Water Systems Engineering Consultant

NH Department of Energy RFP #2023-001 Page 4 of 13 2. Attending stakeholder group meetings, technical sessions, settlement conferences, and hearings, as needed. Once contracted, the consultant(s) shall conduct an initial project scoping meeting with Department personnel for each project/docket. The purpose of the meeting will be to review and refine the scope, task, and project approach requirements; review the allocation of resources among foreseeable proceedings and related deliverables to establish a project plan, with key deliverables and approximate milestone dates; and establish project management and communication protocols to ensure that the information needs of both the Department and the consultant are satisfied. In the process of preparing each deliverable, the consultant(s) will work closely with Department personnel in order to facilitate effective knowledge transfer on each issue. The work of the consultant(s) will be subject to an evaluation of progress achieved against

the above-referenced scope and tasks, to take place after completion of key deliverables identified during the scope of work meeting and subsequent regular status and progress meetings. III. CONFIDENTIALITY Each proposer agrees to maintain as confidential all information received from the Department in the course of this RFP and contracting process until such time as it is instructed otherwise by the Department. A proposal must remain confidential until the effective date of any contract resulting from this RFP. A proposers disclosure or distribution of proposals or the information received from the Department other than as permitted by the Department will be grounds for disqualification. IV. COMPONENTS OF THE PROPOSAL Proposals must contain the required information below and adhere to the following outline: 1. Letter of Transmittal: Include name of proposer, contact information for, and signature of, proposed consultant. (1 page) 2. Corporate/Company/Consultant Information: Information concerning its corporate/company/consultant history; i.e., how many years in business, corporate officers or company principals, location of branch offices, professional and business association memberships, current or prior engagements involving substantive areas similar to those described in this RFP, the parties it represented in such engagements, the scope of work it performed in such engagements, and the conclusion and recommendations it made publicly in connection with such engagements. (1 page) 3. Proposed Scope of Work and Schedule: Describe the essential elements of the proposed services consistent with Section II, Scope of Services and Deliverables, and the proposed means of providing those elements and the schedule for doing so. (no more than 3 pages) NH Department of Energy RFP #2023-001 Page 5 of 13 4. Relevant Qualifications and Experience of Personnel Assigned: Detailed description of the proposers relevant experience with respect to the proposed scope of services. A list of all personnel who would be assigned to this engagement, including the project manager (if applicable), and detailed resumes (in an appendix) and summaries of each individual reflecting their relevant experience and the nature of their specific responsibilities. Identify any proposed subcontractors and their key personnel. During the course of the work, the Department must approve in writing any substitutions or changes in personnel, including any subcontractor personnel, assigned to perform the work. (no more than 3 pages, not including the resumes of the key personnel) 5. References: A list of up to three references for work performed which is similar in scope or content to that proposed, preferably within the past 3 years. (1 page) 6. Statement of Disclosure: Identification and description of any existing or potential conflicts of interest, including those that arise as a result of relationships or affiliations with utility companies under the jurisdiction of the PUC, other industry participants, trade associations, or advocacy organizations or groups that participate in, or represent stakeholders who participate in, proceedings before the PUC or Department. 7. Project Fee and Cost Estimates: Provide a detailed schedule of fees and estimated costs for completion of the work scope, including details on key personnel positions, rates, fees, and hours. The detailed cost estimates should encompass the full scope of work described in this RFP, including all items indicated in Section II above. (up to 3 pages) V. SELECTION PROCESS AND SCORING CRITERIA In addition to cost, the Department will consider the following criteria when reviewing proposals: a. Knowledge and practical experience that the organization/consultant possesses, including that of its staff and any subcontractors assigned to the engagement. b. Experience and qualifications in providing similar services in New Hampshire as well as utility regulatory agencies in other states. c. Proposed scope of work; d. Overall responsiveness to the requirements of the RFP, including completeness, clarity, and quality of the proposal. e. Interviews, if performed. NH Department of Energy RFP #2023-001 Page 6 of 13 f. References, if contacted. A. Selection Process Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated in a four-step review process, followed by a contracting phase. The four steps are summarized below: Step 1 Preliminary Review: The Department shall assess compliance with the submission requirements set forth in the RFP and minimum content set forth in Section IV. 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. Step 2 Preliminary Evaluation: An Evaluation Team consisting of Department personnel shall initially score conforming proposals according to the evaluation criteria set forth above. Step 3 Final Evaluation: If determined to be appropriate by the Evaluation Team, proposers may be invited to oral interviews. The Department retains the sole discretion to determine whether to conduct oral interviews, with which proposers, and the number of interviews. Proposers are advised that interviews may be conducted with fewer than all proposers. The purpose of oral interviews is to clarify and expound upon information provided in the written proposals. Proposers are prohibited from altering the basic substance of their proposals during the oral interviews. Proposers may be asked to provide written clarifications of elements in their proposals, regardless of whether an oral interview will be conducted. References will be reviewed and/or contacted during Step 3, if determined to be appropriate by the Evaluation Team. Information gained from oral interviews and references will be used to refine scores assigned during the Step 2 review and evaluation of the proposal. The Evaluation Team shall generate final consensus scores for each proposal, rank all proposals from best to least qualified as determined by their final scoring in accordance with the above procedures, determine its highest qualified proposer(s), and submit its recommendation to the Commissioner of the Department, to whom which selection is subject to review and approval. Step 4 Contract Negotiation and Execution: The Department shall negotiate with the recommended proposer(s), if necessary, and develop a contract and related documents consistent with this RFP, then submit the completed contract to the Commissioner of the Department for approval and execution. NH Department of Energy RFP #2023-001 Page 7 of 13 Notwithstanding any other provision of this RFP, this RFP does not commit the Department to make an award of a contract. The Department reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any or all proposals, or any portions thereof, for any reason, at any time, including, but not limited to, canceling the RFP, and to solicit new proposals under a new procurement process. Proposals shall be deemed incomplete and ineligible if information that is essential to the scoring evaluation is not included in the proposal. Proposals that fail to meet the following requirements will be deemed ineligible: Filing of a timely proposal, with the correct number of paper and electronic copies, and containing all mandatory elements. All proposals deemed ineligible shall receive notification of that determination. Broadly, the Department will evaluate all proposals received and deemed eligible based upon completeness, clarity, quality of the proposal, how well the proposal meets the specified work scope and applicable timeline requirements, the qualifications and relevant experience of the consulting team, and the likelihood of the completion of all consulting work within the contract period. All proposals deemed eligible for consideration will be evaluated based upon the specific criteria identified. B. Scoring Criteria The Evaluation Team shall consider all of the following criteria, and assign a corresponding point score, where a maximum score for all criteria shall be 100 points. The Department reserves the right not to consider any proposal with a total aggregate point score of less than 70 points. 1. Employee and Subcontractor Qualifications: Qualifications, technical expertise, certifications, and knowledge that the organization or individual possesses, including that of the staff and any subcontractors proposed to be assigned to the engagement, providing services directly relevant to the specified scope of services. (Maximum Point Score: 20) 2. Proposed Scope of Work: Clarity and appropriateness of proposed general approaches and demonstrated knowledge of relevant subject matter, including proposed allocation of resources and time to critical tasks, proposed scope of work, and project schedule. (Maximum Point Score: 15) 3. Jurisdictional Experience: General experience providing similar services in New Hampshire including familiarity with existing dockets, as well as utility regulatory agencies in other states, including similar current or prior engagements. Engagements relevant to New Hampshire utility affiliates in other jurisdictions may be considered. (Maximum Point Score: 30) NH Department of Energy RFP #2023-001 Page 8 of 13 4. Cost of Consulting Services: Cost of consulting services and expenses, including the competitiveness of the proposed budget and/or hourly rates and any proposed discounts or other benefits. (Maximum Point Score: 30) 5. Responsiveness to RFP: Overall responsiveness to the requirements of the RFP, including completeness, clarity, and quality of proposal. (Maximum Point Score: 5) VI. TERM OF CONTRACT The term of the contract with any selected proposer(s) will be for a period of one year from the contract effective date, roughly expected to be approximately May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024. The contract term may be extended by up to one additional year to conduct similar work from approximately May 1, 2024 through April 30, 2025, and the not-to-exceed amount may be increased, all at the sole option of the State, contingent upon satisfactory contractor performance, projected requirements for similar consulting services, and, when applicable, Governor and Executive Council approval. VII. GENERAL CONDITIONS The Department reserves the right to: reject or accept any or all proposals, or any part thereof; to determine what constitutes a conforming proposal; to waive irregularities that it considers non-material to the proposal, solely as it deems to be in the best interests of the State; to negotiate with any selected firm(s) or individual(s) in any manner deemed necessary to best serve the interests of the State, including to negotiate lower fees or a different hourly rate structure; and to contract for any portion of the proposals submitted and to contract with more than one proposer. In the event that the Department determines to contract with more than one proposer, the Department reserves the right to assign proceedings to proposers according to relevant qualifications and experience, and availability. This RFP and all information relating to this RFP (including, but not limited to, fees, contracts, agreements, and prices), are subject to the laws of the State of New Hampshire regarding public information and state procurement of goods and services. 1. If the Department decides to award a contract as a result of this RFP process, any award is contingent upon approval of the contract by the Commissioner of the Department and, if applicable, the Governor and Executive Council with payment subject to the Departments special utility assessment process. Payments hereunder are contingent upon the availability of funds assessed pursuant to RSA 365:37. The Department shall assess the costs of the contract to the appropriate party(ies) and upon payment of the assessment, will process payment to the consultant. General funds will not be requested to support the contract resulting from this RFP. At the sole discretion of the Department, payment may be made using general assessment funds if a special assessment pursuant to RSA 365:37 cannot be made.