Request for Information THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ). This is an inquiry only. Sandia may not have a defined requirement or budget for this request. Sandia is not currently seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Information supplied in response to a Request for Information (RFI) will not be disclosed by Sandia. Information provided may be used for planning purposes and to help Sandia understand supplier capabilities. This RFI does not commit Sandia to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Suppliers not responding to this RFI may not be precluded from participation in a resulting RFQ. In addition, responding to this RFI does not guarantee supplier will receive a resulting RFQ. Labor Category Crosswalk to Service Contract Act (SCA) or Davis Bacon Act (DBA) Wage Determination A wage determination may be applicable to any resulting contract. Accordingly, if an RFQ is issued, all interested offerors shall identify in their proposal response any class of SCA or DBA applicable service employees proposed to perform work under any resulting contract and either directly or indirectly match all proposed labor classes to those specifically listed in the applicable wage determination. Failure to provide the required information may render a proposal non-responsive. Buy American Certification The Buy American Act may be applicable. If a Request for Quotation (RFQ) is issued, all offerors shall be required to supply a Buy American Certification. Failure to provide the required information may render a proposal non-responsive Statement of Work This posting is for Information only, regarding the following subject matter. Please pay careful attention to the following mandatory information and include all applicable information for response criteria in line numbers 50 through 70. 20 Introduction National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS) LLC, located on Kirtland Airforce Base (KAFB), Albuquerque, New Mexico, responsible for Management and Operations of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), is conducting a feasibility study for the potential deployment of an advanced solar energy system. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to invite comments on the proposed development, the technologies involved, and any associated execution challenges for the Advanced Solar Energy initiatives as described below. Information supplied in this RFI will not be disclosed or used for any purpose other than internal planning. The Advanced Solar Energy for Mission Assurance and Decarbonization concept was introduced in 2021 with the goals of providing SNL and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) with a carbon-free, resilient energy supply demonstrating at scale and thereby accelerating the commercialization of specific energy technologies. This RFI is being used to assess industry interest and gather information that will help guide NTESS future strategies for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a 100 MW or larger advanced solar generation resource with long-duration energy storage, and a connecting microgrid. 30 Background NTESS is seeking information from utility or independent solar energy developers, technology providers, and other organizations within the energy value chain about their interest and capability to develop the advanced solar energy system described herein, or a portion thereof. NTESS is also interested in industry feedback about the project concept, the associated technologies, and development timelines. NTESS may use input from this RFI to frame an Request for Quote (RFQ) that could then lead to selection of partners to further pursue the project. The developer would be responsible for securing project financing. Some of these costs might be defrayed by public investment if the developer were successful in garnering such support, and NTESS is willing to assist in pursuing public funding. Participating in the Advanced Solar Energy project may create opportunities for additional partnerships on energy sustainability and energy resilience initiatives. The proposed development is envisioned as follows: The advanced solar energy deployment will be located on or adjacent to KAFB. It must have the ability to operate islanded from the grid and support at least 25 MW of load for an extended period of time. Long-duration energy storage (LDES) on the order of at least 1 day (24 hours) and ideally 4 days (100 hours) at 25 MW will be needed for this application. During normal conditions, the majority or all of the energy generated, along with the resilience capability, would be delivered under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to the Department of Energy and Department of Defense agencies within the KAFB footprint. Excess energy and grid services may be offered to third parties, subject to regulatory requirements. Initial siting analyses and conceptual designs suggest a hybrid system consisting of ~75 MW Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant with thermal storage and a 25-50 MW photovoltaic (PV) system with battery storage. The majority of the required energy storage would come from the CSP system. A specific interconnection point has not been determined, but there are options to connect to a utility owned or a KAFB-owned substations. 40 Background Continued It is requested that responses address feasibility and preferred business model to achieve advanced solar deployment in the following phases: PV + storage system with 25 to 50 MW of capacity and ~4 hours of battery storage to be delivered in the 2025 through 2026 timeframe as part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) A CSP system based on Generation 3 falling particle technology with ~75 MW of capacity and 24+ hours (ideally 100 hours) of thermal storage to be delivered in the 2028 through 2029 timeframe A microgrid that will effectively connect the PV and the CSP components described above and allow for the islanding of those components along with a portion of the SNL and KAFB electric grid during extended grid outages, to be delivered by 2030 The development can proceed in phases, but it will be important that the project components be fully integrated and be effective towards NTESS and KAFB carbon-free and resilient energy goals. Please note that the proposed deployment is currently projected to take place between 2025 and 2030. However, the precise target dates have yet to be determined and will be influenced by the availability of promising technologies, the process to secure permits, uptake contracts and financing, and accessibility to additional public investments or incentives, if any, required to realize the desirable technology mix. NTESS is currently consulting with Federal and local stakeholders on possible siting, partnership models, and contracting mechanisms. 50 Response Instructions NTESS is requesting responses to the specific questions below. There is no expectation that responses will cover all requested questions in this RFI; respondents are encouraged to respond to those questions they believe will be of greatest value to the effort and represent their perspective most constructively. A. What technologies would you propose be used to meet this need? Do the system architecture, technology mix, phasing and timelines appear reasonable? What changes should be considered? B. What would you expect to be the main challenges or risks (e.g., technical, permitting, regulatory, or other) in developing this project and why? What would you recommend be done to ease those challenges? C. What type of public-private partnership, public investment or incentive would make the project more attractive and bankable? NTESS requests responses clearly separate the three phases listed under line 30 -40 Background section, and comment on the proposed timeframes, technology availability, key risks, and additional public investment or incentives likely needed. 60 Response Instructions Continued 1. If you are interested in responding please submit the following information to the Subcontracting Professional (SP) (Al Schneider
[email protected]). Responses should be sent by e-mail. 2. Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a written, typed response. Responses shall be no more than 20 standard (8 ½ x 11, 12 pt. font) pages in length including marketing materials and brochures, if desired. Responses should contain separate sections in response to categories 1, 2, and 3 as described in line 40 request for Information. If information is applicable to all categories please indicate appropriately, avoiding duplication if possible. Interested parties wishing to protect specific information and data from unauthorized disclosure should mark such information as "Limited Rights Data," or "Restricted Computer Software," as defined in FAR 52.227-14 -- Rights in Data - General. 3. Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the SP listed above. Questions will be answered in follow-on discussions scheduled post RFI response. Questions shall not contain proprietary or classified information. NTESS does not guarantee that questions received after June 10th 2023 will be answered. 4. State whether or not your company has ever been Foreign Ownership , Control and Influence (FOCI) approved or is capable of being approved by the Department of Energy (DOE) or Department of Defense (DOD). Note: This information will be used for planning purposes only and will not be used as a determining factor in the development of a list of potential offerors if a subsequent RFQ is issued. 70 Response Instructions Continued 5. It is NTESS policy to provide Small Businesses (SB), Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), HUB Zone businesses (HUBZone), Veteran-owned Small Businesses (VOSB), and Service Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) the maximum opportunity to participate in the award of subcontracts. State your current socio-economic information, if applicable. Alternatively, if you are a large business, state your ability to partner with SB, SDB, WOSB, HUBZone, VOSB, and SDVOSB. Include ideas on how to partner with small businesses in an effort to provide the services listed. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code applicability should also be included. Provide information regarding any similar partnership arrangements you are currently participating in or have participated in the past with the socio-economic groups listed above. NTESS may elect to deem a portion of the RFQ and resulting award as a small business set-aside. 1 - 10 release 1.0