Request for Proposals: Design/Build Contractor for Cleveland Solar Energy Projects

1.1 Introduction The City of Cleveland (“City”) is the owner and operator of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (“CLE”) through its Department of Port Control (“DPC”) and of Cleveland Public Power (“CPP”) through its Department of Public Utilities (“DPU”). Through the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Climate Justice (MOSCJ), the City is soliciting design-build services from qualified solar photovoltaic (“PV”) providers to design, engineer, build, and construct a turn-key installation of two (2) DC ground-mounted solar PV projects at the former landfill sites outlined below. The two sites should have a combined DC capacity of approximately 10 megawatts (“MW”), split between the former Kolthoff (~7.0 MW DC) and Bradbury/West 11th (~3.0 MW DC) landfills. Securing these services will help the City to make progress towards achieving the goals of its recently updated Climate Action Plan (CAP), which include achieving net zero emissions and reaching 100% clean energy by 2050. Additionally, CLE recently released a comprehensive Sustainability Management Plan (SMP), which establishes objectives and actions that CLE will commit to implementing throughout airport operations and capital projects. Qualified firms either singly or in joint venture or other legal arrangements (collectively, the "Firm," “Contractor,” “Consultant,” or "Respondent") must have the requisite, demonstrated competence and experience in, and a thorough knowledge of, the services required for the Project, included, but not limited to designing, planning, scheduling, permitting and constructing complete solar PV systems and interconnections, provide project financial analysis have knowledge of local utilities, demonstrate ability to comply with all relevant federal rules and requirements, have experience applying for and securing federal tax credits (i.e. Investment Tax Credit (ITC)), and provide options for system monitoring and maintenance, post-construction. Selection criteria will include a combination of price, qualifications, experience, background, and ability to meet the City of Cleveland’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) goals. The selection committee will include representation from different City departments, including DPU, DPC, and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Climate Justice (MOSCJ). It is our intention to finalize the selection process and enter into an initial design contract by the end of June 2026 in order to adhere to the timelines for both the grant and the ITC. It is expected that installations and interconnections should be completed no later than December 31, 2027, in order to meet the ITC in-service date requirements. Please refer to Exhibit H for a full list of federal requirements for ITC eligibility. The City of Cleveland expects the prime contract holder for the Design-Build Services contract to provide team leadership for all services procured through this contract with the City. Rather than hire “hands-off” managers of large and diverse teams, the City expects the prime contract holder to actively manage their sub-consultants and sub-contractors to ensure the best outcomes for the City.