Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Information

FOCUS ON ENERGY® ^[1] issues this Request for Qualifications to identify IRA Energy HEROs (Home Energy Rebate Organizations) to partner with Focus on Energy.

Description

The State of Wisconsin is partnering with Focus on Energy to deliver the IRA Home Energy Rebate Programs and together recognize the value of community-based organizations (CBOs) as trusted resources working on behalf of low-income households and/or households living in federally designated Justice40 Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). CBOs will be essential to building relationships in these communities and in supporting efficient, effective delivery of the IRA Home Energy Rebates to those communities standing to benefit the most.

For these reasons, Focus on Energy is requesting qualifications from nonprofits or fiscally sponsored organizations to engage Justice40 communities at the resident-level: assisting with outreach, education, and participation of homeowners and landlords in improving the energy efficiency and/or electrifying their homes or buildings; ultimately driving participation and helping get projects completed in their communities. IRA Home Energy Rebate Programs (“Program”) are anticipated to become available late summer 2024. The goal of partnerships with CBOs is to ensure underserved residents can take advantage of these one-time available funds, as well as other energy resources available in Wisconsin. No more than five organizations will be selected for contracts up to $50,000 annually.

Q&A recording from August 13 virtual meeting

IRA HERO Requirements

With the guidance of Program staff, the following describes the services CBOs are anticipated to provide to low-income households and households living in Justice40 Disadvantaged communities:

• Generate household interest in energy efficiency and electrification Programs.
• Provide information to households about the Program to guide them through the participation process and direct them to appropriate resources. This may often require one-on-one outreach with households.
• Assist households in selecting IRA Registered Contractors from a Focus on Energy provided list and guide them through the types of questions to ask contractors.
• Review energy assessment reports to discuss results and options for rebates and other sources of funding assistance, such as Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP), Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), and Focus on Energy utility rebates.
• Advise and assist a homeowner who may be navigating projects performed by multiple contractors (e.g., providing contractor lists, helping set up appointments, and evaluating contractor bids).
• Assist households through the income-verification process.
• Assist households in completing required documentation to receive rebates.

Applicants must be registered non-profit organizations (or those with a fiscal agent) to be eligible to apply. Additionally, applicants must:

• Commit to two years of participation. The proposed term would be Oct 15, 2024 - Sept 30, 2026.
• Allocate staff to complete energy training.
• Participate in monthly calls with Focus on Energy staff.
• On a quarterly basis, track and report on (1) services provided, (2) spend categories (e.g., labor, marketing, travel), and (3) community feedback, including identifying barriers and successes to participation with the Program.
• Provide a community outreach and marketing plan detailing the planned outreach activities, audiences, and expected outcomes. A template will be provided by Focus on Energy.
• Target outreach efforts in Justice40 census blocks among renters/homeowners, low-income residents (at or below 80% area median income), non-English speaking residents, etc.

Selected applicants will receive:

• Up to $50,000 per year for payment of services, which could include payment for any additional part-time staff that might be hired as an Energy HERO position.
• Training in understanding energy efficiency offerings, especially residential weatherization, residential heating and cooling upgrades, and home energy building science and electrification basics. Focus on Energy will provide up to 30 hours of staff training to selected CBOs to support community organizations in building capacity and energy efficiency experience.
• Electronic, print-ready, co-branded marketing collateral.
• Monthly meetings with Program staff.
• Quarterly progress reports.
• Event support, such as Focus on Energy staff serving as guest speakers for local events.

Submission Format

To apply to be an IRA Energy HERO, please submit your qualifications via this link before 5 pm CDT on Friday, August 30, 2024. Focus on Energy reserves the right to accept any part of this submission or to accept or reject any or all submissions. Applicants can expect to be notified of selection by end of day Monday, September 30, 2024.

Provide the below information via online submission form:

1. Name of organization.
2. Point of contact for application (name, email, phone).
3. Organization location (city).
4. Website URL.
5. Describe your organization's mission, the type of work or services provided, and the type and location of community/communities served.
6. Is your organization a 501c3 nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organization?
7. Is your organization currently funded by an Inflation Reduction Act program? If so, please specify.
8. Based on federal and state priorities, the IRA Home Energy Rebates are intended to help low-to-moderate income communities that have historically been left behind by energy efficiency programs. Please select all descriptions that apply to the community/communities you work with:
   1. Justice40 communities
   2. Rural areas
   3. Households with incomes below 80% area median income
   4. Propane customers
   5. Utility customers that cannot participate in Focus on Energy
9. Describe how your organization works with the community/communities you indicated in the previous question.
10. If selected as a HERO, what activities and services would your organization perform in your community? Select all that apply.
    1. Provide information to households about the Program(s) to guide them through the participation process and direct them toward appropriate resources. This may often be one-on-one outreach with households.
    2. Assist households in selecting contractors and guiding them through the types of questions to ask contractors.
    3. Review energy assessment reports to discuss results and options for rebates and other sources of funding assistance.
    4. Advise and assist a homeowner/landlord who may be navigating projects performed by multiple contractors (e.g., providing contractor lists, helping set up appointments, and understanding contractor bids).
    5. Assist households through the income-verification process.
    6. Assist households submitting documentation required to receive a rebate.
    7. Other (please specify).
11. Does your organization have experience implementing any of the services listed above? If so, please describe.
12. How many households do you estimate your organization can reach on these programs in the next 12 months?
13. Does your organization have any experience working on energy topics or energy efficiency? Experience in this area is not required, but please describe any relevant expertise.
14. Explain who will be providing the above services. Will you need to hire staff, or will you be utilizing current staff? If using current staff, how may hours per week can this staff member allocate to Program work??
15. From the list of services above, what is unique about how your organization would deliver these services in your community?
16. Explain why you believe your organization should be selected as an IRA HERO. That is, why are these rebate programs more likely to positively impact your community if we partner with your organization?
17. Enter the amount of funding your organization is seeking annually (up to $50,000) to complete the activities selected in question 10 above.
18. Does your organization have experience or currently work in Justice40 disadvantaged communities? If so, please describe your experience, including any census tracts that are near to or overlap with the geography you work in. You may include a screen shot or scan of the map if helpful to illustrate.
19. For Wisconsin to receive the full funding allocation from the U.S. Department of Energy for these programs, at least 40% of all funding must go to Justice40 disadvantaged census tracts. Describe how your organization can play a role in helping the program reach this goal.

Applications may also include:

Recommended, but not required: Letter(s) of support from local /tribal government and/or local utility showing the applicant communicated with local government about anticipated outreach efforts for the Program.

Submission Selection Criteria

The information submitted will be reviewed by the Focus on Energy Administrator to determine if requirements are met. Accepted submissions will be reviewed by an evaluation team and scored against the following criteria:

• Response to all required questions and inclusion of all required documents.
• The percent of low-income households and the percent located in Justice40 census tracts in the geographic area you serve.

• Budget required and services provided.

• Demonstrated expertise in and ability to deliver listed services.
• Confidence that applicant would deliver additional referrals and/or IRA project completed in their community that would likely not occur without this funding.
• Whether applicant serves rural and/or propane customers and/or those not currently eligible to participate in Focus on Energy.

Submission Deadlines

All submissions are due by 5 pm CDT on Friday, August 30, 2024, via online form submission. Applicants will receive email confirmation their submission has been received. Applicants will be notified of selection by Friday, August 30.

If you have questions related to the RFQ or HERO requirements, a Question & Answer webinar will be hosted on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at noon. Additional questions can be emailed to rfp@focusonenergy.com by Friday, August 16 with the subject line IRA HERO Question. Responses to questions received will be posted to the Focus on Energy website by August 21.

Terms and Conditions of Submission

All responses, along with all other documentation, submitted in connection with this RFQ will become and remain the property of Focus on Energy. By submitting the documents pursuant to this RFQ, applicant acknowledges and agrees that (a) it will be fully bound by the terms and conditions of this RFQ and the provisions contained in the sample contract , (b) it had the opportunity to seek independent legal advice of their own choosing with respect to this RFQ and their responses, (c) it has obtained all necessary authorizations, approvals and waivers, if any, required by them as condition of submitting a response, and (d) it is submitting its response subject to all applicable laws.

Contract

The selected applicant is required to execute a Contract with APTIM, the Focus on Energy Administrator, which can be found at this link: https://assets.focusonenergy.com/production/inline-files/2024/APTIM_CBO_Vendor_Contract_SAMPLE_8.5.24.docx; and will adhere to the Focus on Energy Policy Manual.

[1] Funding for the Wisconsin IRA Home Energy Rebate (HER) programs is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. While the Focus on Energy Program is the implementer for the IRA HER programs, the programs are funded and managed as separate programs and not included in the Focus portfolio.