The Department of Energy is extending the deadline for industry feedback on its Energy Savings Performance Contracts ("ESPC") to May 17, 2013.
The Department of Energy website explains ESPCs as follows:
An ESPC is a partnership between a Federal agency and an energy service company (ESCO). The ESCO conducts a comprehensive energy audit for the Federal facility and identifies improvements to save energy. In consultation with the Federal agency, the ESCO designs and constructs a project that meets the agency's needs and arranges the necessary funding. The ESCO guarantees that the improvements will generate energy cost savings sufficient to pay for the project over the term of the contract. After the contract ends, all additional cost savings accrue to the agency. Contract terms up to 25 years are allowed.
ESPCs frequently target predictable projects, such as facility utility system upgrades (HVAC, electrical, etc.). However, the Department of Energy is specifically seeking feedback on, among other things, how to employ ESPCs in new and innovative or underutilized ways. For example, there are already initiatives within the DoD to acquire next generation computing capability funded through the energy savings yielded from improvements like server consolidation and virtualization.
It's not every day that the Government tries to be innovative in its approach to acquisition, and it's even less frequent that such innovation is specifically authorized by Congress. This is an important opportunity to have your input considered. We also welcome your thoughts in the comments section here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
