GSA Seeks Solar Developer for Multi-Site Power Purchase Agreement in CA, NV

April 2, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 2, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking an experienced solar developer to award a power purchase agreement (PPA) as part of its Federal Aggregated Solar Procurement Pilot — a strategic sourcing project that combines several small to mid-size photovoltaic (PV) installation opportunities within northern California and northern Nevada into a single procurement.

This project will bring together federal agencies and one private company to demonstrate that combined procurement results in lower electricity costs for individual sites while simultaneously achieving renewable energy goals. This project is also expected to demonstrate reduced agency overhead costs by sharing procurement and project management resources, and has the potential to serve as a model for how federal entities nationwide can partner to procure renewable energy.

Under this PPA, the developer will install and operate the PV systems, spanning nine sites controlled by multiple federal agencies, and sell power by the kilowatt- hour back to the federal government. The Federal Aggregated Solar Procurement Pilot is one of six programs selected as part of the White House GreenGov Spotlight Communities Program administered by the Council on Environmental Quality.

From GSA Acting Senior Sustainability Officer Kevin Kampschroer:
“The federal government is the single largest energy consumer in the nation and GSA, as its landlord and realtor, has a responsibility to lead by example in energy and sustainability. This strategic sourcing project not only supports GSA’s commitment to greening the government, it also allows us to help create some of the energy we will ultimately use at our facilities.”

From GSA Acting Pacific Rim Regional Administrator Samuel J. Morris III:
“Issuing this solicitation is the latest in GSA’s ongoing efforts to green the federal government and to provide additional savings to GSA customers and ultimately to the American taxpayer. By combining the procurement for these nine sites, we anticipate realizing lower utility rates. This innovative strategy, if successful, will serve as a model that can be replicated across the country.”

Key Facts:

This PPA will help meet the Administration’s renewable energy goal established under Executive Order 13693, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade.” The executive order set a renewable energy goal of 30 percent by 2025.
GSA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory partnered on this joint procurement of renewable energy.
The developer will own and operate the system and sell power by the kilowatt- hour back to the federal government.
The initial contract term is 10 years with an option for an additional 10 years.
Nine project locations in northern California and northern Nevada to include: Region 5 Regional Office Building in Vallejo, Calif. (U.S. Forest Service), Robert F. Peckham Federal Building in San Jose, Calif. (GSA), John F. Shea Federal Building in Santa Rosa, Calif. (GSA), Federal Building at 2800 Cottage Way in Sacramento, Calif. (GSA), National Archives in San Bruno, Calif. (GSA), U.S. Geological Survey Campus in Menlo Park, Calif. (GSA), James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco, Calif. (GSA), Clifton Young Federal Building in Reno, Nev. (GSA), and the Carson City Federal Building in Carson City, Nev. (GSA).
Systems will be a mixture of rooftop, ground-mounted, and parking lot canopies.
Aggregate capacity of the systems is approximately five megawatts.
GSA anticipates the overall utility rates for the combined locations will not exceed regular utility rates for the individual sites.
The contract is expected to be awarded in summer 2015 with a requirement that the PV systems be installed and operational by the end of 2016.

This solicitation will be open to applications through Friday, May 29, 2015 at 11:59 PM EST. Parties interested in submitting information can review the RFP on FedBizOpps.gov, available here. Please direct inquiries on the solicitation to.