September 8, 2023, 4 pm (PDT)

NOTICE OF RFP AND PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE
THE CITY OF SEATTLE
SEATTLE CITY LIGHT DEPARTMENT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL/ RFP# SCL-35982
MIDSTREAM HVAC+REBATE PROGRAM

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is to select an implementer for Seattle City Light’s Midstream Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) + program. Seattle City Light (City Light) is seeking a consultant to administer point-of-sale instant discounts through participating distributors to encourage the sale of qualified HVAC, water heating, and lab-grade freezer equipment instead of less efficient models. The consultant will establish participation agreements with distributors that sell into City Light’s service area and be responsible for recruitment, relationship management, communications, data collection, data upload, eligibility validation, field services, measure development and documentation, and training of participating distributors and contractors. The consultant will use sales data from distributors to pay and process incentives in a timely manner.

Through the Midstream HVAC+ program, City Light aims to help businesses achieve energy savings with high-quality equipment in an easier, faster, and more flexible way by offering instant discounts on qualified products at a lower administrative cost to City Light than traditional direct to customer incentive programs. By partnering with local distributors, we hope to increase the market share of above-code qualified equipment in our service territory and region.

Background
PSE first launched a midstream program delivery model in 2018. Since then, it has grown to include several technologies and expanded to be a regional service for most product categories. The current PSE Midstream Rebate service includes commercial lighting; commercial and residential heating, HVAC, and water heating (WH); and commercial food service (CFS). In 2020, the service expanded to include Seattle City Light, and again in 2021 to include Snohomish County Public Utility District (SnoPUD). Regional coordination has been crucial to the success of the service.

City Light’s 2024-2025 Midstream HVAC+ program will engage HVAC, water heating, and lab-grade freezer distributors to influence the stocking and encourage the upselling of high-efficiency products for commercial and residential end use. (City Light currently has an existing contract for commercial lighting midstream rebate delivery through 2026). By intervening up the supply chain, the service influences a much larger portion of the addressable market, and it helps increase claimable energy savings compared to end-user focused downstream services.
The stocking of high-efficiency equipment allows the service to reach customers facing equipment burnout. Equipment burnouts represent a large portion of equipment sales that are often uncaptured by downstream services.

The initial term of the contract shall begin on the date of execution by the General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light, or designee, and is expected to span through the end of 2025, not to exceed a maximum of 5 years. City Light will contract with one or more Consultants. City Light has identified an initial budget of Four Million Dollars (4,000,000.00), which may be amended to cover terms past 2025.
RFP# SCL – 35982

OBTAINING THE RFP DOCUMENTS:
Documents will be available online July 25, 2023, 3pm (PDT), at https://cityofseattle.bonfirehub.com. Consultants must complete a free registration prior to viewing, printing, and saving to their own equipment at no cost or ordering full or partial document sets and/or CDs through the Web site. For help using this site, please contact Bonfire at Support@GoBonfire.com for technical questions. You can also visit their help forum at https://bonfirehub.zendesk.com/hc. Free internet access to obtain these documents is available at Seattle Neighborhood Service Centers and most public libraries.
SCL will be hosting a Virtual Pre-Submittal Conference via Webex on July 31, 2023 – 10am – 11am (PDT).

The City’s proposed schedule is outlined in the RFP.

The contract awarded as a result of this RFP will be awarded in a manner that will comply with all applicable laws of the United States, State of Washington, the City Charter, and Ordinances of the City of Seattle.

“WOMEN AND MINORITY AFFIRMATIVE EFFORTS REQUIREMENTS: All proposals are required to meet the Affirmative Efforts requirements as specified in the RFP. An Outreach Plan will be required for the top-rated consultant(s).”

---