirements
June 11, 2015
June 25, 2015, 9:00 a.m. (MDT)
June 30, 2015
July 7, 2015
July 14, 2015, 10:00 a.m. (MDT)
July 27, 2015 (Anticipated)
July - August 2015
August 4, 2015
August 14, 2015
This section outlines the content and format requirements for all proposals submitted in response to this RFP. Unless IREA in its sole discretion elects otherwise, proposals that do not include the information requested in this section will be ineligible for further evaluation. Although these requirements assist in evaluating bids, IREA reserves the right to conduct any further due diligence it considers necessary to evaluate bids and reject any bids for any reason in its sole discretion.
Proposal Format
The first section of each proposal must contain an Executive Summary that provides an overview of the bid’s characteristics, including any unique aspects or benefits. The second section of the proposal must include confirmation of demonstration of the Bidder’s ability to meet minimum requirements. The third section of the proposal must include other proposal information, which must be presented in narrative form under specific topic headings, with each topic heading beginning on a new page. The fourth section of the proposal must include the applicable set of forms included in Appendix B and signed addenda.
A complete proposal will include the following components:
1.
Executive Summary (Include Project title, date of submittal, Bidder’s name and address, and Bidder’s key contact name and information)
2.
Demonstration of Meeting Minimum Requirements
3.
Discussion of Narrative Topics
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4.
Appendix B Forms
5.
Signed Addenda (if issued by IREA)
Demonstration of Meeting Minimum Requirements
Bidders must demonstrate ability to meet IREA’s minimum requirements by responding to the following:
•
Indicate that you have read, understand, and accept each section of this
RFP, the RFP addenda, and the proposed PPA. Clearly detail any exceptions you take to any terms in the RFP documents or proposed PPA.
•
Identify any assumptions made to clarify or quantify your proposal.
•
Confirm ability to comply with IREA’s interconnection requirements in this RFP
•
Provide the name, company, and contact information for at least three references from previous projects.
•
Provide a current insurance certificate.
Narrative Topics
Each proposal must also include a thorough written discussion of each of the following topics.
•
Development Experience
•
Financial Information
•
Project Description and Development Schedule
•
Equipment Description
•
Permitting Plan
•
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Plan
•
Exceptions to the Proposed PPA
•
Energy Production Profile
Development Experience - All proposals must describe the Bidder's qualifications and experience in developing, constructing, commissioning and operating generation facilities similar to the proposed Project, including the experience, qualifications and safety record of key personnel who will manage development and an overview of utility scale and utility grade projects the Bidder has developed during the last five (5) years. If an Engineering, Procurement and
Construction ("EPC") team is in place, the proposal should identify the members of the team; if such a group is not in place, the proposal must set forth the
Bidder's plan for assembling such team (including process and timing).
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Financial Information - All proposals must provide two (2) years of audited financial statements or the equivalent for Bidders and other responsible parties
(including any entities that would provide parent guaranties of the Bidders' obligations), and as appropriate, describe the plan for financing the proposed
Project during construction and operation. Proposals should also include indications of any financing commitments which have been discussed or obtained at the time the proposal is submitted. Proposals must set forth the credit rating (if any) of any entities that would provide parent guaranties of the Bidders' obligations. Proposals must also include an organization chart showing the entities that own the Bidders and a description of the Bidders' organization structure (including primary and secondary businesses). Financial information may be provided primarily in electronic format so long as at least one (1) hard copy of the financial information is provided with each proposal.
Financial information should also include the following:
•
An indication of whether the financing for the Project (both construction and permanent) will be on-balance sheet or a non-recourse project financing
•
Expected debt/equity ratios for the Project
•
Anticipated costs of Project debt
Project Description and Development Schedule - All proposals shall provide a description of the proposed Project, including a description and plans equipment configuration, construction and equipment procurement, supply of spare parts, required permits, the nameplate capacity of the resource in MW, the Bidders' key consultants (if known) for studies, and the Bidders' construction contractors and prime subcontractors (if known). Such proposals must provide a detailed Gantt chart of project development activities developed using Microsoft Project or similar software (note that .pdf file-type is acceptable for submittal) that includes
(at a minimum) entering major equipment and construction subcontracts, target completion dates for financing, engineering, permitting, equipment procurement, construction, startup and commissioning, and guaranteed dates for substantial completion. Proposals must describe the overall development strategy that will ensure that the Project can be developed in time to meet the proposed commercial operation date.
Equipment Description - At a minimum and to the extent available, proposals should indicate for all major equipment, 1) the name of the manufacturer, 2) model, 3) key metrics and characteristics of the equipment, 4) performance history of the equipment, 5) terms of warranties and/or guarantees, 6) contracting status, and 7) availability of equipment and planned delivery dates.
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Permitting Plan - Proposals must describe all federal, state and local permits and approvals that Bidder anticipates will be required, including, but not limited to, land use permits, federal environmental assessments under the National
Environmental Policy Act ("EA/EIS"), wastewater discharge permits, hazardous waste permits, and no hazard permits/determinations from the Federal Aviation
Administration, all of which are to be obtained by the Bidder.
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Plan - Bidders shall summarize their anticipated O&M plans and labor arrangements for the generation facilities associated with their proposals.
Exceptions to Proposed PPA, Property Lease, and Purchase Option
Agreement - Bidders shall review and provide comments to the PPA, property lease, and purchase option agreement to the extent they are applicable to the proposal. To the extent that the validity of a Bidder’s proposal and/or the Bidder’s ability to execute the PPA, property lease, and purchase option agreement are contingent upon material changes to the language in the documents, Bidders should specifically identify the terms they propose to change and should summarize their proposed changes to such terms. To the extent that a bidder wishes to propose changes that would affect the Bidder’s proposed pricing; the proposal should specifically identify such changes and the associated price increase or decrease.
Energy Production Profile (To be provided in PDF and MS Excel format) -
All proposals must provide information on expected annual energy production.
Bidder shall provide an anticipated 8,760 hourly energy production profile as well as the equipment manufacturer’s power curve adjusted for the proposed site. In addition, IREA encourages Bidders to provide hourly energy production projections and associated hourly solar data for other years as well. Data should be applicable at the point of interconnection. Solar production data that is based on theoretical modeling or a combination of on-site metered data and modeled data will be considered. However, regardless of the source of this data, Bidders must provide the resource data measurement plan used to derive the data. If the measurement plan relies entirely or in part on theoretical data, the Bidder should include background on the firm that conducted the study, the technology employed and any track record attesting to the accuracy of the methods used.
To the extent available or projected, proposals must answer the following questions concerning projections of solar generation:
•
How was solar data collected, certified and correlated to a reference point?
•
Who provided this service?
•
What is the basis year of the underlying data? Was it a high, average or low year?
•
How was the solar data transformed into generation output? Is this a typical year?
•
What derates were used for such factors as array losses, line losses, forced outages, and other factors?
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4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
•
What is the final, resultant derates from the nameplate MW of the proposed solar farm?
Upon request, Bidders must be prepared to provide the underlying solar data supporting these estimates with the understanding that IREA may engage an external consultant for an independent verification and evaluation of the solar resource. The provided data shall be sufficient for these purposes.
RFP Questions
Questions during the bidding period shall be sent in writing to Ms. Amy Watson at awatson@irea.coop by June 30, 2015. IREA will provide responses to all questions received from Bidders in writing and posted online and by email no later than July 7, 2015. Responses will be provided as a formal addendum to be signed and included with Bidder’s proposal.
Clarification of Proposals
While evaluating proposals, IREA may request clarification of, or additional information about, any item in the proposal. Such requests will be sent to Bidders by IREA, and Bidders are required to provide a written or electronic response within five (5) business days, or the Bidder may be deemed to be non-responsive and stop evaluating the bid. Bidders are encouraged to provide an alternate point of contact to ensure a timely response to clarification questions.
Confidentiality
Bidders shall assume that all proposals may be discussed publicly, at the discretion of IREA, during IREA Board Meetings.
Addenda to RFP
Formal Addenda will be issued via email by Ms. Watson. Copies of any Addenda issued by IREA shall be signed by the Bidder and included in the Proposal
Submittal. Any proposals without the signed addenda may be considered nonresponsive.
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