School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED) Grant Program

State of New Hampshire Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - State Energy Program
School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED) Grant Program
ALN 81.041
FAIN: DE-EE0010086
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
RFP #2026-003
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Proposals Due: August 21, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EST (Noon)

Table of Contents
Contents ............................................................................................................................... 1
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 1
I. Pertinent Dates and Information ................................................................................ 1
A. Schedule of Events .................................................................................................. 1
B. Written Inquiries ..................................................................................................... 1
C. Proposal Submission Instructions ........................................................................... 2
D. Restriction of Contact with State Employees ......................................................... 3
II. Overview ................................................................................................................... 3
A. Background and Purpose ........................................................................................ 3
B. Basic Eligibility Requirements ................................................................................. 4
C. Recommended Project Design ................................................................................ 6
III. Proposal Submission Requirements ............................................................................ 7
IV. Evaluation Procedures and Selection Criteria .............................................................. 8
A. Proposal Evaluation Procedure ............................................................................... 8
B. Scoring Criteria and Weight .................................................................................. 10
V. Intergovernmental Review ....................................................................................... 12
VI. Term of Contract ...................................................................................................... 12
VII. General Conditions ................................................................................................... 12
VIII. Build America, Buy America ...................................................................................... 18
A. Definitions ............................................................................................................. 19
B. Buy America Requirement for Infrastructure Projects (BABA Requirement) ...... 20
C. BABA Resources .................................................................................................... 21
D. Waivers ................................................................................................................. 22
IX. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ................................................................ 24
X. National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) ................................................................ 26
XI. Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage Requirements ............................................................. 27
XII. Grant Agreement and Certificates ............................................................................ 29
XIII. Ethical Requirements ............................................................................................... 31
Appendix A. SEED Grant Program Application .................................................................... A-1
Appendix B. G-1 Agreement ............................................................................................... A-2

Executive Summary
With funding made available through the State Energy Program Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
(SEP BIL) Program, the New Hampshire Department of Energy (Department) issues this Request
for Proposals (RFP) seeking applications for its School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED)
Grant Program. This program provides financial support and technical assistance for a public
school in a small community to implement energy efficiency projects.
Total funding available under this RFP will be $250,000. The maximum grant request amount is
$150,000. The minimum grant request is $40,000. The Department expects that at least two
grants will be awarded. Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded with either 5% or 15% match
requirement, depending on whether the proposer is a disadvantaged school. Projects awarded
funding must be completed no later than March 31, 2028.
Non-public schools are not eligible for the SEED Grant Program. Proposers and awardees from
prior SEED Grant Program funding rounds are eligible to reapply.
An electronic proposal must be submitted to the Department no later than August 21, 2026 at
12:00 p.m. EST (Noon). If the Department decides to award a contract as a result of this RFP,
any award is contingent upon approval of the contract by the Department and the New
Hampshire Governor and Executive Council (Governor and Executive Council).
I. PERTINENT DATES AND INFORMATION
A. Schedule of Events
EVENT DATE/DEADLINE TIME
RFP Issued 06/26/26
Close of Question Period 07/10/26 4:30 PM
Responses to Questions Posted 07/16/26 12:00 PM (Noon)
Proposal Due Date and Time 08/21/26 12:00 PM (Noon)
Anticipated Grant State Date December, 2026
B. Written Inquiries
All inquiries concerning this RFP must be submitted by e-mail to the following RFP Point
of Contact:
Susan Gagne, Rules and Contracts Coordinator
New Hampshire Department of Energy
RFP@Energy.NH.Gov
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 1 of 38

Inquiries must be received no later than the Close of Question Period as specified in the
Schedule of Events above. The subject of the e-mail should state the following: RFP
#2026-003, SEED Grant Program Question Period. No phone calls please. It is highly
recommended that prospective proposers review the RFP as soon as possible and
submit any questions promptly. Please note that responses to questions are carefully
considered and may require several days. Responses to questions will be posted as
received and can be found here: https://www.energy.nh.gov/rules-and-
regulatory/requests-proposals.
C. Proposal Submission Instructions
Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be received no later than the Proposal
Due Date and Time as specified in the Schedule of Events herein. Late submissions will
not be accepted, nor will extensions be given. Delivery of the proposal and attachments
shall be the proposer's responsibility. The Department accepts no responsibility for
damaged, mislabeled, or undeliverable e-mailed proposals. Proposals that are
incomplete or unsigned will not be considered. Faxed or physical proposals will not be
accepted.
Proposals must be submitted electronically to RFP@Energy.NH.Gov. Proposals must be
submitted in PDF format as a file attachment to an e-mail and must be searchable. In no
event should a proposal be provided through a link embedded in the submitted e-mail.
The file will be considered received when it is successfully submitted to the mailbox
associated with the e-mail address above, and the time of submittal will be based on the
time stamp in the receiver's e-mail. The Department can accept electronic files no
larger than 25 MB in any one e-mail. Proposals may consist of multiple PDF
attachments or one PDF with all attachments combined. The subject of the e-mail
should state the following: RFP #2026-003 SEED Grant Program Proposal - (name of
school).
To guard against proposals being overlooked due to being quarantined by the
Department's spam protection software, it is strongly recommended that an e-mail with
no attachment be sent to RFP@Energy.NH.Gov initially stating that e-mail(s) containing
a proposal are to follow. The subject of the e-mail should state the following: RFP
#2026-003 SEED Grant Program Intention to File - (name of school).
The Department shall assess completeness and responsiveness of the proposal to
eliminate nonconforming proposals. The Department may waive or offer a limited
opportunity to cure immaterial deviations from RFP requirements if it is determined to
be in the best interests of the State. Any response that is filed shall be valid for no
fewer than 150 days following the deadline for submission of proposals, or until the
effective date of any resulting contract, whichever is later.
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 2 of 38

D. Restriction of Contact with State Employees
From the date of the release of this RFP until awards are made and announced
regarding the selection, all communications with personnel employed by or under
contract with the State regarding this RFP are forbidden, unless first approved by the
RFP Point of Contact or as otherwise outlined in Section III. Department employees
have been, and Evaluation Team members will be, directed not to hold conferences
and/or discussions concerning this RFP with any potential proposer during the selection
process, unless otherwise authorized by the RFP Point of Contact, or as otherwise
outlined in Section III.
II. OVERVIEW
A. Background and Purpose
The United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) State Energy Program (SEP) (ALN
81.041) provides funding and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District
of Columbia to enhance energy security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and
increase energy affordability. States have a robust role in administering program
activities that can be tailored to their unique resources, delivery capacity, and energy
goals.
The State of New Hampshire, through the Department, provides guidance, information,
and data on energy usage. As part of its mission to build partnerships and serve New
Hampshire communities, the Department has received SEP grant funds and created the
SEED Grant Program to encourage schools to holistically review their energy usage and
offer funding to implement energy efficiency projects. The SEED Grant Program was
created in 2018 and offers a one-time competitive grant with a corresponding match to
complete proposed energy efficiency projects in a public school. Since its inception, the
SEED Grant Program has funded and successfully completed energy efficiency projects
in public schools located in Berlin, Hill, Lempster, Litchfield, Monroe, New Boston,
Pittsburg and Stewartstown. These energy efficiency projects have created a safer,
healthier learning environment for students and teachers, as well as reducing a school's
energy usage and operating costs to provide a financial benefit to school district budgets
and property taxpayers. The average funding awarded is $101,000 which has provided
significant support for eligible projects.
The SEED Grant Program is based upon funding supported by the United States
Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation under the
State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE0010086.
The total amount of funding available under this RFP is $250,000. All grant awards are
contingent upon final grant agreement approval by the Governor and Executive Council.
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 3 of 38

B. Basic Eligibility Requirements
Proposers must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible for the SEED
Grant Program. This program is covered under 2 CFR 200 as amended, 10 CFR 420, and
the New Hampshire State Energy Program Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Special Terms
and Conditions.
1. In a proposal, the proposer proposes to fund an energy efficiency project in one
public school or chartered public school located in a New Hampshire
municipality with a total population of 10,000 or fewer residents based on the
municipality's "Total Population OPD Estimate" under the NH Department of
Business and Economic Affairs' 2024 Total Population Estimates of NH Cities and
Towns published August 8, 2025;
2. The proposer proposes a project seeking to accomplish one or more of the
following:
a. Installation of insulation.
b. Installation of energy efficient lighting including light poles (may also be
installed within a utility easement if no trees are removed).
c. HVAC upgrades (to existing systems).
d. Weather sealing.
e. Purchase and installation of energy efficient or energy/water efficient
appliances and equipment, including but not limited to, energy or water
monitoring and control systems, thermostats, furnaces, and air
conditioners.
f. Retrofit of energy efficient pumps and motors where it would not alter
the capacity, use, mission, or operation of an existing facility.
g. Retrofit or replacement of windows and doors;
3. The proposer does not propose to fund any electrical generational facility (i.e.
solar array, wind energy, etc.) or electric energy storage system (battery storage,
etc.) as part of their proposal;
4. The proposer shall wholly own the project site location;
5. Proposers shall:
1. Be registered in the Federal System for Award Management (SAM)
before submitting a proposal,
2. Provide a valid and active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and a printout of
their registration from SAM in its proposal, and
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 4 of 38

3. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information
at all times during which it has an active federal award or proposal under
consideration by the Department.
All contractors and all subcontractors working on a proposer's project must also
obtain a UEI from SAM. Evidence of valid and active UEIs for contractors and
subcontractors do not need to be provided in a proposer's proposal but must be
provided to the Department during contract negotiation if the proposer is
awarded funding and before work commences.
Any proposer and their contractors/subcontractors that are debarred from SAM
are unable to work on projects funded with Federal funds and are ineligible to
participate in the SEED Grant Program.
Due to the high demand of UEI requests and SAM registrations, entity legal
business name and address validations are taking longer than expected to
process. Proposers should start the UEI and SAM registration process as soon as
possible. Estimated processing time for a new SAM registration takes
approximately six weeks.
If entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration
process, they should utilize the HELP feature on the Federal Service Desk website
located here: GSAFSD Service Portal Landing - GSA Federal Service Desk Service
Portal.
FSD.gov will work on entity service tickets in the order in which they are received
and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or
technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here:
GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - Validating your Entity; and
6. The proposer meets a 5% or 15% "cash" and/or "in-kind" match requirement for
their SEED Grant Program award with firmly committed matching funds. The
proposer must commit to the match requirement in its proposal, and must
demonstrate how it will provide the match. Not committing to the required cost
sharing or demonstrating how it will be accomplished will make the application
ineligible. Any cost sharing or matching shall comply with 2 CFR 200.306(b-k)
and be allowable under 2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles.
Proposers who satisfy the economically eligible School scoring criteria as
outlined in Section IV, Part B must match 5% of the value of their award.
Proposers who do not satisfy the economically eligible School scoring criteria as
outlined in Section IV, Part B. must match 15% of the value of their award.
"Match" is subject to U.S. DOE Financial Assistance Rules (2 CFR Part 200 as
amended by 2 CFR Part 910 and 10 CFR Part 420).
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 5 of 38

Utility financial incentives/rebates may be used to fund a proposed project but
shall not be used as evidence of a match under the SEED Grant Program. See 2
CFR Part 200.406 for more information.
"In-Kind" is defined as the value of non-cash contributions, such as property or
services that: benefit a federally assisted project or program; and are
contributed by non-Federal third parties, without charge, to a non-Federal entity
under a Federal Award. Proposers using an in-kind match should note the
following:
a. In-kind matches have to be verifiable;
b. In-kind matches are not included as contributions for other Federal
awards;
c. In-kind matches are necessary and reasonable for the accomplishment of
the project's objectives;
d. In-kind matches are not using a federal award to match another federal
award;
e. Any in-kind match using donated property or materials must not exceed
fair market value;
f. The value of any donated land and/or buildings for an in-kind match must
be established by an independent appraiser; and
g. Any in-kind match using dedicated staff hours or volunteer hours must be
necessary and reasonable for the completion of the project and of fair-
market wage.
Any proposed cash or in-kind match must exclude the following costs:
a. Revenues or royalties from the prospective operation of an activity
beyond the time considered in the award;
b. Proceeds from the prospective sale of an asset of an activity; or
c. Other appropriated Federal funds.
Repayment of the Federal share of a cost-shared activity under Section 988 of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 shall not be a condition of the award.
C. Recommended Project Design
Due to the federal character of SEED Grant Program funding, all projects will be subject
to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation
Act (NHPA). These two federal acts require the federal government and recipients of
federal funding to evaluate and understand any potential adverse impacts to the
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 6 of 38

environment from federally funded projects, as well as consideration of the impacts that
such projects may have on any historic and archeological characteristics of affected
buildings and/or land.
Projects that meet the following location siting requirements may likely not require
additional levels of NEPA and NHPA review, provided that the project:
a) Is installed in or on an existing building or buildings;
b) Does not cause any level of ground disturbance;
c) Does not require tree removal or tree trimming;
d) Does not require structural reinforcement; and
e) Adheres to the exemptions outlined in Appendix B of the New Hampshire
executed Historic Preservation Programmatic Agreement.
The Department encourages proposers to conform their project designs to the
requirements listed above to prevent additional NEPA and NHPA reviews. Proposers
whose projects do not meet the requirements listed above may likely be subject to
additional NEPA and NHPA reviews. More information on NEPA, NHPA, and any
additional review processes are outlined in Sections VIII and IX of this RFP.
III. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
In order to apply to the SEED Grant Program, proposers must complete and submit the
SEED Grant Program Application. The proposal form can be found as an attachment
under RFP #2026-003 on the Department's website here: Requests for Proposals | NH
Department of Energy.
The SEED Grant Program proposal form must be completed in its entirety. Failure to do
so, unless otherwise noted, will be considered an incomplete proposal and will be
ineligible for scoring. Along with the SEED Grant Program proposal form, proposers
shall include other attachments in their proposal.
Those attachments include:
1. A copy of the proposer's active registration in the Federal System for Award
Management (SAM). Proposers must print out a copy of their SAM registration
from the SAM website and include it with their proposal package.
a. Any subcontractors the proposer plans to use will have to submit a copy of their
active registrations in SAM.gov.
2. Evidence of direct ownership of the school building by the proposer - property
deed, property tax card, etc.
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 7 of 38

3. A copy of the proposer's most recent financial audit. The financial audit must be
performed by an independent third party.
4. A resume and relevant project history of the proposer's qualified project
manager, including any contractors or subcontractors working with the project
manager. Resumes should include years of experience, specifically including
energy efficiency work in commercial buildings.
5. A project budget summary. Summary should include an itemized breakdown of
all tasks to complete the project, as outlined in the contractor's bid or quote.
More information can be found in Section IV, Part B. under Project Budget
Summary.
6. A signed copy of the Department's Davis-Bacon assurance letter. This letter must
be signed by the proposer's authorized representative. A template of the Davis-
Bacon assurance letter can be found here under RFP 2026-003: Requests for
Proposals | NH Department of Energy.
7. A printout of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates from the SAM.gov website which
shall be incorporated into the contract and subcontracts, as applicable. Wage
rates will be verified by the Department and may change before final grant
agreement approval and/or project commencement.
8. Letters of community support for the project from:
a. The municipality's local governing body;
b. The school board;
c. Any one of the school's State elected officials.
See Section IV, Part B. of this RFP for more on letters of community support.
Letters of community support are not required; however, they must be
submitted with the proposal if the proposer desires to receive points for having
them during the evaluation process.
9. Preferably all proposers and subcontractors have federal funding experience,
specifically with Davis-Bacon and Related Acts reporting.
10. Any other supporting documentation relevant to a proposer's proposed project.
IV. EVALUATION PROCEDURES AND SELECTION CRITERIA
A. Proposal Evaluation Procedure
Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated in a two-step review process, followed by a
contracting phase. The evaluation will be based solely on the proposal. Therefore,
insufficient or unclear information may result in a low score,
NH Department of Energy RFP #2026-003 Page 8 of 38