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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP - 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) SupplyRFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 1 of 13 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 9923 CONSULTING SERVICES AND RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS (RNG) SUPPLY RFP DUE: 3:00 PM MT (Mountain Time), February 7, 2024 The City of Fort Collins is requesting proposals from qualified Service Providers to provide consulting services and the supply of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for the City’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fleet. The successful Proposer shall compensate the City for the Registered Identification Number (RIN) D3 credits at current market prices. As part of the City’s commitment to sustainability, proposals must be submitted online through the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System (RMEPS) at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/city- of-fort-collins. Note: please ensure adequate time to submit proposals through RMEPS. Proposals not submitted by the designated Opening Date and Time will not be accepted by RMEPS. A pre-proposal meeting will be held at 1:00 PM MT on January 24, 2024. The pre-proposal meeting will be hosted on-line via Microsoft Teams. Select or copy/paste the below link into your browser for access to the meeting. Please be prepared to announce your name and mute your microphone: Click here to join the meeting All questions should be submitted, in writing via email, to Jake Rector, Senior Buyer at jrector@fcgov.com, with a copy to Stu Reeve, Project Manager, at sreeve@fcgov.com, no later than 3:00 PM MT on January 26, 2024. Please format your e-mail to include: RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply in the subject line. Questions received after this deadline may not be answered. Responses to all questions submitted before the deadline will be addressed in an addendum and posted on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System webpage. Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System hosted by BidNet A copy of the RFP may be obtained at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/city-of-fort-collins. This RFP has been posted utilizing the following Commodity Code(s): 40513 Gas, Natural (Incl. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)) 91800 Consulting Services Prohibition of Unlawful Discrimination: The City of Fort Collins, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 US.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d- 4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. Financial Services Purchasing Division 215 N. Mason St. 2nd Floor PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6775 970.221.6707 fcgov.com/purchasing RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 2 of 13 The City strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination based on an individual’s gender (regardless of gender identity or gender expression), race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age 40 years or older, marital status, disability, sexual ori entation, genetic information, or other characteristics protected by law. For the purpose of this policy “sexual orientation” means a person’s actual or perceived orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. The City also strictly prohibits unlawful harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment. Further, the City strictly prohibits unlawful retaliation against a person who engages in protected activity. Protected activity includes an employee complaining that he or she has been discriminated against in violation of the above policy or participating in an employment discrimination proceeding. The City requires its Service Providers to comply with the City’s policy for equal employment opportunity and to prohibit unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation. This requirement applies to all third-party Service Providers and their subcontractors/subconsultants at every tier. Public Viewing Copy: The City is a governmental entity subject to the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. §§ 24-72-200.1 et seq. (“CORA”). Any proposals submitted hereunder are subject to public disclosure by the City pursuant to CORA and City ordinances. Professionals may submit one (1) additional complete proposal clearly marked “FOR PUBLIC VIEWING.” In this version of the proposal, Professionals may redact text and/or data that it deems confidential or proprietary pursuant to CORA. All pricing will be considered public records subject to disclosure under CORA and as such pricing cannot be redacted from the “FOR PUBLIC VIEWING” version of the proposal. Failure to provide a public viewing copy will be considered a waiver of any claim of confidentiality under CORA without regard to how the applicant’s proposal or certain pages of the proposal are marked confidential, proprietary, or similar. Such statement does not necessarily exempt such documentation from public disclosure if required by CORA, by order of a court of appropriate jurisdiction, or other applicable law. Generally, under CORA, trade secrets, confidential commercial information and financial data i nformation may not be disclosed by the City. Proposals may not be marked “Confidential” or ‘Proprietary’ in their entirety. By responding to this RFP, Professionals hereby waives any and all claims for damages against the City for the City’s good faith compliance with CORA. All provisions and pricing of any contract resulting from this request for proposal will be public information. Service Providers Registration: The City requires new Service Providers/ Professionals receiving awards from the City to submit IRS form W-9 and requires all Service Providers/ Professionals to accept Direct Deposit (Electronic) payment. If needed, the W-9 form and the Vendor Direct Deposit Authorization Form can be found on the City’s Purchasing website at www.fcgov.com/purchasing under Vendor Reference Documents. Please do not submit these documents with your proposal, however, if you take exception to participating in Direct Deposit (Electronic) payments please clearly note such in your proposal as an exception. The City may waive the requirement to participate in Direct Deposit (Electronic) payments at its sole discretion. Sales Prohibited/Conflict of Interest: No officer, employee, or member of City Council, shall have a financial interest in the sale to the City of any real or personal property, equipment, material, supplies or services where such officer or employee exercises directly or indirectly any decision-making authority concerning such sale or any supervisory authority over the services to be rendered. This rule also applies to subcontracts with the City. Soliciting or accepting any gift, gratuity favor, entertainment, kickback or any items of monetary value from any person who has or is seeking to do business with the City of Fort Collins is prohibited. RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 3 of 13 Collusive or Sham Proposals: Any proposal deemed to be collusive or a sham proposal will be rejected and reported to authorities as such. Your authorized signature of this proposal assures that such proposal is genuine and is not a collusive or sham proposal. The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any irregularities or informalities. Utilization of Award by Other Agencies: The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to allow other state and local governmental agencies, political subdivisions, and/or school districts to utilize the resulting award under all terms and conditions specified and upon agreement by all parties. Usage by any other entity shall not have a negative impact on the City of Fort Collins in the current term or in any future terms. Sincerely, Gerry Paul Purchasing Director RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 4 of 13 I. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE / OVERVIEW A. Objective The City of Fort Collins is requesting proposals from qualified Service Providers to provide consulting services and the supply of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for the City’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fleet. The successful Proposer shall compensate the City for the Registered Identification Number (RIN) D3 credits at current market prices. II. SCOPE OF PROPOSAL A. Scope of Work The City of Fort Collins is requesting proposals from qualified Service Providers for third party consulting services, Registered Identification Number (RIN) management, and delivery of RNG US/EPA RFS D3 RIN credits. The qualified firm will provide the RNG fuel source, D3 RIN management, and the required volume of natural gas used for our CNG fleet of vehicles. The City of Fort Collins owns and operates three CNG fueling stations. Two are currently on the City’s Wholesale natural gas contract and one is on Xcel Energy Sales Gas. It is the intent of the RFP to allow the City to take full advantage of its long-established natural gas vehicles program. It is also the objective of the City of Fort Collins for this contract to be cost neutral/effective to the City of Fort Collins with no, or minimal, required expenses and maximum revenues. The City of Fort Collins current CNG fuel use is approximately 59,000 MMBtu annually. See Attachment A – CNG Fuel History for reference. Provisions shall be included in the final agreement between the parties to accommodate increases and/or decreases in natural gas use. Service Providers should address how they would accommodate and price such potential increases and/or decreases in usage and its effects on pricing. The most recent 5-year annual CNG use history can be found in Attachment A (note 2020 and 2021 were impacted by COVID). The City’s intention is for this to be a fully contracted and managed program by the successful Service Provider for five (5) years. The successful Service Provider will manage, report, complete all documentation to all required reporting parties on behalf of the City in a timely, scheduled (regular) basis without exception. Any fault in the reporting of information, failure to provide the State, Utility Companies, or the City with required information on a predetermined timeframe, may be considered a default. The Service Provider will provide the City with monthly output reports indicating the amount of RNG supplied. The City desires the greatest percentage of RNG available for its CNG fleet. Additionally, the selected Service Provider will be required to provide the following services: • Billing services. • Monthly updates to the City regarding RIN market conditions. • Quarterly cumulative accounting of the City’s RIN credit balance. • Maintenance of an auditable “paper trail.” • Management of all regulatory requirements including regulatory filings. RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 5 of 13 • Reporting requirements. • Adhere to market rules. • Verification of actual emissions to regulatory agencies. • All compliance obligations as required. The successful Service Provider is required to hold and maintain separate contracts between their company and all relative utility companies. B. Deliverables/Milestones The City intends to have a contract in place by February 2024. C. Key Areas of Responsibility The awarded Service Provider shall provide the RNG fuel source and management of all reporting and financial documentation for RIN credits. D. Minimum Qualifications 5 years of experience with supplying RNG and RIN management. E. Anticipated Schedule The following represents the City’s target schedule for the RFP. The City reserves the right to amend the target schedule at any time. • RFP issuance: January 17, 2024 • Pre-Proposal Meeting: 1:00 PM MT on January 24, 2024 • Question deadline: 3:00 PM MT on January 26, 2024 • Proposal due date: 3:00 PM MT on February 7, 2024 • Interviews (if necessary): Week of February 19, 2024 • Award of Contract (tentative): February 2024 F. Interviews In addition to submitting a written proposal, the top-rated Service Providers may be interviewed by the RFP assessment team and asked to participate in an oral presentation to provide an overview of the company, approach to the project and to address questions. The evaluation criteria for the oral interviews will be the same as the criteria for the written evaluations and is included in Section IV. The City may use non-traditional methods for the optional interview phase of the assessment process. The City will receive and score written proposals. However, instead of traditional in-person interviews for the optional interview session, the City may opt to use alternate methods including, but not limited to remote interviews through a platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. G. Subcontractors/Subconsultants Service Provider will be responsible for identifying any subcontractors and/or subconsultants in their proposal. Please note that the City will contract solely with the awarded Service Provider; therefore, subcontractors and/or subconsultants will be the responsibility of the Service Provider. RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 6 of 13 H. Current standards All work and/or materials must meet current standards in force by recognized technical and professional societies, trade and materials supply associations, institutes and organizations, bureaus and testing laboratories, and national, federal, state, county , and local laws, codes and ordinances. I. Fees, Licenses, Permits The successful Service Provider shall be responsible for obtaining any necessary licenses, fees or permits without additional expense to the City. All vehicles and equipment shall be properly licensed and insured, carry the appropriate permits and be placarded as required by law. J. Laws and Regulations The Service Provider agrees to comply fully with all applicable local, State of Colorado and Federal laws and regulations and municipal ordinances to include American Disabilities Act (ADA). K. Invoicing and Payment Invoices should be emailed monthly to invoices@fcgov.com with a copy to the Project Manager. The cost of the work completed shall be paid to the Service Provider each month following the submittal of a correct invoice by the Service Provider indicating the project name, Purchase Order number, task description, hours worked, personnel/work type category, hourly rate for each employee/work type category, date of the work performed specific to the task, percentage of that work that has been completed by task, 3 rd party supporting documentation with the same detail and a brief progress report. Payments and RNG US/EPA RFS D3 RIN credits will be made using the methodologies stated in the Agreement. The City pays invoices on Net 30 terms. III. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL Please limit the total length of your proposal to a maximum of fifty (50) 8 ½ x 11” pages (excluding cover pages, table of contents, dividers and Acknowlegement form). Font shall be a minimum of 10 Arial and margins are limited to no less than .5” for sides and top/bottom. Extended page sizes, such as 11” x 17”, count as a single page and may be used for detailed pricing. Links to other files or websites shall not be permitted. Proposals that do not conform to these requirements may be rejected. Service Providers are required to provide detailed written responses to the following items in the order outlined below. The responses shall be considered technical offers of what Service Providers propose to provide and shall be incorporated in the contract award as deemed appropriate by the City. A proposal that does not include all the information required may be deemed non-responsive and subject to rejection. Responses must include all the items in the order listed below. It is suggested that the Service Providers include each of the City’s questions with their response. The City of Fort Collins shall not reimburse any firm for costs incurred in the preparation and presentation of their proposal. A. Cover Letter / Executive Summary RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 7 of 13 The Executive Summary should highlight the content of the proposal and features of the program offered, including a general description of the program and any unique aspects or benefits provided by your firm. Indicate your availability to participate in the interviews/demonstrations on the proposed dates as stated in the Schedule section. B. Service Provider Information 1. Describe the Service Provider’s business and background 2. Number of years in the business 3. Details about ownership 4. An overview of services offered and qualifications 5. Size of the firm 6. Location(s) of offices. If multiple, please identify which will be the primary for our account. 7. Primary contact information for the company including contact name(s) and title(s), mailing address(s), phone number(s), and email address(s). C. Scope of Proposal 1. Provide a detailed narrative of the services proposed if awarded the contract per the scope above. The narrative should include any options that may be beneficial for the City to consider. 2. Describe how the project would be managed and who would have primary responsibility for its timely and professional completion. 3. Briefly describe the approach to execute the scope of work to include the methods and assumptions used, and any exceptions and/or risks. 4. Include a description of the software and other analysis tools to be used. 5. Identify what portion of work, if any, may be subcontracted or outsourced to subconsultants. Include all applicable information herein requested for each Service Provider. 6. Briefly describe the source(s) of the RNG and confirm the firm’s ability to reliably and consistently meet the City’s requirements for RNG. D. Firm Capability and Assigned Personnel Provide relevant information regarding previous experience related to this or similar projects, to include the following: 1. Provide an Organization Chart/Proposed Project Team: An organization chart containing the names of all key personnel and subconsultants with titles and their specific task assignment for this Agreement shall be provided in this section. 2. A list of qualifications for your firm and qualifications and experience of the specific staff members proposed to perform the services described above. 3. References. Provide a minimum of three similar projects with public agencies in the last 5 years that have involved the staff and subcontractors/subconsultants proposed to work on this project. Include the owner’s name, title of project, beginning price, RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 8 of 13 ending price, contact name, email and phone number, subconsultants on the team and a brief description of the work and any change orders. The Service Provider authorizes the City to verify any and all information contained herein and hereby releases all those concerned providing information as a reference from any liability in connection with any information provided. 4. Provide any information that distinguishes Service Provider from its competition and any additional information applicable to this RFP that might be valuable in assessing Service Provider’s proposal. E. Sustainability/TBL Methodology In concise terms (no more than two pages), please describe your organization’s commitment to sustainability and supporting values. Each element of the TBL sustainability criteria will receive equal consideration in determining the final Sustainability/TBL score. 1. Address how your firm strives to incorporate all three aspects (social, environmental, and economic) of Triple Bottom Line (TBL) sustainable practices into the workplace. Provide examples along with any metrics used to measure success within your firm. 2. Also provide examples of how your firm has incorporated all three aspects of TBL sustainable practices in previous similar projects on which your firm has been the prime Service Provider. Some examples are provided below: a. Environmental – Experience delivering projects / programs focused on environmental health priorities in the areas of climate resiliency, water quality and watershed protection, regulatory performance, management systems, air quality, renewable energy, sustainable building and design, construction materials management, and solid waste reduction. b. Economic – Experience working and delivering projects with an emphasis on strategic financial planning, job creation, business development, asset management, various project delivery methods, value engineering, regional partnerships, transparency, stakeholder engagement, strategic investments, aging infrastructure, repurposing of existing facilities, and competing financial priorities. c. Social - Experience working and delivering projects, programs, and/or initiatives that support Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout your firm’s workplace, including leadership, and supply chain. Examples of this may be demonstration of working within cultural and language gaps, development of diversity programs, diverse project teams, equitable opportunity vendor supply chain, and how your firm has applied an equity lens to processes such as recruitment, hiring, purchasing, career pathways, salaries, and staff engagement. F. Methodology for RNG Cost and RNG US/EPA RFS D3 RIN Credits Please detail the methodology for calculating the RNG cost and the RNG US/EPA RFS D3 RIN credits RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 9 of 13 G. Sample Agreement The City is requesting Service Providers to submit a North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) Agreement that they intend to use for this award. The City will review each Proposer’s agreement and any exceptions to the City’s required terms as part of the evaluation process. The City will required a Special Provisions Addendum to the NAESB Agreement including, but not limited to, the following terms. 1. Appropriation. To the extent this Agreement or any provision in it constitutes a multiple fiscal year debt or financial obligation of the City, it shall be subject to annual appropriation by City Council as required in Article V, Section 8(b) of the City Charter, City Code Section 8-186, and Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution. The City shall have no obligation to continue this Agreement in any fiscal year for which no such supporting appropriation has been made. 2. Indemnity/Insurance. a. The Service Provider agrees to indemnify and save harmless the City, its officers, agents and employees against and from any and all actions, suits, claims, demands or liability of any character whatsoever brought or asserted for injuries to or death of any person or persons, or damages to property arising out of, result from or occurring in connection with the performance of any service hereunder. b. The Service Provider shall take all necessary precautions in performing the work hereunder to prevent injury to persons and property 3. Law/Severability. The laws of the State of Colorado shall govern the construction, interpretation, execution, and enforcement of this Agreement. The Parties further agree that Larimer County District Court is the proper venue for all disputes. If the City subsequently agrees in writing that the matter may be heard in federal court, venue will be in Denver District Court. In the event any provision of this Agreement shall be held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not invalidate or render unenforceable any other provision of this Agreement. H. Acknowledgement The Acknowledgement form is attached as Section V. Complete the attached form indicating the Service Provider hereby acknowledges receipt of the City of Fort Collins Request for Proposal and acknowledges that the Service Provider has read and agrees to be fully bound by all of the terms, conditions and other provisions set forth in the RFP. RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 10 of 13 IV. REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA A. Proposal and Interview Criteria Service Providers will be evaluated on the following criteria. This set of criteria will be the basis for review and assessment of the written proposals and optional interview session. At the discretion of the City, interviews of the top-rated Service Providers may be conducted. The rating scale shall be from 1 to 10, a rating of 1 doesn’t meet minimum requirements, a rating of 5 means the category fulfills the minimum requirements, and 10 exceeds minimum requirements in that category. WEIGHTING FACTOR CATEGORY STANDARD QUESTIONS 3.0 Scope of Proposal Does the proposal address all elements of the RFP? Does the proposal show an understanding of the project objectives, methodology to be used and results/outcomes required by the project? Are there any exceptions to the specifications, Scope of Work, or agreement? Are other qualified personnel available to assist in meeting the project schedule if required? 3.0 Firm Capability & Assigned Personnel Does the firm have the resources, financial strength, capacity and support capabilities required to successfully complete the project on- time and in-budget? Has the firm successfully completed previous projects of this type and scope? Do the persons who will be working on the project have the necessary skills and qualifications? Are sufficient people of the requisite skills and qualifications assigned to the project? 1.0 Sustainability/TBL Methodology Does the firm demonstrate a commitment to Sustainability and incorporate Triple Bottom Line methodology in both their Scope of Work for the project, and their day-to-day business operating processes and procedures? Does the firm demonstrate a commitment to all three aspects (social, environmental, and economic) of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) methodology of sustainability for this project and in their company value system as evidenced by their day-to-day business operating processes, practices and procedures? 3.0 Methodology for RNG Cost & D3 Rin Credits Does the proposal included detailed description of the methodologies used to determine the Cost of RNG and D3 Rin Credits? Do the RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 11 of 13 methodologies result in competitive cost and equitable credits? RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 12 of 13 V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Service Provider hereby acknowledges receipt of the City of Fort Collins Request for Proposal and acknowledges that it has read and agrees to be fully bound by all of the terms, conditions and other provisions set forth in the RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply and sample Agreement except as otherwise noted. Additionally, Service Provider hereby makes the following representations to City: a. All of the statements and representations made in this proposal are true to the best of the Service Provider’s knowledge and belief. b. Service Provider commits that it is able to meet the terms provided in this proposal. c. This proposal is a firm and binding offer, for a period of 90 days from the date hereof. d. Service Provider further agrees that the method of award is acceptable. e. Service Provider also agrees to complete the proposed Agreement with the City of Fort Collins within 10 days of notice of award. If contract is not completed and signed within 10 days, City reserves the right to cancel and award to the next highest rated firm. f. Service Provider acknowledges receipt of addenda. g. Service Provider acknowledges no conflict of interest. h. Service Provider acknowledges that the City is a governmental entity subject to the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. §§ 24-72-200.1 et seq. (“CORA”). Any proposals submitted hereunder are subject to public disclosure by the City pursuant to CORA and City ordinances. Professionals may submit one (1) additional complete proposal clearly marked “FOR PUBLIC VIEWING.” In this version of the proposal, Professionals may redact text and/or data that it deems confidential or proprietary pursuant to CORA . All pricing will be considered public records subject to disclosure under CORA and as such pricing cannot be redacted from the “FOR PUBLIC VIEWING” version of the proposal. Failure to provide a public viewing copy will be considered a waiver of any claim of confidentiality under CORA without regard to how the applicant’s proposal or certain pages of the proposal are marked confidential, proprietary, or similar. Such statement does not necessarily exempt such documentation from public disclosure if required by CORA, by order of a court of appropriate jurisdiction, or other applicable law. Generally, under CORA, trade secrets, confidential commercial information and financial data information may not be disclosed by the City. Proposals may not be marked “Confidential” or ‘Proprietary’ in their entirety. By responding to this RFP, Professionals hereby waives any and all claims for damages against the City for the City’s good faith compliance with CORA. All provisions and pricing of any contract resulting from this request for proposal will be public information. Legal Firm Name: Physical Address: Remit to Address: Phone: Name of Authorized Agent of Firm: RFP 9923 Consulting Services and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Supply Page 13 of 13 Signature of Authorized Agent: Primary Contact for Project: Title: Email Address: Phone: Cell Phone: NOTE: ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS TO BE SIGNED & RETURNED WITH YOUR PROPOSAL.