Philadelphia Energy Authority RFP: Independent Evaluator for the Bright Solar Futures Initiative

The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) is soliciting proposals to evaluate the effectiveness of the “Bright Solar Futures” training initiative which was selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office for a three-year award term. Bright Solar Futures will prepare Pennsylvania’s young people for jobs in the solar energy industry, diversifying the solar sector while meeting employer demand for a trained workforce. The evaluator will work with PEA and its partners to develop and execute an evaluation plan of this newly expanded workforce development initiative.

In October 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office selected PEA for a $1.25 million award to implement “Bright Solar Futures,” a three-year initiative to expand the Find Your Power curriculum, pilot the new curriculum with over 100 students, and secure stable funding for the program to continue. PEA received the award in partnership with the following subrecipients: Solar States, the Energy Coordinating Agency, the Philadelphia Education Fund, and YouthBuild Philly. The  Bright Solar Futures Evaluator Request for Proposals Page 4 of 5 award term is 3 years with an expected start date in Spring 2019. PEA laid out two goals for Bright Solar Futures:

Goal 1: Apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Education to establish the nation’s first three-year Solar Energy Program of Study (POS) for Career and Technical Education (CTE) students.

Goal 2: Pilot the expanded curriculum in Philadelphia, targeting School District of Philadelphia CTE students and Opportunity Youth.

The evaluator will work with PEA and its instructional and curriculum development partners to develop an evaluation plan for the duration of the three-year program. The evaluator will be responsible for implementing the evaluation plan and developing annual reports to be shared with PEA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Bright Solar Futures Evaluator Request for Proposals Page 5 of 6 The evaluation plan will include both formative and summative evaluation. The plan will assess early outcomes and will inform program implementation. The evaluator will also work with the project team to assess whether there is a shared understanding of the program goals and provide information to assist in aligning the project team as needed.

Step Date:

Intent to Respond: Please submit a statement of your Intent to Respond to info@philaenergy.org no later than March 15, 2019

All questions regarding the Bright Solar Futures Evaluator RFP are to be sent by email to info@philaenergy.org. All questions must be submitted in writing. Responses to questions received before 5:00 p.m. on March 25, 2019 will be emailed to all applicants who have submitted statements of Intent to Respond and posted on the PEA website. All questions and responses will be issued by 5 p.m.
on April 1, 2019.

Responses to this RFP must be in PDF form and sent to info@philaenergy.org by 5:00 p.m. on April 5, 2019. Responses received after the deadline will not be considered.

For full RPF click here: Bright Solar Futures Evalautor RFP

Bright Solar Futures Evaluator RFP Question Responses

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