Solar Energy Facilities on County-Owned Property - April 2026

Project Description: Cumberland County is a third-class county located in southcentral Pennsylvania. The county has sustained rapid growth over the past two decades and was the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania in the 2020 decennial Census with a population of 259,469. The county has a diverse landscape that covers 550 square miles with an urbanized eastern extent, a developing suburbanized central region, and a rural western section.
In 2022 the county adopted its first ever Climate Action Plan (CAP) that was prepared with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Shippensburg University, and Dickinson College. The plan analyzed current and projected greenhouse gas emissions for the county and identified a menu of options that governments, businesses, and residents could pursue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the county’s quality of life, and save money. Immediately after its adoption, the county pursued the following priority projects identified in the CAP:
• Conversion of county vehicle fleet from gasoline to electric vehicles for appropriate departments.
• Evaluation of solar energy opportunities on county buildings and facilities.
Wilson Engineering Services completed the solar energy evaluation project for Cumberland County. The initial study was completed in fall of 2022 and revealed positive energy and financial returns for the county to pursue ground mounted solar facilities on its county owned property. A follow up study in 2024 provided more detailed evaluation of 4 county-owned sites where solar energy facilities may be feasible, making recommendations on which site may hold the most potential. Pursuant to the 2024 report, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved a release of a request for proposals (RFP) to further investigate a solar project on county-owned property in early 2025. The county did not pursue the project at that time but with renewed interest in 2026 is reissuing this RFP.
The County will accept all proposal submissions through the PennBid online bid management program (https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com). Paper submissions will not be accepted, all proposals must be submitted electronically using PennBid. All respondents must register electronically with PennBid to make a submission. All RFP inquiries, modifications, and withdraws must be made in the PennBid portal according to the procedures stated therein. Questions regarding this project shall be submitted through the “Ask a question” feature on PennBid.
Submissions should generally comply with the following page requirements to facilitate the RFP review and selection process:
• Technical proposal – 3 pages (does not include sketch plan)
• Financial proposal – 5 pages
• Experience profile – 3 pages
• Project delivery – 2 pages
All submissions must be submitted to Cumberland County by 3:00 PM on April 24, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.