Competitive Solicitation Posting: September 05, 2024

Deadline for Submitting Bids: October 21, 2024

 

Find the full solicitation on Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS). Vendors not registered in WEBS will not receive updates or amendments to the solicitation, which could disadvantage your bid. 

 

 

Pre-Bid Conference: September 17, 2024 09:00 am PST

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Meeting ID: 290 365 617 779

Passcode: kUySkG 

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+1 206-531-0324,, ,,157126350# United States, Seattle

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Phone conference ID: 157126350#

 

Contract Location: Statewide

 

Scope of Work:

As per ESHB 2134, Sec 215 of the 2024 Supplemental Transportation Budget Proviso, WSDOT was tasked with finding a Contractor(s) to develop and administer a one hundred- and ten-million-dollar $110,000,000 point-of-sale voucher incentive program to encourage faster adoption of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to further state climate goals under RCW 70A.45.020 and state equity goals under RCW 70A.02.

 

The voucher program is required to be designed based on the recommendations of the Joint Transportation Committee report Washington State Infrastructure and Incentive Program Design for MHD ZEVs (MHDV JTC Study), and to include:

 

(A) Simplified zero-emission vehicle eligibility requirements;

 

(B) Vehicle and infrastructure incentives aligned with programs in other jurisdictions, where appropriate, to streamline user planning

 

(C) Financial enhancements for select populations based on equity considerations, including for vehicles in disadvantaged communities and vehicles to be purchased by small, minority-owned businesses, with consideration for support of the secondary vehicle market;

 

(D) A centralized user and manufacturer portal for information, application, and assistance;

 

(E) A fleet assistance and qualification program to assist in zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure planning, to be administered by the Washington State University extension energy program in coordination with the department and the voucher program's third-party administrator; and

 

(F) A voucher preapproval process to evaluate participant eligibility, readiness for fleet deployment, and infrastructure preparedness.

 

(iii) The following battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle categories and associated charging, as well as refueling infrastructure for these categories, are eligible for the voucher program, subject to additional qualification criteria to be determined by the department and the voucher program third-party administrator:

 

(A) On-road vehicles from class 2b, heavy work pickups and vans, through class 8, heavy tractor-trailer units and refuse trucks; and

 

(B) Cargo handling and off-road equipment.

 

(iv) School buses and transit vehicles eligible for state grant programs for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles are not eligible for vouchers under this program but are eligible for fleet assistance provided in association with the voucher program, which must include assistance in determining state and federal grant eligibility for these vehicles.

 

(v) The voucher amounts selected by the department and voucher program third-party administrator must further the policy goals of the program cited in (b)(i) of this subsection by offsetting investments required for medium and heavy-duty vehicle and equipment owners to transition to zero-emission vehicles and equipment. The department and voucher program third-party administrator must condition vehicle and infrastructure voucher funding to ensure these program policy goals are furthered through the voucher funding provided.

 

 (vi) Consistent with voucher program design, the department is required to distribute funds to the voucher program third-party administrator sufficiently in advance of final requirements for voucher distribution being met to facilitate the voucher's timely distribution by the third-party administrator to sellers of zero emission vehicles and infrastructure.

 

On February 14, 2024, the Joint Transportation Commission (JTC) partnered with WSDOT, House and Senate Transportation Committees, Department of Ecology, CALSTART, PNWER, and S Curve Strategy to design and document an implementation plan for infrastructure and incentive program to drive the purchase and use of zero-emission MHDVs, including cargo handling and off-road equipment, within Washington State.  The final report will service as a guideline for developing and administering this program to ensure delivery by early 2025.  

 

Commitment to environmental justice

 

• WSDOT has at a minimum, goals to:
• Address harms caused by policies and practices that lead or have led to environmental health disparities in communities and improve the health of all people in Washington.
• Prevent and address environmental health disparities in environmental programs and funding.
• Reduce exposure to environmental hazards within tribal lands; and
• Track and measure the accomplishments of our environmental justice implementation.
• WSDOT seeks to create an equitable, community-engaged process that produces environmentally just outcomes for the programs covered in this RFP. This may include, but is not limited to, any and all of the following:
• Following community engagement best practices that allow for meaningful and equitable participation in WSDOT decision-making with coordinating with Washington State University (WSU).
• Assessing the program design, to identify opportunities to minimize environmental harm and equitably distribute benefits.
• Identifying potential impacts to tribal lands, rights, and resources, and seeking respectful consultation with tribes where appropriate; or
• Incorporating environmental justice principles into our funding decision process.

 

WSDOT is a covered agency under the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, as enacted in RCW Chapter 70A.02. Beginning on July 1, 2023, WSDOT programs with new grant or loan funding must, to the extent allowed by law and consistent with legislative appropriations, equitably distribute funding and expenditures.

 

Program Engagement

 

WSDOT is simultaneously partnering with WSU’s energy program to administer a fleet assistance and qualification program to support in zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure planning.

 

WSDOT is working on an interagency agreement with WSU for providing technical assistance to fleets starting their adoption of zero-emission vehicles, assistance in equitable participation with public engagements, and program develop support. WSU’s energy program and the Contractor for this RFP are expected to coordinate with WSDOT to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of effort where possible.

 

Transportation Electrification Strategy

 

WSDOT co-chairs the Interagency Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council (EV Council) with the Department of Commerce. The two agencies are joined on the EV Council by the State Efficiency and Environmental Performance Office, Office of Financial Management, Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction, Utilities and Transportation Commission, and the Departments of Agriculture, Ecology, Enterprise Services, and Health. The EV Council has developed a statewide Transportation Electrification Strategy (TES) intended to identify policies that will equitably reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

Commodity codes: 918-43 Environmental Consulting, 918-75 Management Consulting, 918-41 Energy Conservation Consulting, 918-06 Administrative Consulting

 

Inclusion Plan: Yes

 

Preference/priority points:

Washington small businesses

Veteran-owned businesses

Executive Order 18-03

 

Solicitation Documents: Solicitation documents, contacts and bid instructions are available in WEBS: https://pr-webs-vendor.des.wa.gov/.

Question-and-Answer Period: Questions due by October 03, 2024. Submit questions or concerns about this solicitation in writing to the Procurement Coordinator: Marianna Adams at Marianna.Adams@wsdot.wa.gov.