REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP-2025-03-25)

CITY OF ROCHELLE

ENERGY ACTION PLAN

Issued on March 25, 2025

Full RFP at https://www.cityofrochelle.net/event/rfp-energy-action-plan/

Questions?

Please contact us at dbettner@rmu.net and Cc: info@blackhawkhills.com.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP 2025-03-25)

CITY OF ROCHELLE ENERGY ACTION PLAN

Proposals due on or before 5 pm CDT, April 30, 2025

The City of Rochelle ("Rochelle") invites consultants to submit proposals to complete an energy action plan for Rochelle/Rochelle Municipal Utilities, the Village of Creston, and the Village of Hillcrest, as described in this scope of work. Please read each section carefully for information regarding the proposal and submittal instructions.

SECTION 1. BACKGROUND AND GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 About Rochelle

Located in Ogle County, Illinois, about one hour west of Chicago's western suburbs at the intersection of interstates 39 and 88, Rochelle is a small city of 9,417 people (2018-2022 ACS 5-year). It is relatively diverse: 23.8% of the city's residents identified as Hispanic or Latino compared to 18.7% in the United States.

Adjacent to Rochelle are the Village of Creston (population 554), about two miles east of Rochelle, and Village of Hillcrest (population 1,224), which shares Rochelle's northern border. Creston and Hillcrest have close ties to Rochelle through the Rochelle Municipal Utilities (RMU), the electricity provider for all three communities. They also share job centers and a common school district - Rochelle Township High School District 212.

Rochelle's industrial sector is rapidly growing compared to the rest of Northwest Illinois, continuing to attract heavy rail-served industry after decades of investment in Rochelle's municipal rail system that connects industry to both the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads. Electricity is in high demand at Rochelle-based industrial sites, including cold storage, hydroponic lettuce and tomato production, meatpacking, and steel tubing mill facilities. Hillcrest is home to an indoor cannabis growing facility. Local officials anticipate industry's continued growth due to Rochelle's proximity to interstate highways, major railroads, and metropolitan areas.

Seeking to stabilize the cost of electricity for its customers, Rochelle partnered with cooperatives and other municipalities to build a new coal-fired power plant called Prairie State Generating Station in 2014. State law now mandates a 45% reduction in carbon emissions from coal by 2035 and a 100% reduction by 2045. Barring new legislation or technology, the anticipated loss of generating capacity as well as the competitive cost of renewables lead to risks for the city and its customers. Now is the time for strategic planning around short-term energy efficiency measures and long-term energy resiliency/environmental sustainability efforts in the form of an energy action plan.

1.2 General Information

Rochelle has been awarded funding through the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, to develop a multi-community energy action plan. The package includes $140,000 for contractual services and $4,000 for public outreach expenses. Rochelle now seeks qualified entities to create a plan that improves energy efficiency, system resiliency, and power affordability as well as increases environmental sustainability.

This RFP invites consultants to submit their credentials, experience, and proposed approach for completing the project within the $144,000 budget. Based on the proposals received, the City may select a consultant ("Firm") or request additional information before awarding the contract.

SECTION 2. PROJECT SCOPE

2.1 Project Background

The general objectives of the multi-community energy action plan include:

• Recommend short-term energy efficiency measures (includes auditing public and key stakeholder facilities in all three communities)
• Explore long-term energy resiliency/environmental sustainability efforts
• Collect energy data, engage stakeholders, set goals, and provide actionable steps to improve each community's energy future

2.2 Project Location

The project impacts three incorporated municipalities in Ogle County, including Rochelle, Creston, and Hillcrest, an area about 45 miles west of Aurora. See RFP document for maps

2.3 Scope of Work

Expected project activities and timelines are described below. Limited flexibility will be allowed regarding specific format and contents of deliverables produced.

2.3.1 Project Components

While staying engaged with stakeholders that are representative of Rochelle, Creston, and Hillcrest, the Firm will create an energy action plan that:

• Follows an education/outreach plan framework
• Engages the process steering committee
• Establishes baseline data for energy demand/supply, costs, and emissions
• Reviews state/national/international trends likely to impact the communities (like changing energy markets, climate change, decarbonization, electrification, and new technologies)
• Anticipates future energy demand/supply, cost, and emissions
• Conducts energy audits and modeling for public and key stakeholder facilities
  • Uses the audits to both articulate actionable steps for improving efficiency and inform the overall energy action plan's development
• Develops comprehensive strategies for addressing energy affordability, efficiency, and resiliency as well as environmental sustainability
  • Describes current conditions in and issues unique to the planning area (including any related to Prairie State Generating Station)
  • Includes best practices for various stakeholder groups (i.e., low-to-moderate income households, industry, public sector, not-for-profits, etc.)
  • Identifies actionable projects, programs, and policies, as well as partnerships, for public and private sectors (including those mitigating Prairie State Generating Station reliance)
• Produces an energy action plan that is adoptable by Rochelle, Village of Creston, and Village of Hillcrest and consistent with state and federal standards (including Blueprint 2)

2.3.2 Project Tasks

Project Management
The consultant will be responsible for holding regular project coordination meetings, including producing all meeting materials, notices, attendance lists, minutes/summaries, etc. A project timeline/schedule for each component should be provided in the proposal.

Consultants should be aware that Rochelle was awarded this grant, but BHRC will join in project oversight, including programmatic and financial reporting. BHRC will also review drafts of the plan along with a process steering committee consisting of key stakeholders. The consultant is responsible for engaging BHRC and the steering committee to facilitate these tasks and in general as work proceeds.

Public Outreach

Public outreach is expected throughout the planning process. The consultant must create an engagement framework addressing both the public and key stakeholders. The framework should include an overall summary and identify stakeholders, approaches, and events. It should also anticipate content and materials needed to implement the framework, such as press releases, social media posts, public meeting presentations, display boards, project website, etc.

In support of public outreach, an initial process steering committee has been formed. Along with BHRC and Rochelle, it will be responsible for providing guidance and reviewing the consultant's work. The consultant will be responsible for creating attendance lists and minutes/summaries of public and key stakeholder sessions (including stakeholder interviews, focus groups, stakeholder committee meetings, etc.).

2.4 Project Timeline

• Month 1-2: Education/outreach framework creation and initial steering committee engagement (including scheduling)
• Month 1-5: Data collection and analysis
  • Baseline establishment of energy demand/supply, costs, and emissions
  • Energy demand/supply, cost, and emissions projections
• Month 1-9: Energy audits and modeling
• Month 3-5: Stakeholder engagement sessions including issue identification and vision-setting; up to three meetings including the following groups:
  • Production, distribution, and transmission
  • Large-scale users
  • Low-to-moderate income users
• Month 5-12: Strategy development
  • Overarching goals and individual action items
  • Project identification (including projects that impact energy efficiency/sustainability practices, energy diversification, energy costs, emission reductions, low-to-moderate income household supports, and current and future industry guidance)
  • Benefit-cost analysis and project prioritization
  • Funding identification
  • Measures of progress
• Month 5-12: Education/outreach; key education/outreach activities will follow baseline establishment and draft plan development/review
• Month 10-11: Draft plan review, including up to two public meetings/open houses
• Month 11-12: Plan finalization and community adoption

2.5 Project Costs

The project will not exceed $144,000 ($140,000 to the energy action planning consultant for its services and $4,000 for public outreach (such as advertising and public notices). Consultants should produce a project scope that involves a level of effort consistent with this cost.

SECTION 3. SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

Proposals must be received by Rochelle on or before 5 pm CDT, April 30, 2025.

3.1 Timeline

RFP Issued March 25, 2025

Last Date to Submit a Question April 18, 2025

Last Date to Submit a Response April 30, 2025

Review Committee Evaluation, Ranking, and Recommendation May 2025

Selection/Contract Authorization May 2025

Contract Preparation, Amendment, and Approval June 2025

Contract Work Begins July 1, 2025

Contract Work Ends June 30, 2026

3.2 Pre-Proposal Meeting and Interviews

See RFP document

3.3 Proposal Requirements and Evaluation

See RFP document

3.4 Proposal Requirements and Evaluation

See RFP document

SECTION 4. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

See RFP document