5.34.880 Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC).

City Code Section

(Amended by Ordinance Nos. 185898 and 187373, effective October 14, 2015.)

A.  Generally. Sections 5.34.800 to 5.34.890 include a limited, efficient method for the City to enter into ESPCs outside the competitive bidding requirements of ORS 279C.335 for existing buildings or structures, but not for new construction. If the City chooses not to utilize these rules, the City may still enter into an ESPC by complying with the competitive bidding exemption process set forth in ORS 279C.335, or by otherwise complying with the Procurement requirements applicable to any City not subject to all the requirements of ORS 279C.335.  The following definitions shall apply specifically to Energy Savings Performance Contracts (or “ESPC”), unless the context requires otherwise.

1.  Energy Conservation Measures (or "ECMs") (also known as "energy efficiency measures"). As used in ESPC Procurement, any equipment, fixture or furnishing to be added or used in an existing building, structure or building/structure system, and any repair, alteration or improvement to an existing building, structure or building/structure system that is designed to reduce energy consumption and related costs, including those costs related to electrical energy, thermal energy, water consumption, waste disposal, and future contract-labor costs and materials costs associated with maintenance of the building or structure. Maintenance services are not Energy Conservation Measures, for purposes of this Section.

2.    Energy Savings Guarantee. The energy savings and performance guarantee provided by the ESCO under an ESPC Procurement, which guarantees to the City that certain energy savings and performance will be achieved for the project covered by the RFP, through the installation and implementation of the agreed-upon ECMs for the project. The Energy Savings Guarantee shall include, but shall not be limited to, the specific energy savings and performance levels and amounts that will be guaranteed, provisions related to the financial remedies available to the City in the event the guaranteed savings and performance are not achieved, the specific conditions under which the ESCO will guarantee energy savings and performance (including the specific responsibilities of the City after final completion of the design and construction phase), and the term of the energy savings and performance guarantee.

3.   Energy Savings Performance Contract (or "ESPC"). A Public Improvement Contract between The City and a Qualified Energy Service Company for the identification, evaluation, recommendation, design and construction of Energy Conservation Measures, including a Design-Build Contract, that guarantee energy savings or performance.

a.  Measurement and Verification (or "M & V"). As used in ESPC Procurement, the examination of installed ECMs using the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol ("IPMVP"), or any other comparable protocol or process, to monitor and verify the operation of energy-using systems pre-installation and post-installation.

b.  Technical Energy Audit. As used in ESPC Procurement, the initial phase of Personal Services to be performed by an ESCO that includes a detailed evaluation of an existing building or structure, an evaluation of the potential ECMs that could be effectively utilized at the facility, and preparation of a report to the City of the ESCO's Findings during this initial phase of the Work; the term "Technical Energy Audit" can also refer to the report provided by the ESCO at the conclusion of this phase of the Work.

B.  Energy Savings Performance Contracts. Unlike other Alternative Contracting Methods covered by Section 5.34.800 et seq.  ESPCs are exempt from the competitive bidding requirement for Public Improvement Contracts pursuant to ORS 279C.335(1)(f), if the City complies with the procedures set forth in Section 5.34.880 related to the Solicitation, negotiation and contracting for ESPC Work.  If those procedures are not followed, an ESPC procurement may still be exempted form competitive bidding requirements by following the general exemption procedures within ORS 279C.335.

C.  ESPC Contracting Method. The ESPC form of contracting, as defined in herein, has unique technical complexities associated with the determination of what ECMs are feasible for the City, as well as the additional technical complexities associated with a Design-Build Contract. For ESPC’s the RFP outlined in Subsections 5.34.840 B. through D. shall be utilized if the City desires the Procurement process to be exempt from the competitive bidding requirements of ORS 279C.335.  The City shall only utilize the ESPC contracting method with the assistance of knowledgeable staff or consultants who are experienced in its use. In order to utilize the ESPC contracting process, the City must be able to reasonably anticipate one or more of the following types of benefits:

1.   Obtaining, through an ESCO, the following types of integrated Personal Services and Work: facility profiling, energy baseline studies, ECMs, Technical Energy Audits, project development planning, engineering design, plan preparation, cost estimating, Life Cycle Costing, construction administration, project management, construction, quality control, operations and maintenance staff training, commissioning services, M & V services and required documentation as a fully integrated function with a single point of responsibility;

2.  Obtaining, through an ESCO, an Energy Savings Guarantee;

3.  Integrating the Technical Energy Audit phase and the Project Development Plan phase into the design and construction phase of Work on the project;

4.  Reducing the risk of design flaws, misunderstandings and conflicts inherent in the construction process, through the integration of ESPC Personal Services and Work;

5.  Obtaining innovative design solutions through the collaboration of the members of the ESCO integrated ESPC services team;

6.  Integrating cost-effective ECMs into an existing building or structure, so that the ECMs pay for themselves through savings realized over the useful life of the ECMs;

7.  Preliminary design, development, implementation and an Energy Savings Guarantee of ECMs into an existing building or structure through an ESPC, as a distinct part of a major remodel of that building or structure that is being performed under a separate remodeling Contract; and

8.  Satisfying local energy efficiency design criteria or requirements.

D.  In ESPC contracting, terms that may be negotiated also include the Scope of preliminary design of DCMs to be evaluated by the parties during the Technical Energy Audit phase of the Work, the Scope of Personal Services and Work to be performed by the ESCO during the Project Development Plan phase of the Work, the detailed provisions of the Energy Savings Guarantee to be provided by the ESCO and Scope of Work, methodologies and compensation terms and conditions during the design and construction phase and M & V phase of the Work, consistent with the requirements of this Section.

E.  In Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC), in addition to the factors set forth in Subsections 5.33.840 C.1., 2. and 3., those factors may also include sample Technical Energy Audits from similar projects, sample M & V reports, financial statements and related information of the ESCO for a time period established in the RFP, financial statements and related information of joint ventures comprising the ESCO, the ESCO's capabilities and experience in performing energy baseline studies for facilities (independently or in cooperation with an independent third-party energy baseline consultant), past performance of the ESCO in meeting energy guarantee Contract levels, the specific Person that will provide the Energy Savings Guarantee to be offered by the ESCO, the ESCO's management plan for the project, information on the specific methods, techniques and equipment that the ESCO will use in the performance of the Work under the ESPC, the ESCO's team members and consultants to be assigned to the project, the ESCO's experience in the Energy Savings Performance Contracting field, the ESCO's experience acting as the prime Contractor on previous ESPC projects (as opposed to a sub-contractor or consultant to a prime ESCO), the ESCO's vendor and product neutrality related to the development of ECMs, the ESCO's project history related to removal from an ESPC project or the inability or unwillingness of the ESCO to complete an ESPC project, the ESCO's M & V capabilities and experience (independently or in cooperation with an independent third-party M & V consultant), the ESCO's ability to explain the unique risks associated with ESPC projects and the assignment of risk in the particular project between the City and the ESCO, the ESCO's equipment performance guarantee policies and procedures, the ESCO's energy savings and cost savings guarantee policies and procedures, the ESCO's project cost guarantee policies and procedures, the ESCO's pricing methodologies, the price that the ESCO will charge for the Technical Energy Audit phase of the Work and the ESCO's fee structure for all phases of the ESPC.

F.  Authority. Bureaus wanting to pursue an exemption from the Competitive Bidding requirements of ORS 279C.335 (and, if applicable, ORS 351.086), shall utilize the ESPC form of contracting only in accordance with the requirements of Sections 5.34.800 through 5.34.890.

G.  No Findings. The City is only required to comply with the ESPC contracting procedures set forth in Sections 5.34.800 through 5.34.890  in order for the ESPC to be exempt from the competitive bidding processes of ORS 279C.335. No Findings are required for an ESPC to be exempt from the competitive bidding process for Public Improvement Contracts pursuant to ORS 279C.335, unless the City is subject to the requirements of ORS 279C.335 and chooses not to comply with the ESPC contracting procedures set for in these rules.

H.  Selection. ESPC selection criteria may include those factors set forth above in Subsections 5.34.840 C.1., 2., and 3.  Since the Energy Savings Guarantee is such a fundamental component in the ESPC contracting process, Proposers must disclose in their Proposals the identity of any Person providing (directly or indirectly) any Energy Savings Guarantee that may be offered by the successful ESCO during the course of the performance of the ESPC, along with any financial statements and related information pertaining to any such Person.

I.  QBS Inapplicable. Because the value of construction Work predominates in the ESPC method of contracting, the qualifications based selection (QBS) process mandated by ORS 279C.110 is not applicable.

J.  Licensing. If the ESCO is not an Oregon licensed design professional, the City shall require that the ESCO disclose in the ESPC that it is not an Oregon licensed design professional, and identify the Oregon licensed design professional(s) who will provide design services. See ORS 671.030(5) regarding the offer of architectural services, and ORS 672.060(11) regarding the offer of engineering services that are appurtenant to construction Work.

K.  Performance Security. At the point in the ESPC when the parties enter into a binding Contract that constitutes a Design-Build Contract, the ESCO must provide a performance bond and payment bond, each for 100 percent of the full Contract Price, including the construction Work and design and related Personal Services specified in the ESPC Design-Build Contract, pursuant to ORS 279C.380(1)(a). For ESPC Design-Build Contracts, these "design and related professional services" include conventional design services, commissioning services, training services for the City’s operations and maintenance staff, and any similar Personal Services or Work provided by the ESCO under the ESPC Design-Build Contract prior to final completion of construction. M & V services, and any Personal Services and Work associated with the ESCO's Energy Savings Guarantee are not included in these ORS 279C.380(1)(a) "design and related professional services." Nevertheless, The City may require that the ESCO provide performance security for M & V services and any Personal Services and Work associated with the ESCO's Energy Savings Guarantee, if the City so provides in the RFP.

L.  Contracting Requirements. Contracting Agencies shall conform their ESPC contracting practices to the following requirements:

1.   General ESPC Contracting Practices. An ESPC involves a multi-phase project, which includes the following contractual elements:

a.  A contractual structure which includes general Contract terms describing the relationship of the parties, the various phases of the Work, the contractual terms governing the Technical Energy Audit for the project, the contractual terms governing the Project Development Plan for the project, the contractual terms governing the final design and construction of the project, the contractual terms governing the performance of the M & V services for the project, and the detailed provisions of the ESCO's Energy Savings Guarantee for the project.

b.  The various phases of the ESCO's Work will include the following:

(1)   The Technical Energy Audit phase of the Work;

(2)   The Project Development Plan phase of the Work;

(3)   A third phase of the Work that constitutes a Design-Build Contract, during which the ESCO completes any plans and Specifications required to implement the ECMs that have been agreed to by the parties to the ESPC, and the ESCO performs all construction, commissioning, construction administration and related Personal Services or Work to actually construct the project; and

(4)   A final phase of the Work, whereby the ESCO, independently or in cooperation with an independent consultant hired by the City, performs M & V services to ensure that the Energy Savings Guarantee identified by the ESCO in the earlier phases of the Work and agreed to by the parties has actually been achieved.

2.  Design-Build Contracting Requirements in ESPCs. At the point in the ESPC when the parties enter into a binding Contract that constitutes a Design-Build Contract, the City shall conform its Design-Build contracting practices to the Design-Build contracting requirements set forth in Subsection 5.34.870 G. above.

3.  Pricing Alternatives. The City may utilize one of the following pricing alternatives in an ESPC:

a.  A fixed price for each phase of the Personal Services and Work to be provided by the ESCO;

b.  A cost reimbursement pricing mechanism, with a maximum not-to-exceed price or a GMP; or

c.  A combination of a fixed fee for certain components of the Personal Services to be performed, a cost reimbursement pricing mechanism for the construction Work to be performed with a GMP, a single or annual fixed fee for M & V services to be performed for an identified time period after final completion of the construction Work, and a single or annual Energy Savings Guarantee fixed fee payable for an identified time period after final completion of the construction Work that is conditioned on certain energy savings being achieved at the facility by the ECMs that have been implemented by the ESCO during the project (in the event an annual M & V services fee and annual Energy Savings Guarantee fee is utilized by the parties, the parties may provide in the Design-Build Contract that, at the sole option of the City, the ESCO's M & V services may be terminated prior to the completion of the M & V/Energy Savings Guarantee period and the City’s future obligation to pay the M & V services fee and Energy Savings Guarantee fee will likewise be terminated, under terms agreed to by the parties).

4.  Permitted ESPC Scope of Work. The Scope of Work under the ESPC is restricted to implementation and installation of ECMs, as well as other Work on building systems or building components that are directly related to the ECMs, and that, as an integrated unit, will pay for themselves over the useful life of the ECMs installed. The permitted Scope of Work for ESPCs resulting from a Solicitation under Sections 5.34.800 to 5.34.890 rules does not include maintenance services for the project facility.