ESPC ESAs Implemented Using the Site-Specific/Stand-Alone Contract Vehicle

The site-specific/stand-alone energy savings performance contract (ESPC) contract vehicle can be used to implement an ESPC energy sales agreement (ESA) for federal distributed energy projects, which are referred to as ESA energy conservation measures (ECMs). While an ESA could be bundled with other ECMs, the site-specific contract vehicle is best suited for a stand-alone ESA ECM.

Under a site-specific/stand-alone ESPC ESA, an agency selects an energy service company (ESCO) through a request for proposal (RFP) process. The selected ESCO must be on the U.S. Department of Energy's Qualified List of ESCOs or an agency’s list of qualified ESCOs prior to contract award. Neither a preliminary assessment nor an investment-grade audit is required.

ESPC ESA Toolkit

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) developed the ESPC ESA Toolkit to provide federal agency contracting officers and other acquisition team members with information that facilitates the timely execution of ESPC ESA projects implemented using the site-specific/stand-alone contract vehicle.

The information in this toolkit is presented sequentially and covers the seven phases that FEMP identified as necessary for completing a project:

• Phase 1: Forming a Strong Project Team
• Phase 2: Project Validation
• Phase 3: Acquisition Planning
• Phase 4: Request for Proposal Development
• Phase 5: Procurement
• Phase 6: Proposal Evaluation and Contract Award
• Phase 7: Construction and Performance Period.

The information presented in this toolkit is only meant to be a resource. It is the responsibility of agency staff to ensure that all procurements (including ESPC ESA procurements) follow all applicable federal requirements and agency-specific policies and procedures.

The use of the ESPC ESA contracting model should be understood by agency decision makers early in the process, and all documents comprising an ESPC ESA should be thoroughly reviewed by agency contracting and legal staff and modified to address each agency's unique acquisition process, agency-specific authorities, and project-specific characteristics.

FEMP provides technical specifications resources on solar photovoltaic, battery storage, and wind systems that are complementary to the toolkit and include language that can be included in the request for proposal (RFP).

The ESPC ESA Toolkit provides a process diagram of the seven phases, project checklist, team member descriptions, project considerations, description of each phase, and other important information.

• ESPC ESA Toolkit.

At the end of the toolkit are the following appendices that contain reference documents and templates. These items are available below in an editable form.

• ESPC ESA Process Diagram (editable)
• ESPC ESA Toolkit Checklist (editable)
• Small Business Sources Sought Template (editable)
• Sample Request for Information (editable)
• RFP Template (editable)
• Site Access Agreement Template (editable)
• Acquisition Plan Template: Available upon request from federal agency. Contact FEMP for more information.
• Source Selection Plan Template: Available upon request from federal agency. Contact FEMP for more information.

Start an ESPC ESA

To start an ESPC ESA, an agency should review the ESPC ESA requirements and benefits, the ESPC ESA fact sheet, and the tools and templates below. For questions, more information, or assistance:

• Contact a federal project executive
• Request assistance from FEMP through the FEMP Assistance Request Portal.