There are three separate opportunities currently open through the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources.
Two of them are for Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) projects, and the third is for combined heat and power (CHP) support.
Please look closely at deadlines as some of these RFPs have quick turnarounds. Good luck!
CARD Grant RFP for projects in nine specific topic areas
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources seeks proposals from organizations or individuals interested in conducting applied research and development projects in nine specific topic areas:
- Survey and Analysis of Minnesota Municipal and Cooperative Utility Programs
- Statewide Policy Analysis and Evaluation of Low-Income Programs in Minnesota Utility CIP Portfolios
- Behavioral Programs Literature Review and Benchmarking Study, and Workshops
- Economic Impact Analysis of the Conservation Improvement Program
- Assessments of Plug-Load Control Devices in Commercial Buildings
- Small Embedded Data Center Program Pilots
- Commercial Roof-top Unit Characterization and Performance Baseline Survey
- Minnesota Manufactured Homes Characterization and Performance Baseline Survey
- White Paper: Sub-metering in the Minnesota Industrial Sector
The information obtained from this effort is intended to inform electric and natural gas utility Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) development and state energy policy. Up to $2.5 million from the Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) Grant Program is available for this particular Request for Proposal (RFP).
The RFP and required forms are available for download at the Commerce website RFP page through Monday, July 21, 2014.
CARD Grant RFP-02 for general topics
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources seeks proposals from organizations or individuals interested in applied research and development projects that serve to accelerate the development and adoption of new energy efficient technologies and innovative program strategies in Minnesota.
The information obtained from this effort is intended to inform electric and natural gas utility Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) development and state energy policy. Up to $1.5 million from the Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) Grant Program is available for this particular Request for Proposal (RFP).
This RFP, “Conservation Applied Research and Development Grant Program (CARD) RFP-02,” is the second CARD RFP issued this month; it is for general topics. The CARD Grant RFP-01 issued on May 12 is for specific topic areas.
CARD Grant RFP-02 and required forms are available for download at the Commerce website RFP page through Friday, August 29, 2014. Responders may also request a hard copy of the RFP by mail from this office. Requests for hard copies must be received by the Department no later than 12:00 p.m. (Noon) Central Daylight Time (CDT), on Wednesday, August 27, 2014.
RFPs for two contractors to support work on CHP
To build on the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s work in the area of combined heat and power (CHP) and to focus on more specific policy details and recommendations, Commerce was recently awarded a U.S. Department of Energy grant to carry out a strategic engagement process and develop an action plan for CHP.
To support this effort, Commerce has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for two contractor positions: (1) Meeting Facilitator for CHP Stakeholder Process and (2) Engagement Survey Designer/Administrator for CHP Stakeholder Process.
- Meeting Facilitator for CHP Stakeholder Process: Commerce seeks a qualified contractor to organize, facilitate, and report on the results of a series of stakeholder engagement meetings focusing on CHP issues involving Minnesota’s regulatory framework, technical/economic potential, and education/training needs. The objective of these public meetings is to inform various stakeholders of current efforts underway to increase CHP implementation, facilitate discussion regarding the opportunities and barriers to greater CHP deployment, solicit ideas for possible solutions to these barriers, and constructively identify solutions to advance the use of CHP in Minnesota.
- Engagement Survey Designer/Administrator for CHP Stakeholder Process: Commerce seeks a qualified contractor to develop and administer a pre- and post-engagement survey to quantitatively measure the level of change in stakeholder attitudes and perceptions before and after a series of stakeholder engagement meetings focusing on CHP issues involving Minnesota’s regulatory framework, technical/economic potential, and education/training needs. Ultimately, the survey results will provide information to help develop the CHP action plan.
The RFPs and required forms are available for download at the Commerce website RFP page through Tuesday, May 27, 2014. Responders may also request a hard copy of one or both of the RFPs by mail from this office. Requests for hard copies must be received by the Department no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central Time (CT), on Thursday, May 22, 2014.
