Questions and Answers from Bidder's Conference on
Request for Qualifications from
Providers of
Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Services
Q.1 Is the Jordan Institute looking for firms
to provide the entire scope of services or looking for different firms to provide particular services?
A.1 We are looking for firms to provide the services they perform best. It is not essential for a firm to provide multiple services. We are looking for excellence
in all aspects of project planning and implementation, which will generally be achieved by using specialized service providers in their respective areas of expertise or capability.
Q.2 Is the Jordan Institute looking to bundle services or to develop project teams?
A.2 See answer to previous question. We will ensure that the principles of integrated design development are honored in the project planning process.
Q.3 Does a building owner have to go through our process to make efficiency improvements the Jordan Institute
recommends?
A.3 No. A building owner will remain free to proceed with implementation in whatever way the building owner considers to be in its best interest.
Q.4 Does the building owner have to pick a contractor from our list?
A.4 No. However, the Jordan Institute will seek to be involved in implementing projects as Construction Manager for the building Owner.
Q.5 If an organization receives an inquiry from a school district, should the organization respond or wait
until contact is made through the Jordan Institute?
A.5 It is entirely up to the organization to determine what to do, but the Jordan Institute would be glad if you referred the school district to us so that
the project development process can begin with a robust assessment of energy efficiency and clean energy opportunities.
Q.6 Is the state Department of Education Collaborative for High Performance Schools reimbursement incentive
the source of funding for this program?
A.6 The CHPS premium may be one source of funding that school districts choose to utilize. Most school districts will seek and obtain reimbursement of project costs from the Department
of Education – energy efficiency projects are eligible for reimbursement regardless of whether they meet the otherwise applicable cost threshold. The Jordan Institute will make sure that school
districts are aware of the opportunity to obtain reimbursement at a higher rate by meeting CHPS standards.
Q.7 Is Ed Murdough [of the Department of Education] involved in what we are doing?
A.7 Yes, the Jordan Institute confers with Mr. Murdough frequently. He was recently honored by the US Environmental Protection Agency for his commitment
to sustainability and energy efficiency in school buildings.
Q.8 Will an individual firm contract with the school district or with the Jordan Institute or project manager?
A.8 In the project development phase, modeling and other building assessment and solution development services will generally be provided through subcontracts
with the Jordan Institute, which will have a consulting contract with the building owner. In the implementation phase, the Jordan Institute will continue serving as Construction
Manager under a contract with the building owner, but most construction services will be provided through contracts directly with the building owner.
Q.9 Will the Jordan Institute play the role that a general contractor often must play by covering gaps left
by subcontractors in the course of a project?
A.9 Project managers working with the Jordan Institute will provide rigorous oversight and arrange for every aspect of a project to be covered by
an appropriate subcontractor.
Q.10 What is the source of funding for the program?
A.10 Projects will be paid for by building owners, with costs in many cases being offset by utility incentive programs, the state school building assistance
program, and/or other sources. Building owners will often finance their share of project costs, with help from the Jordan Institute in identifying and evaluating financing options.
Owners eligible for tax-exempt financing will use lease financing, the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank, or other bank or bond sources.
Q.11 How is pre-construction planning and design work being paid for?
A.11 Building owners will pay for pre-construction as well as construction costs. The Jordan Institute can provide management services on a reduced-cost
basis due to its receipt of grant support from the US Department of Energy and state Office of Energy and Planning and other sources. Also, the Jordan Institute has recently arranged for the
creation of a $450,000 pre-construction revolving loan fund for eligible building owners. Ultimately, pre-construction costs will often be rolled into project financing at the time of construction.
Q.12 How many projects does the Jordan Institute expect to have ready by next March?
A.12 We plan to have projects with up to ten school districts ready for implementation by next spring. For many or most school projects, the need to coordinate
work with school year activity is the primary determinant of when construction can begin, because lease financing can be arranged independently of town meeting schedules. The Jordan
Institute is responding to significant demand from institutional, commercial and industrial building owners and will be proceeding with initial projects with such owners in the imminent future.
Q.13 Do we have a common metric to use in rating the energy performance of school buildings?
A.13 In the first instance, we use Portfolio Manager scores, which show how buildings compare with other buildings of the same kind. As we work with building
owners, we will introduce more advanced measures of energy performance -- in particular, kBtu/ft.2/year.
Q.14 How are we planning to address indoor air quality needs while improving energy efficiency in building envelopes?
A.14 We will ensure that projects are designed to provide high indoor air quality through good ventilation systems and other measures. Good design can ensure
that both high indoor air quality standards and high energy performance standards are met. For example, we will examine heat recovery ventilation systems in the project design process.
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