RFP ? CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR THE HOME ELECTRIFICATION & REVITALIZATION OPPORTUNITY (HERO) PROGRAM

Agency:	City of Rochester
State:	New York
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
Posted Date:	Feb 21, 2024
Due Date:	Mar 18, 2024
Bid Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

RFP – CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR THE HOME ELECTRIFICATION & REVITALIZATION OPPORTUNITY (HERO) PROGRAM

Introduction

The City of Rochester is seeking proposals from qualified Consultants to provide program design, monitoring and assessment support for the City of Rochester Home Electrification & Revitalization Opportunity (HERO) program. The HERO program funds the creation of sustainable, all-electric homes for disadvantaged city residents disproportionately burdened by the impacts of climate change and least able to adapt to these impacts. This program is funded through an Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program (EJG2G) grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

To download the RFP, click here .

Questions

Please email questions related to this RFP to Shalini Beath, Energy & Sustainability Manager at shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov by February 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM. To ensure that all Respondents have a clear understanding of the scope and requirements of the RFP, the City will post responses on this web page on by March 6, 2024 at 4:00 PM.

Proposal Submission Deadline

One (1) electronic pdf version of your proposal for this RFP must be received by Shalini Beath ( shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov ) by 4:00 PM on March 18, 2024.

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City of Rochester

Department of Environmental Services

Division of Environmental Quality

Request for Proposals

Consultant Services

City of Rochester Home Electrification & Revitalization Opportunity

(HERO) program

(This project is funded through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA))

Though this project has been funded, wholly or in part, by the EPA, the contents of this

document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA.

Release date: February 21, 2024

Date Due: March 18, 2024

Submit Proposals to:

Shalini Beath

Energy and Sustainability Manager

City of Rochester – Division of Environmental Quality

shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov

PURPOSE

The City of Rochester (City) requests proposals from qualified consultants to provide program

design, monitoring and assessment support for the City of Rochester Home Electrification &

Revitalization Opportunity (HERO) program. The HERO program funds the creation of

sustainable, all-electric homes for disadvantaged city residents disproportionately burdened by

the impacts of climate change and least able to adapt to these impacts. This program is being

funded through an Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program (EJG2G) grant

from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

II. GENERAL BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION

The HERO program will accomplish its goals through collaboration with multiple community-

based groups to complete beneficial electrification and clean energy improvements which

incorporate air-source heat pumps, high levels of insulation and air sealing, heat pump water

heaters, electric appliances, rooftop solar where feasible, and electric vehicle (EV) charging

points into houses rehabilitated through the City’s existing whole-house rehabilitation programs.

Through the HERO program, community education, engagement and outreach about home

electrification and sustainability benefits will be conducted. The program will include monitoring

of the energy cost savings and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as an evaluation

of the health impact of residents who purchase the rehabilitated homes.

HERO implements strategies identified in the City’s Climate Action Plan and Climate Change

Resilience Plan, including community education and outreach on climate mitigation and

adaptation, beneficial electrification, and adoption of alternative fuel vehicles. By renovating

houses and installing all-electric heating and appliances, the City will advance its climate

mitigation and resiliency objectives. As the air-source heat pumps will provide air- conditioning

as well as heating, residents will be protected from heat stress and risk of serious illness or

death due to extreme heat events. People from underserved communities and vulnerable

populations, who have been disproportionately impacted by the impacts of climate change and

health risks of natural gas use and may have had fewer opportunities to access available

programs, will directly benefit from access to these properties.

Providing these healthy, sustainable homes to disadvantaged first-time low-income homebuyers

and residents, most of whom reside in areas of the City that have been disproportionately

affected by the impacts of climate change and suffer disproportionate rates of asthma and other

respiratory diseases, will benefit these households through improved indoor air quality and the

opportunity to build generational wealth through homeownership. These households will also

benefit from lower utility costs resulting from on-site solar electricity generation (where feasible)

and from lower heating/cooling costs resulting from use of air-source heat pumps combined with

additional insulation. These homeowners will also have the ability to access charging for electric

vehicles, further reducing energy costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

The project will improve health outcomes among residents of houses rehabilitated through

HERO. Health results will include reduced risk of asthma and other respiratory diseases

associated with natural gas heating and appliances and reduced incidence of heat- and cold-

related stress.

Activity

RFP Release

Deadline for questions

Response for questions submitted

Proposals due

Consultant Selection and Award

Notification

Timeline

Time

3:00 pm

4:00 pm

Date

2/21/2024

2/28/2024

3/6/2024

3/18/2024

Estimated May 2024

The dates shown above may be subject to change within the City of Rochester’s sole discretion

and upon written notification as set forth herein.

III. COMMUNICATIONS

All communications by parties who have indicated an intent to submit or have submitted a

proposal in response to this RFP (“Respondents”), including any questions or requests for

clarifications, submission of the proposal, requests for status updates about the proposal

selection process and any other inquiries whatsoever concerning this RFP shall be sent, in

writing, to the following City staff person (“City Contact”):

Shalini Beath

Energy & Sustainability Manager

shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov

No contact is permitted with any other City staff member with regard to this RFP during the RFP

process unless specifically authorized in writing. Prohibited contact may be grounds for

disqualification.

Please contact Shalini Beath via email at shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov with any questions

about this RFP solicitation by 2/28/2024. Any substantive changes to this RFP made

subsequent to the date of issuance will be shared with all potential proposers receiving the RFP

and posted on the City’s web page by 3/6/2024.

To ensure that all Respondents have a clear understanding of the scope and requirements of

this RFP, the City will respond to all timely questions submitted via e-mail to the City Contact by

the question deadline stated above. Questions and the responding answers will be sent via e-

mail to all Respondents who have provided an e-mail address to the City Contact and will be

posted on the City’s web page for this RFP. The City’s failure to timely respond or provide

responses to any questions shall not delay or invalidate the City’s right to make a decision to

award an agreement pursuant to this RFP.

The City will make every reasonable effort to keep Respondents informed about the RFP

process. Notifications about Timeline date changes, amendments to the RFP and other

information about the RFP will be sent by e-mail to Respondents who have provided an e-mail

address to the City Contact and will be posted on the City’s website for this RFP. The City’s

failure to provide such information shall not delay or invalidate the City’s right to make a

decision to award an agreement pursuant to this RFP.

IV. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The HERO program funds the creation of sustainable, all-electric homes for disadvantaged city

residents disproportionately burdened by the impacts of climate change and least able to adapt

to these impacts. The estimated timeframe for program design, implementation, monitoring and

assessment is from May 2024 through February 2027. The fee for the proposed services is a

maximum compensation of $70,000 over a period of three (3) years. For more details, please

refer to section I. Purpose and section II. General Background and Information.

V. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City is seeking the services of a Consultant to develop specifications for the sustainable

improvements to the homes selected for rehabilitation, design a monitoring program to measure

the energy cost savings and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and evaluate the health

impact of residents who purchase/reside in the rehabilitated homes. The Consultant will work

under the direction of the DEQ Energy and Sustainability Manager and will work collaboratively

with City staff, community based organizations, the home construction team, and other

stakeholders as determined by the City. The Respondent’s proposal shall address each of the

following services. The proposal shall address each of the requested services, using the same

identifying language, including any paragraph or section numbers or letters as used in the RFP.

For the purpose of developing the proposal content, the sample specifications for the items to

be installed through the HERO program, as well as the monitoring and assessment components

may be estimated for a typically sized older, single-family or small multi-family home in

Rochester, NY.

A. Required Services

The Consultant shall provide the following services:

1. Develop and assist with reviewing specifications for sustainable improvements

for each home, including but not be limited to suggesting the appropriate type of

(1) heat pumps for space heating/cooling and water heating; (2) levels of

insulation for walls, attic, basement and other areas of the home; (3) solar panel

system size for maximizing renewable energy generation; (4) additional upgrades

to accommodate home electrification measures such as upgrading the electrical

panel and more.

2. Develop guidelines for and conduct monitoring and assessment of the costs and

benefits of the impacts of the sustainable installations for each home. This should

include but not be limited to costs of sustainable installations, projected energy

costs and savings, estimated greenhouse gas emissions reductions for each

home and the total number of homes, and overall impact of the HERO program

on the community’s awareness of sustainable home improvements.

3. Develop a packet of educational information, FAQs and resources that the City

and its partners can distribute to homeowners to help them understand how to

efficiently use and maintain their all-electric, sustainable home installations.

4. Perform a Program Assessment to measure and monitor the health benefits

created by the project. The Program Assessment scope of work will include:

a. Analyze existing data: CDC Social Vulnerability Index and Census

data to identify vulnerable populations. Review of NYS SPARCS data

to look at respiratory/asthma related hospitalizations.

b. Review local health plans/policies: Monroe County Community Health

Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)

c. Conduct stakeholder interviews: Department of Health staff,

asthma/respiratory experts, home improvement/appliance experts,

etc.

d. Conduct a brief literature review: Summary of clean energy upgrades

and indoor air pollution research.

e. Provide recommendations

f. Develop a Health Pathway Analysis: for each recommendation: For

each activity (e.g., solar panel installation, air-source heat pump

installation, all-electric appliances, EV-ready electrical improvements),

describe the immediate impacts, intermediate impacts, and health

outcomes.

5. Attendance at meetings as required by the City.

6. Development of a EPA required Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and

collection and reporting of data as required by the City, ensuring grant

compliance.

7. Coordination with other agencies and organizations to ensure the provision of

program support services as needed by the City.

8. The consultant will prepare a Final Project Report that documents: the project

methodology; program guidelines and specifications for the installation of clean

energy improvements; the health, financial, environmental and other benefits

achieved by the program; what each of the partners learned from the project; and

the benefits to City residents and neighborhoods. The Project report will include

recommendations for ways to improve the program if it were replicated in

Rochester or elsewhere.

9. Other program or project support services as reasonably requested by the City and

within the available project budget.

B. Required Deliverables

1. Specifications for sustainable home installations for each home.

2. Educational packet for sustainable homes

3. Program monitoring and assessment report documenting sustainable home costs

and benefits focusing on impacts on energy use, energy costs, level of comfort

and GHG reductions and overall impacts of the HERO program on the

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RFP ? CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR THE HOME ELECTRIFICATION & REVITALIZATION OPPORTUNITY (HERO) PROGRAM

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