Utility Grid Resiliency Support Program

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Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA)
Request for Qualified Contractor (RFQC)
To Provide Services for:
Utility Grid Resiliency Support Program
GEFA RFQC No. 928-ERD26-UTLTYGRID

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Georgia Environmental Finance Authority
REQUEST FOR QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR
Utility Grid Resiliency
Support Program
RFQC# 928-ERD26-UTLTYGRID
I. General Information
A. PROCUREMENT OVERVIEW
The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), on behalf of Georgia local governments, related
stakeholders/customers, and Georgia citizens, is interested in receiving responses from entities interested in
providing consulting services for a Utility Grid Resiliency Support Program. It is envisioned that the successful
entity/consultant will provide technical assistance in implementing a Utility Grid Resiliency Support Program,
support GEFA in three Georgia electric utilities with improving outage data management, reliability analysis,
resiliency planning, restoration preparedness, and utility workforce development, among other potential related
services.
Therefore, this Request for Qualified Contractor (RFQC) is being issued by GEFA in consideration of the
stakeholders' interests and prescribes a qualifications-based initial step. One or more entities that respond to this
RFQC by submitting statements of qualifications may be determined to be especially qualified and capable of
delivering services and may be deemed eligible for further consideration by GEFA to provide these services as the
Consultant. All respondents to this RFQC are subject to instructions communicated in this document and are
cautioned to completely review the entire RFQC and follow instructions carefully. GEFA retains the right to reject
any or all statements of qualifications or any, if applicable, subsequent submittals and/or proposals, and to waive
technicalities, irregularities, and informalities, and retains the right to cancel or conclude this procurement at any
time without selecting an entity to provide the described services, without any liability to any respondents, or any
other person or entity, and is under no obligation to make an award relating to this RFQC to any person or entity.
The final terms of any Agreement are subject, in all cases, to strict compliance with the applicable provisions of the
state of Georgia and federal laws.
B. IMPORTANT - A RESTRICTION OF COMMUNICATION IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS PROJECT.
From the time of advertisement of this solicitation until a contract is executed (final award) with successful
respondent(s) and such final award(s) is/are announced, interested entities are not allowed or permitted to
communicate about this solicitation or scope with any staff or any official representatives of GEFA or stakeholder
agencies other than the Issuing Officer and except for submission of questions as instructed in the RFQC, or as
provided by any existing work agreement(s). Finalists and Apparent Awardee(s) are restricted from making public
statements or press releases about their selection as finalists or their apparent award. For violation of this
restriction, GEFA reserves the right to reject the submittal of the offending respondent.

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II. Scope of Services
Note- GEFA considers the services which are envisioned and generally described herein to be necessary. The
actual, final scope of services, however, may differ, may be greater or lesser, and shall be fully determined through
negotiation and execution of a prospective Agreement with a successful entity. The successful entity/consultant
will work with GEFA, and other appropriate stakeholders and resources to further determine the full and appropriate
program scope.
The selected entity will support GEFA in three Georgia electric utilities with improving outage data management,
reliability analysis, resiliency planning, restoration preparedness, and utility workforce development.
The entity will provide the technical expertise necessary to establish a framework for outage data collection, evaluate
reliability on a system-by-system basis, identify grid vulnerabilities and best future investments, develop resiliency
planning tools, and train utility personnel in restoration decision-making.
The entity will work collaboratively with GEFA and participate in utilities throughout the project in a six-part task. The
scope of work includes the following tasks: project management, utility data, outage standardization, reliability risk
assessment, creation of a resiliency roadmap, and utility staff training, (all detailed as follows).
Project Management
The selected entity shall:
- Participate in project kickoff meetings.
- Coordinate with GEFA and participating utility staff.
- Review existing utility operations, available datasets, and current outage management practices.
- Develop a project work plan with a schedule, milestones, communication procedures, and data requirements.
- Identify information required from participating utilities.
- Develop the final report.
- Presentation of the final report for each utility to GEFA
- Develop replication guidance for additional utilities.
Utility Data
The entity shall evaluate the utilities' existing outage data and their resiliency planning capabilities and identify
necessary improvements for standardized outage reporting. The assessment includes the following:
- Outage management practices
- Existing outage datasets
- Reliability reporting procedures
- Capabilities of present tracking methods, e.g., AMI, SCADA, GIS, etc.
- Asset inventories
- Existing reliability metrics
- Data gap identification
Outage Standardization
The selected entity will develop a standardized structure for outage tracking to enable the utility to consistently
collect, organize, and analyze outage information. This framework will include, but not be limited to, the following
activities:
- Standardized outage classifications and outage causes
- Outage reporting templates include historical outage records.
- Develop outage-tracking guidance and governance procedures.
Reliability Risk Assessment

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The selected entity will conduct a reliability assessment that priorities the following:
- Evaluate outage history, duration, frequency, and root cause.
- Identify high-risk lines/feeds and aging infrastructure on the T&D system.
- Identify reliability improvements and operational vulnerabilities through system analysis and create
performance measures, preferably a model that can be repeated and stay in-house with the utility and GEFA
Resiliency Roadmap
The selected entity will develop a utility-specific roadmap that focuses on prioritizing resiliency investments based
on the reliability risk assessment and shall include the following components:
- Current system conditions and reliability findings
- Capital improvements needed
- Short and long-term priorities with added benefits
Training
Training will include the following from the selected entity:
- Outage data collection
- Reliability metrics
- Outage reporting and restoration planning
- Tabletop restoration exercises
- Use of planning tools from reliability risk assessment and roadmap model
III. Evaluation and Selection Process
A. OVERVIEW
GEFA and its stakeholders have interest in the success of the selection process (procurement) and GEFA will
closely administer the procurement. This RFQC hereby solicits statements of qualifications for evaluation and
ranking for determination of one or more finalist entities for further eligibility, for ultimate selection of a successful
respondent. GEFA has enlisted the following appropriate resources for assistance in carrying out this process:
1. Selection Facilitator
This individual shall be assigned by GEFA and will be responsible to GEFA for the interests of GEFA. This
individual shall be the issuing officer of the solicitation and shall facilitate this procurement process, including
posting of solicitations and notices, receipt of submittals and questions, coordination of review, evaluation,
ranking recommendation, facilitation of meetings and any interviews, and other duties up to, and throughout,
committee-based rankings of entities, and negotiation and prospective execution of a Consulting Services
Agreement.
2. Selection Committee
This Committee shall be composed of qualified persons approved by GEFA to review and evaluate respondent
entities' statements of qualifications, subsequent submittals, and possibly interview qualified finalist entity(s).
The Selection Committee shall, through the procedures defined herein, perform the following: a) Ranking of all
submitting entities for determination of most qualified (finalist) entity(s); and, b) (If applicable), ranking of finalist
entities for determination of most qualified entiy.
B. METHOD OF COMMUNICATION
Public procurement documents, including attachments, and associated addenda (if issued) will be publicly posted

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on the Georgia Procurement Registry (GPR). Any communication of relevant, significant information regarding this
solicitation will also be made via the GPR. Known interested respondents and those entities which are deemed
likely to be interested may be directly solicited immediately after public advertisement, however all respondents
are responsible for checking the GPR on a regular basis for updates, clarifications, and announcements.
GEFA reserves the right to communicate via email with the respondents' primary contacts listed in the Statements
of Qualifications. The Issuing Officer/Selection Facilitator named herein shall be the SOLE point of contact for
participating respondents for the duration of the procurement. Other specific communications will be made
as indicated in the remainder of this RFQC. In accordance with Section I-B above, GEFA reserves the right to
reject the submittal of any respondent violating this provision.
C. EVALUATION OF STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
The Selection Committee will evaluate all submittals upon submittal validation by the Selection Facilitator, which
shall include verification of receipt-on-time and in good order (apparent responsiveness). Responsiveness
validation will also include verification of receipt of the following signed and notarized Exhibits: Exhibit I, Statement
of Qualification Certification form; and Exhibit II, Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act Affidavit form.
Submittals from respondents with apparent significant conflicts of interests are subject to additional pre-review
prior to validation, other action, or disqualification. For validated submittals, each Committee member/ evaluator,
or Committee consensus, will assign points using the criteria identified in Section VI.
The Selection Committee members will thoroughly review and evaluate Statements of Qualifications submitted in
response to this RFQC, using the criteria stated herein. For each evaluator, the points assigned to each criterion
will be totaled and an individual evaluator rank will be determined for each respondent. The rankings of all
evaluators will be totaled to arrive at the sum of individual rankings for each submittal evaluated to determine the
most qualified respondent(s). If applicable, the number of multiple finalists may be determined through review of
any large differences between respondents' sums of individual rankings only upon agreement by the majority of
Selection Committee members. Committee consensus ranking may be used if preferred by the majority of
members,
D. FINALIST NOTIFICATION
The names of the entities selected as finalist(s) may be posted on the Georgia Procurement Registry and finalists
will receive written notification (Finalist Notification) from the Selection Facilitator which will address the necessary
elements of the remainder of the selection process. Criteria for the remainder of the selection process will be
communicated in the Finalist Notification, along with other appropriate evaluation information. The Finalist
Notification may also address the following:
1. Issuance of Additional Program Information
The Finalist Notification may include any additional available program information, and finalist entites may be given
relevant available information which has previously been developed (such as program descriptions and regulatory
guidelines, etc.), and other available additional scope information. A specimen copy of the Consulting Services
Agreement may also be provided.
2. Presentation / Interview (Only if Applicable)
In the Finalist Notification, an interview may be requested of the finalists, if determined necessary by GEFA. Each
finalist shall be notified in writing and informed of the place, date and time for the presentation/interview session
and/or proposal due date. Detailed presentation/interview instructions and requirements of the finalists will be
provided in the Finalist Notification. All members of the Selection Committee will be present and participating during
the presentation/interview. Respondents shall not address any questions, prior to the

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Presentation/Interview, to anyone other than designated contact.
E. EVALUATION OF FINALISTS, APPARENT AWARD, AND FINAL AWARD
Under facilitation and coordination from the Selection Facilitator, the Selection Committee members will thoroughly
review and evaluate any submittals and interview sessions that were carried out in response to the Finalist
Notification, using the criteria stated therein. For each evaluator, the points assigned to each criterion will be totaled
and an individual evaluator rank will be determined for each respondent. The rankings of all evaluators will be
totaled for each submittal evaluated to determine the respondent's sum of the individual evaluator rankings, which
shall be the basis for final ranking unless the Committee elects to utilize a consensus ranking from Committee
discussion. The Selection Facilitator shall review all supporting data to determine final ranking(s) and most qualified
respondent, or "Apparent Awardee".
Upon posting of Apparent Award and notification to the Apparent Awardee, the Selection Facilitator will request
the Apparent Awardee's fee proposal. If a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached timely with the highest-ranking
respondent by the negotiation team, GEFA may formally terminate the negotiations in writing and, at its option may
1) request a fee proposal from, and enter into negotiations with, the second highest-ranking respondent (new
Apparent Awardee) upon formal notification, and so on in turn until a mutual agreement is established and GEFA
awards a contract; or 2) cancel the procurement. The final form of the contract shall be issued by GEFA.
IV. Schedule of Events
The following Schedule of Events table represents GEFA's best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. All
times indicated are prevailing times in Atlanta. GEFA reserves the right to adjust the schedule, with prior notice,
as it deems necessary.
a. Selection Facilitator issues public advertisement of RFQC- 7/17/26 ----------
b. Deadline for submission of written questions and requests for clarification- 7/24/26 2:00 PM
c. Selection Facilitator provides answers/clarifications/addenda- 7/28/26 ----------
d. Deadline for submission of Statements of Qualifications (SOQs)- 8/10/26 2:00 PM
e. SOQ evaluation completed and Selection Facilitator issues Finalist Notification,
Specimen Engineering Services Agreement, and additional program information to 8/20/26 ----------
Finalist(s)-
f. Final award/Agreement execution target date (Note- if multiple interviews are
9/10/26 ----------
determined necessary, this date may be later)-
V. DELIVERABLES for Statements of Qualifications
IMPORTANT- Statements of Qualifications must include certain signed and notarized Exhibits, which are
provided herein, as follows: Exhibit I, Statement of Qualification Certification form; and Exhibit II, Georgia
Security and Immigration Compliance Act Affidavit form. The Statements of Qualifications must be submitted
in accordance with the instructions provided in Section VII-B, must be categorized and numbered as
outlined below, and must be responsive to all requested information below. References in submittals to
websites or referrals to other sources of information will not cause a review of the information, and such
information may not be evaluated.

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A. STABILITY AND RESOURCES
1. Provide basic company information: company name, address, name of primary proposing contact,
telephone number, email address, and company website (if available). If the respondent has multiple
offices, the qualification statement shall include information about the parent company and branch office
separately. Identify office from which project will be managed and this office's proximity to GEFA and
program service locations indicated in scope. Provide form of ownership, including state of residency or
incorporation, and number of years in business. Is the respondent a sole proprietorship, partnership,
corporation, limited liability Corporation, or other structure?
2. Briefly describe the history and growth of your respondent(s). Provide general information about the
respondent's personnel resources, including disciplines and numbers of employees and locations
and staffing of offices.
3. Has the respondent or any affiliate been involved in any arbitration, litigation, mediation, dispute review
board or other dispute resolution proceeding occurring during the last 10 years involving an amount more
than
$100,000? Also describe any pending regulatory inquiries that could impact your ability to provide
services if you are the selected Consultant. List any indictments that have been issued against the
project team members or principals of the respondent.
4. Provide a Statement of Disclosure, which will allow GEFA to evaluate possible conflicts of interest.
Respondents must provide, in their own format, a statement of all potential legal or otherwise significant
conflicts of interest possibly created by the respondents or their proposed team being considered in the
selection process or by the respondent's involvement in the project.
5. Provide name of insurance carrier(s), types and levels of coverage, and deductible amounts per claim.
B. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
1. Provide information pertaining to the principal personnel including but not limited to: Principal in Charge,
Project Manager and all other key personnel. Please include resumes and professional registration
information for personnel identified. Provide information on level of commitment for proposed senior
personnel and key members of team.
2. Provide experience of key resources on relevant projects of the respondent including professional
qualifications and description of involvement/experience for proposed project staff. This should include the
degree of apparent relevant competencies of the principal professional(s) and lead staff relative to the
project and services required, and evidence of competence. Provide information regarding
respondent/staff experience with varied utility grid resiliency support program methods, and other
relevant energy resource consulting experience.
3. Provide information on the respondent's experience and ability in delivering effective services such as
generally described in the scope herein, and any related services for grid resiliency related programs
similar in complexity, size, scope, and function to the scope herein. Describe no more than 5 and no less
than 3 programs or projects, in order of most relevant to least relevant, that demonstrate the respondent's
capabilities to provide services for GEFA. For each program or project, the following information should
be provided:
a. Client entity name, project location and dates during which services were performed.
b. Clear description of overall project and services performed by your respondent.
c. Duration of project services provided by your respondent, and overall program.
d. Current client contact information including contact names, email addresses, and telephone

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numbers.
C. SUITABILITY
Provide any information that may serve to differentiate your entity from other respondents in suitability for the
project including but not limited to:
1. Furnish evidence of the respondent's fit to the project and/or needs of GEFA, any special or
unique qualifications for the project, or unique approaches to providing utility grid resiliency
support program services.
2. Supply current and projected workloads.
3. Provide a statement on the respondent's quality control/quality assurance procedures.
4. Describe ability to gather resources in vicinity to stakeholders, and/or any knowledge of the program
areas which may uniquely benefit the respondent and scope.
5. Provide any non-discrimination and equal employment opportunities policies of the respondent and
evidence of efforts or success in W/MBE-DBE inclusion.
6. Describe the respondent's history and methodologies of addressing public safety, environmental,
or other related concerns in its field.
7. Describe other services or relevant scopes or techniques offered by the respondent which might be
especially suitable for the project.
VI. Evaluation Criteria
A. Criteria for Evaluation of Statements of Qualifications
The Selection Committee will evaluate Statements of Qualifications using the following criteria:
15% Factor} Stability and resources of the submitting respondent, including the respondent's history, status,
growth, overall resources of the respondent, form of ownership, litigation history, financial
information, and other evidence of stability.
45% Factor} Respondent's relevant experience and qualifications, including the demonstrated ability of the
respondent in effective program services in studies and surveys for projects comparable in
complexity, size, and function, for customers similar in scope to customers of GEFA, and other
similarly structured organizations. This includes relevant experience and qualifications of the
principal professionals and lead staff and level of experience during all phases of similar scopes.
40% Factor} Respondent's apparent suitability to provide services for project, including the respondent's
apparent fit to the project type and/or needs of GEFA, any special or unique qualifications for the
project, current and projected workloads (available resources), proximity of office(s) and/or lead
staff to project location and/or proven ability to gather resources in location of service, proposed
quality control/quality assurance procedures, special or enhanced capabilities, respondent's non-
discrimination and equal employment opportunities policies in W/MBE-DBE inclusion, as well as
the respondent's record and methodology of addressing public safety and environmental
concerns.
VII. Submittal Conditions
A. SUBMITTAL OF QUESTIONS AND REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION
Questions about any aspect of the RFQC, or the project, shall be submitted prior to the appropriate deadlines
indicated in the Schedule of Events, and shall be submitted in writing to Richard Sawyer at rsawyer@gefa.ga.gov.

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The deadlines for submission of questions relating to the RFQC are the times and dates shown in the (Schedule
of Events- Section IV). From the issue date of this solicitation until a successful respondent is selected and the
selection is announced, the Restriction of Communication shall be in effect. For violation of this provision, GEFA
shall reserve the right to reject the submittal of the offending respondent. At any time prior to the submission date,
GEFA may issue an RFQC addendum to further clarify any part of this RFQC, amend this RFQC or issue
instructions or further information. Each such addendum will be posted and/or distributed to all respondents. In
addition, GEFA may adjust any timelines related to the project referenced herein or otherwise.
B. SUBMITTAL OF STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
An electronic original of the qualifications shall be prepared. One complete copy must be provided via email as a
SINGLE .pdf file. Each submittal shall include a transmittal letter as a part of the file. Submittals must be able to
be printed on standard (812" x 11") paper. The pages of the qualification submittals must be numbered. Responses
are limited to 20 printable pages or less using a minimum of size 11 font. Each SOQ shall be prepared simply and
economically, providing straightforward, concise delineation of respondent's capabilities. Irrelevant displays and
promotional materials are not desired. Emphasis should be on completeness, relevance, and clarity of content.
NOTE: All pages shall be included in the page limit EXCEPT for the front cover, cover (transmittal letter), and
required Exhibits. Submittals must be emailed with reference to GEFA RFQC 928-ERD26-UTLTYGRID and the
words "STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS" clearly indicated on emailed message subject line. Submittals
received after the time and date set for receipt are subject to rejection. Emailed Submittals shall be sent
to:
Richard Sawyer
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority
Email: rsawyer@gefa.ga.gov
Statements of Qualifications submitted via facsimile will not be accepted. All SOQ submittals and other submittals
are considered Sealed Proposals and upon receipt become the property of GEFA. Labeling information provided
in submittals "proprietary" or "confidential", or any other designation of restricted use will not be binding upon GEFA
or its representatives and will not protect the information from public view. Subject to the provisions of the Open
Records Act, the details of the proposal documents will remain confidential until final award. All expenses for
preparing and submitting responses are the sole cost of the party submitting the response. GEFA is not obligated
to any party to reimburse such expenses.
C. RFQC CONDITIONS
1. Respondents understand and agree that GEFA is not required to select an ultimately lowest priced fee
proposal and has the right to reject any and all submittals or to cancel the RFQC process at any time without
any liability to GEFA or any other person, and the parties are under no obligation to make an award relating
to this RFQC to any person or entity. In addition, GEFA reserves the right to evaluate only those Proposals
determined to be fully responsive to the RFQC. All such decisions (including the selection of the Engineering
Consultant) are ultimately to be made in the sole discretion of GEFA, for any reason or for no reason
whatsoever, and GEFA is not obligated to assign any reason for the rejection, non-review or non-acceptance
of any SOQ. Under no circumstances shall this RFQC and component processes within be construed as a
contractual offer.
2. Respondents understand and agree that GEFA may, in its sole discretion, judge whether any apparent
conflicts of interest of respondents warrant rejection of the submittal(s) of the respondent, or other action;
and that GEFA may, in its sole discretion, request fee proposals from, and subsequently enter into an

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agreement with, any entity selected in this process. Furthermore, respondents shall not hold GEFA, their
customers, and/or any of their respective employees, representatives, agents, attorneys, advisors or
consultants liable for any reason whatsoever related to this RFQC and respondents hereby waive all such
claims.
3. All information supplied in this RFQC is provided solely as a convenience to facilitate the selection process.
GEFA does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information supplied. In addition,
respondent shall not rely on any express or implied statements, warranties or representations made.
Respondent agrees that GEFA and their employees, representatives, agents, advisors or consultants cannot
be held liable for any such statements, warranties or representations or inaccuracies or incompleteness in
any information provided.
4. Small and Minority Business Enterprise
It is the policy of the state of Georgia that small businesses, female-owned businesses and minority businesses
have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the state purchasing process. Therefore, GEFA encourages
all small businesses, female-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses to compete for, win, and
receive contracts for goods, services, and construction. The Georgia Department of Administrative Services
maintains an office to assist small businesses, female-owned businesses and minority businesses in
understanding the State procurement process. In addition to contacting GEFA, all businesses, female-owned
businesses and minority businesses can also contact the Georgia Department of Administrative Services for
assistance.
5. Drug Free Workplace
GEFA, as policy, operates all facilities as a drug-free workplace, and requires that the labor force of the
consultant be drug-free. The consultant hereby acknowledges this requirement and asserts that the
organization of the consultant adheres to such policy and practice. The consultant acknowledges that it may
be required to produce certificates afrespondenting its compliance of these requirements of drug-free
workplace for duration of agreement term, at execution, or at any time during the term of the agreement,
pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 50-24-3.
6. Vendor Protests
A vendor who is aggrieved regarding a solicitation may communicate the grievance by letter to the selection
facilitator of the solicitation with copy to the Executive Director of GEFA prior to the submittal deadline required
by the solicitation. Any actual respondent who is aggrieved regarding the award of a contract may communicate
the grievance by letter to the selection facilitator of the solicitation, with copy to the Executive Director of GEFA
no later than 10 calendar days following the apparent award.