The School District of Philadelphia is requesting proposals from qualified engineering firms who can provide energy performance engineering (EPE) services or owner’s representative companies or any company that feels as though they can satisfy this scope as the School District moves forward with an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) through the PA Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA). The firm will support selection of an energy services company (ESCO), supervise and review the design of the project in accordance with all applicable requirements, supervising the construction, verify substantial completion and verify actual energy savings resulting from the work. The services will be provided over the course of the EPC project, and will include a minimum of 24 months of support with measurement and verification (M&V). This initiative requires a firm that has demonstrated specialized experience and knowledge necessary to ensure that the School District’s interests are protected throughout all phases of the process, and that the greatest value is received for the energy savings achieved.
The School District of Philadelphia is planning to complete an energy performance contracting (EPC) pilot project, including energy conservation measures, at three (3) K-12 schools. These projects are being developed as a pilot to determine the viability of energy projects across over 200 schools in the future. The School District is undertaking this work to improve building conditions that support teaching and learning, target investment in critical systems beyond life expectancy, reduce utility costs, reduce environmental footprint and measure the return on investment. Additionally, the School District is pursuing the energy pilot to meet the goals established in the District’s first sustainability plan, “GreenFutures,” which was released in 2016.
GreenFutures is a five-year sustainability plan that was created by District staff and stakeholders with a common goal: to make public schools great. It aims to make every school a green school that will better serve students and communities. A green school is defined as a school that provides students with equitable access to healthy, clean and energy efficient learning spaces as well as resources that cultivate student, staff, family and community engagement in environmental stewardship, social justice and Education for Sustainability (EfS) opportunities. It is available online at this link to Green Futures- A Sustainability Plan for the School District of Philadelphia. https://greenfutures.philasd.org/
The School District of Philadelphia has over 300 school buildings totaling over 23 million square feet. The District tracks utility usage across electricity, natural gas, heating oil, steam and water, at an annual cost of $37 million. 4
In January 2017, the School District of Philadelphia released the results of a two-year Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) project, completed by Parsons Environment & Infrastructure Group. FCAs have been completed for 308 buildings and grounds, and all major buildings systems have been evaluated. Complete FCA reports for all schools can be found at: http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/c/capitalprojects/programs–services/fca.
The firm shall be responsible for an initial scoping of the construction work, support on public bid and procurement of an energy services company (ESCO), development support for ESCO contracts and provisions, supervision of construction, and supervision of Measurement and Verification. The firm must guarantee that the identified project energy savings will be realized throughout the guaranteed period, or the firm will work with the ESCO to provide a suitable remedy. The School District desires responses that will not receive any payments for services rendered unless or until the School District of Philadelphia signs a contract with an ESCO. The firm will be required to perform the following tasks without any cost outlay from the School District of Philadelphia.