Energy Service Providers (ESPs)

ADVERTISEMENT FOR RESPONSES TO REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Notice is hereby given that Hancock County School District shall receive responses from qualified Energy
Service Providers (ESPs) to provide energy conservation equipment and services under an Energy
Services Contract for a two (2) year term. Said responses are to be delivered to 18375 Highway 603,
Kiln, MS 39556 in accordance with this RFQ.
ESP qualifications will be submitted in accordance with Section 31-7-14 of the Mississippi Code, the
Mississippi Development Authority-Energy Division's Policy and Procedures for Energy Service Providers
and the Request for Qualifications.
A detailed "Request for Qualifications" may be obtained from the Project Manager:
Spencer Breland
Hancock County School District
18375 Highway 603
Kiln, MS 39556
sbreland@hancockschools.net
(228) 255-0376
All correspondence should be directed to:
Kendrick Lacoste
Hancock County School District
18375 Highway 603
Kiln, MS 39556
klacoste@hancockschools.net
(228) 255-0376
Publish: September 24, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)
Issued by
Hancock County School District
For Energy Services
INTRODUCTION
Hancock County School District (hereinafter referred to as "Customer") seeks specific qualifications from
interested Energy Services Providers (ESPs) that are capable of providing a comprehensive energy
services contract that will reduce energy and operational costs across Customer facilities.
Section 31-7-14 of the Mississippi Code defines Energy services provider and Energy services contract as
the following:
"Energy services provider" means a person or business with a successful record of documented energy
savings projects that is experienced in the design, implementation and installation of energy conservation
measures; has the technical capabilities to verify that such measures generate energy and operational
cost savings or enhanced revenues; has the ability to guarantee the savings; has the ability to secure or
arrange the financing necessary to support the implementation of the energy conservation measures; and
is approved by the division.
"Energy services contract" means an agreement to provide energy services which include, but are not
limited to, the design, installation, financing and maintenance or management of the energy systems or
equipment in order to improve its energy efficiency. Payments for the contract are not contingent upon
the actual savings realized from the equipment.
At a minimum, the ESP must have met the following qualifications:
* Licensed in the State of Mississippi
* An approved general contractor by the State of Mississippi
* An approved ESP by the Mississippi Development Authority Energy & Natural Resources Division
* An - ESP that is headquartered in Mississippi will be given preference as allowed by law.
GENERAL RESULTS DESIRED
The Customer seeks a broad range of services and capital improvements in order to reduce the
consumption and related costs of energy use across customer facilities and infrastructure. These
services and capital improvements will be provided and financed through an energy services contract
under which the Customer: a.) incurs no initial capital costs;
b.) achieves significant long-term savings; c.) achieves energy savings and operations and maintenance
(O&M) savings which can include material, labor and avoided future equipment replacements; d.) obtains
consistent levels of occupant comfort and building functionality. All proposed O&M savings must be
clearly documented and will be rigorously reviewed by the Customer.
The Customer seeks to maximize energy savings and related improvements. Within the framework of
available financing, therefore, ESPs are encouraged to advocate the installation and implementation of
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improvements providing the greatest possible energy and O&M savings. Essential services and
improvements sought are those that will reduce energy consumption in the Customer's facilities, upgrade
capital energy-related equipment, improve building operations and save costs through fuel switching or
improved demand management, and aid in meeting environmental management responsibilities.
The payback period for the energy services contract shall not exceed twenty (20) years. The capital cost
avoidance coupled with the energy savings achieved by the installed energy efficiency measures (EEMs)
need to be sufficient to cover all project costs for the duration of the contract term including any desired
annual maintenance and monitoring at a minimum, the capital cost avoidance as well as the energy and
O&M savings should be structured to correspond to the annual financing costs associated with the
project.
REQUIRED SYSTEMS AND SERVICES CAPABILITIES
ESPs must have the demonstrated technical and managerial capabilities to address a broad range of
building energy systems and provide a comprehensive set of energy services. Energy systems include,
but are not limited to, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting, windows, insulation and
energy management controls, life safety measures that provide long-term, operating-cost reductions,
building operation programs that reduce operating costs, other energy-conservation-related
improvements, including improvements or equipment related to renewable energy, and other natural
resources conservation, including accuracy and measurement of water distribution and/or consumption,
and other equipment, services and improvements providing energy efficiency.
Energy services include, but are not limited to, an investment grade technical energy audit and report; the
design, acquisition, installation, modification maintenance, commissioning, monitoring and training in the
operation of new and/or existing energy systems which will reduce energy consumption associated with
the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, the lighting system, building envelope, water usage,
and other energy using devices, as well as for savings which would not reduce consumption per se, but
are aimed at cost savings related to energy use, such as sewage, solid waste collection, fuel switching or
demand reductions.
Any stipulated energy and/or non-energy cost savings that may be attributed to this project will be
rigorously reviewed and, if agreed to, will be limited to those that can be thoroughly documented and
verified by the ESP and approved by the Customer. Additional services may include continuing O&M for
all improvements and/or training of the Customer's staff on routine maintenance and operation of systems
as well as training of occupants. Monitoring and verification (M&V) services include appropriate
measurement and reporting of the performance and savings from improvements.
OVERVIEW OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Contract Term. No payback period shall exceed twenty (20) years in duration and is subject to annual
appropriations.
Financial Review. Detailed financial projections of project benefits are dependent upon the scope of
technical retrofits finally selected and installed. It is premature to place a major emphasis on projected
financial benefits prior to the completion of a detailed engineering study and negotiation of the project
structure. During contract negotiations, the ESP shall disclose cost markups which will be applied during
the subsequent technical energy analysis and energy services contract. Open book pricing during the
construction stage will be required, such that pricing information or bids on individual products and
services will be available for review by the Customer. Respondents are encouraged to carefully review
the evaluation criteria in the RFQ under Financial Approach and to respond as fully as possible.
O&M Savings. Any O&M cost savings proposed by the selected ESP will be rigorously reviewed and, if
agreed to, will be limited to those that can be thoroughly documented and approved by the Customer.
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Investment Grade Technical Energy Audit Report. The technical energy audit report must include
estimates of savings for each measure and must include an estimate of all costs including design,
engineering, installation, maintenance, repairs and debt service.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS
It is anticipated that the process for the procurement of these energy services will proceed in three stages.
1.) SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN QUALIFICATIONS: The Customer through its designated
representatives will review and evaluate the written responses to this Request for Qualifications
(RFQ) in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Attachment B. The Customer will
either select the most qualified ESP or request oral interviews from a shortlist of candidates of the
procurement process.
2.) ORAL INTERVIEW: If so desired following the review of the RFQ packages, a shortlist of
qualified firms may participate in an oral interview to more fully discuss how their qualifications to
this project satisfy the evaluation criteria set forth in Attachment B. ESPs will be required to
answer questions posed by the Project Evaluation Team. It will be the sole responsibility of the
Project Evaluation Team to make the final selection of an ESP based upon the evaluation of
written responses to the RFQ, client reference checking, and the oral responses received during
the interview process.
3.) SELECTION OF ESP TO ENTER INTO INVESTMENT GRADE AUDIT AGREEMENT: Based on
the consensus of the Project Evaluation Team and approval by the Customer, the best qualified
ESP will be selected to perform the requested services. The Customer and the selected ESP
shall enter into an Investment Grade Audit Agreement. The ESP's proposed contract terms must
include a complete set of proposed energy improvements, the timetable for completing
engineering and construction work, a detailed description of services to be provided, specific
financing arrangements and terms, and an estimate of energy savings, as well as special
conditions offered by the company. The Customer intends to negotiate a final Energy Services
Agreement (ESA) for these services. If the Customer decides not to enter into a contract after the
audit report has been accepted, the Customer agrees to pay the cost of the audit as stated in the
contract, provided that all contract terms and conditions of the audit have been met by the ESP. If
an acceptable contract cannot be reached within 90 days from the date of ESP selection,
negotiations with the second-ranked ESP may be initiated.
RESTRICTION OF CONTACT
From the issue date of this RFQ until the Customer selects a respondent for award, the contact person
listed below is the sole point of contact concerning this RFQ. Any violation of this condition may be cause
to reject the offending ESPs submission. If it is discovered that the ESP has engaged in any violations of
this condition, the offending ESPs response may be rejected or contract award rescinded. ESPs must
agree not to distribute any part of their submissions. An ESP that shares information contained in its
submission with other Customer personnel and/or competing ESP personnel may be disqualified.
Direct all inquiries concerning this RFQ to:
Kendrick Lacoste
Hancock County School District
18375 Highway 603
Kiln, MS 39556
klacoste@hancockschools.net
(228) 255-0376
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SUBMITTAL FORMAT
Companies who wish to be considered by the Customer must submit an original and four (4) copies of
Attachment D (the ESP Profile Form and ESP Qualifications & Approach to Project). All submissions
become the property of the Customer and will not be returned to the ESP.
The Customer reserves the right to reject any or all submissions and to waive informalities and minor
irregularities in submissions received and to accept any submissions if deemed in its best interest to do
so. All costs associated with submission preparation will be borne by the submitting company.
TO AID ESPS IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THIS REQUEST, THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE ATTACHED:
OVERVIEW OF ATTACHMENTS
To aid companies in their response to this request the following items are attached:
Attachment A: Schedule
Attachment B: Evaluation Criteria
Attachment C: Contract Terms and Conditions
Attachment D: ESP Profile Form and Approach to Project
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ATTACHMENT A
SCHEDULE
The following schedule for the RFQ is proposed and may change during the project.
Activity Dates
Advertise/Issue RFQ September 24th
Written Qualifications Due October 12th
Written Qualifications Reviewed/Evaluated; October 12th - 31st
Oral Interviews/Presentations November 2nd
ESP Selection December 3rd
Approval of ESP Selection December 3rd
Preliminary Contract Negotiations December 5th
Investment Grade Audit Executed December - January 2027
Investment Grade Audit Report Submitted January 31st
Negotiations and Execution of Energy Services Agreement February 5th
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ATTACHMENT B
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The criteria listed below will be used in the evaluation of written submissions, interviews with previous
ESP clients, and the responses of ESPs during oral interviews, as appropriate. These criteria will be
applied and interpreted solely at the discretion of the Customer. Written responses should include all
necessary information that is pertinent to these evaluation criteria. Additional information required for the
proper assessment of written submissions may be requested from the ESP at the discretion of the
Customer. The criteria are not ranked in order of importance.
Minimum Requirements
ESP will not be considered for Energy Services with Hancock County School District if the following
minimum qualifications are not met:
Check if Met
Business located in the State of Mississippi
A licensed general contractor in the state of Mississippi
A pre-qualified ESP by the MS-MDA Energy & Natural Resources Division
Supplemental Documentation (Scoring weight: 25%)
Rating 1-10
(worst-best)
Quality of Sample Investment Grade Audit
Quality of Audited Financial Statements
Quality of Client Questionnaire 1
Quality of Client Questionnaire 2
Quality of Client Questionnaire 3
Experience (Scoring weight: 20%)
Rating 1-10
(worst-best)
1 Company history and number of years in business
1g ESPs experience with implementing energy related projects (specific branch office
team members assigned to this project, single technology projects will not be
considered).
Personnel Information (Scoring weight: 10%)
Rating 1-10
(worst-best)
2a Qualifications and experience of ESPs personnel.
2b Demonstration of in-house design, construction, and measurement and verification
capabilities.
2c Clear assignment of responsibility for various tasks to specific individuals.
Project History (Scoring weight: 15%)
Rating 1-10
(worst-best)
3a Diversity of ECMs included
3b History of product neutrality.
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3c Quality of Project History documentation
3c Ability to manage construction and complete all phases of the project on schedule.
3c Documented energy savings on previous projects.
3c Reliability of equipment performance on past projects.
Financial References (Scoring weight: 10%)
Rating 1-10
(worst-best)
4 Financial soundness and stability of the ESP.
4d Company does not owe State of Mississippi any taxes.
4e Company is not currently under suspension or debarment by the State of Mississippi,
any other state or the federal government.
ESP Qualifications and Approach to Project (Scoring weight: 20%)
Rating 1-10
(worst-best)
7.2 Quality of proposed training for facility staff.
7.3 Reasonableness of proposed audit costs.
7.4 Quality of baseline energy calculations.
7.5 Quality of approach to open-book pricing.
7.6 Quality of approach to savings calculations and measurement.
7.7 Demonstrated ability to arrange project financing.
The establishment, application, and interpretation of the above criteria shall be solely within the discretion
of the Customer. The Customer reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.
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ATTACHMENT C
CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The minimum conditions the Customer will accept from the selected ESP are described below. This
section defines the scope of services related to the technical requirements that will be included in any final
contract. It also defines the key contractual provisions.
1. Scope of Services (Technical Requirements)
The Scope of Services must be included in any energy services contract the Customer enters
into, and must include the following items at a minimum:
a. Investment Grade Technical Energy Audit and Report. The ESP's proposed contract terms
must include the performance and presentation of results from a detailed investment grade
technical energy audit and report of acceptable quality to the Customer. If the Customer
decides not to enter into a contract after the audit report has been accepted, the Customer
agrees to pay the cost of the audit as stated in the submitted response to this RFQ, provided
that all contract terms and conditions of the audit have been met by the ESP. Note: These
conditions have been described previously and can be negotiated into the audit contract.
Debt service for each measure is not likely to provide useful information unless there is
something specific to MS law that requires it.
b. Standards of Comfort. Specific standards of comfort, safety and functionality will not be
degraded from the existing condition and/or shall meet minimum established industry
standards. The ESP will be responsible for maintaining the levels of comfort for each building.
Persistent failure to maintain the defined climate and lighting conditions will constitute a
default.
c. Professional Engineer Involvement. A registered professional engineer must, at a minimum,
review and approve design work done under this contract.
d. Construction Management. The ESP will be required to work with current building
management and maintenance personnel in order to coordinate construction and provide
appropriate training in operations and maintenance of all installed improvements. No
equipment or other improvements will be installed that would require the Customer to hire
additional personnel unless contract negotiations produce an explicit exemption for a specific
installation.
e. Equipment Standardization. All equipment installed that is comparable to similar equipment
at other sites operated by the Customer shall be of the same manufacturer for standardization
of equipment agency wide, unless otherwise accepted by the Customer.
g. Maintenance Manuals. At least two (2) maintenance manuals for each site will be provided
for all equipment replacements and/or upgrades at each location. Manuals are subject to
approval of Customer.
h. As-Built Drawings. Where applicable, ESP must provide mylar, reproducible "as built" and
record drawings (or such electronic equivalents as may be agreed to with the Customer) of all
existing and modified conditions associated with the project, conforming to typical
engineering standards. These should include architectural, mechanical, electrical, structural,
and control drawings and operating manuals within 30 days of completion of installation.
i. Maintenance Services. Maintenance services shall be negotiated between the Customer and
ESP and described in detail in the final contract.
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j. Customer Activities. Customer reserves the right to make energy improvements to the work
sites and to monitor the performance of the installations independently of the ESP.
2. Contractual Provisions
Key elements that must be provided for in any energy services contract that Customer enters will,
at a minimum, include the following:
a. Written Submissions. The contents of the ESPs submissions in response to this solicitation
will become part of any final agreement between the Customer and the contractor.
b. Meeting Project Schedule. The ESP must provide a final schedule of project milestones
including equipment-servicing and preventive maintenance provisions that may become part
of any final contract. ESP is responsible for meeting schedule deadlines. In the event any
milestone or service provision is not met as scheduled without prior approval from the
Customer, the Customer reserves the right to consider it a default and withdraw from all
contractual obligations without penalty.
c. Customer Inspection. The Customer must have the right to inspect, test and approve the
work conducted in the facilities during construction and operation. The Customer shall have
the reasonable right and access to the account books, records, and other compilations of data
that are related to and pertain to the performance of the provisions and requirements of this
agreement. This is covered below by the open book pricing requirement. Records shall be
kept on a generally recognized accounting basis, and calculations will be kept on file in legible
form and retained for three years after close-out. The Customer retains the right to have its
representative visit the site during the analysis and implementation phases of the project, and
to attend relevant on-site or off-site meetings of the ESP and/or its subcontractors.
d. Final Approval of Customer. The Customer retains final approval over the scope of work and
all end-use conditions.
e. Repayment of Project Financing. The repayment obligation and term of the financing for this
project must be arranged to coincide with the acceptance by the Customer that the project is
fully installed and functioning.
f. Property of Drawings, Reports and Materials. All drawings, reports and materials prepared by
the ESP specifically in performance of this contract shall become the property of the
Customer and will be delivered to the Customer as needed or upon completion of
construction.
g. Compliance. All work completed under this contract must be in compliance with all applicable
federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations such as building codes and appropriate
accreditation, certification and licensing standards. Work must be in accordance with sound
engineering and safety practices and in compliance with all Customer regulations relative to
the premises. The ESP and its subcontractors will be responsible for obtaining any and all
required governmental permits, consents and authorizations, and for payment of any and all
state and city required taxes and fees which result from is contract. The contract must comply
with the statutory provisions of 31-7-14 of the Mississippi Code.
h. Handling of Hazardous Materials. All work completed under this contract must be in
compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations regarding
waste disposal and treatment/disposal of any hazardous materials that could result from this
project. Work must also be in accordance with sound engineering and safety practices, and
in compliance with all reasonable Customer rules relative to the premises. In the event the
ESP encounters any such hazardous materials, the ESP shall immediately notify the
customer and stop work pending further direction from the customer. The State may, in its
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