Frequently Asked Questions - Energy $mart
Energy $mart RFP
For example, please advise what the difference between supplies and WAP materials, or vehicle expenses and travel. Offerors should provide high level budget numbers, not detailed budgets. Page 3 of the RFP lists and provides a brief description of all the budget categories.
- An example of a Vehicle Expense would be the purchase or maintenance of a vehicle.
- An example of Travel would be anticipated travel expenses, such as fuel and per diem, necessary to serve the Offeror's proposed territory.
- WAP materials relate to items being put into a home, such as insulation or light bulbs.
- Supplies refers to office supplies needed for your operation that are not attached to a home such as paper, ink etc.
- Maintenance, Repairs and Property Insurance refers to the structure that houses the weatherization program.
The NM Energy$mart Program will provide tools and equipment to successful Offerors, these items do not need to be included in the budget.
The PDF document of the RFP is the correct Application document. MFA has removed the incorrect word version of the application and will upload the correct Application document in Word format as soon as possible.
The MFA review team contains staff that work outside of the NM Energy$mart program. RFP packages are not altered in any way when disbursed to the review team therefore it is important that you provide complete packages, which would include “proof of work” and “proof of frequency of findings” for review.
The RFP lists the Building Performance Instutute's (BPI) certifications. These nationally recognized certifications require an individual to pass a proctored exam from a BPI affiliate, such as the NM Energy$mart Academy at Santa Fe Community College. BPI courses and NM Energy$mart trainings prepare individuals to pass thes tests, however, that training is not a substitute for the certification.
BPI describes the two "Envelope" certifications as follows:
Envelope – quantify performance and prescribe improvements to help tighten the building envelope (shell), stop uncontrolled air leakage and optimize comfort, durability and HV/AC performance.
Residential Building Envelope Whole House Air Leakage Control Installer – implement measures to tighten the building envelope to reduce energy loss from air leakage and also reduce pollutants and allergens through air migration. Improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency through the proper installation of dense-pack insulation materials.
For the category "“Frequency of Findings: Federal Funds,” please provide the most current letter dated 2010 or 2011. Anything older than that is not necessary to provide. If you did not receive a letter from a monitoring, please a list the names of the agencies and the dates of the most recent monitoring visit." If the Offeror was not monitoried it is acceptable to list the federal sources that have not conducted a monitoring visit as "No Monitoring Visit/Letter."
Yes. Offerors may provided MFA with legible, double-sided documents.
Please provide 1 (one) bound copy of your external audit on top of the proposal.
Page 7 of RFP: 2.4 Additional Proposal Requirements Applications and forms may be downloaded from the MFA website: www.housingnm.org. Where are the forms located?
The forms are located at: http://www.housingnm.org/general-publications.
Page 11 # 6 Finanical Management:
- In the RFP Training, We were told that we needed to mark up the budgets to include Admin, Leverage, and T & TA is this correct?
- Also in normal budgets we allocate items to admin, program, leverage, H&S and T & TA on the budget form provided, we do not have that option.
- What total are you looking for in the budget form provided? Do you want the Estimated amounts provided my MFA or do you want it to include amounts including all of the above mentioned categories? Please advise.
- An Offeror does not need to include Admin, Leverage and T & TA into the budget form that has been provided
- Offerors may include their desired T & TA amount in the training section of their training plan; however, this is not mandatory.
- Please provide estimates based on the amounts provided by MFA.
Is it possible for MFA to provide a sample RFP response that would provide guidance to applicants who are new to the WAP. Information that would be especially helpful is a QAP that has had MFA approval, and a description of the makeup of the crew that others use to accomplish this work. Thank you for your assistance.
The intent of this section is for the Offeror to provide MFA with the process that it will use to implement the program.
This RFP is new and no prior proposals nor approved Quality Assurance Plans are available. MFA will not be able to provide a sample RFP response.
In terms of staffing, the NM Energy$mart Technical Standards (Standards)provide a description of the different job categories in section 15000 “Weatherization Personnel.” More detail from a Department of Energy Perspective can be found at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/retrofit_guidelines_overview.html#pubs. DOE “core competencies” by job category are available here: http://www.waptac.org/Training-Tools/Core-Competencies.aspx.
In terms of Quality Assurance Plans, the Standards Section 2900 describes Final Inspection procedures. In addition, the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs has a sample final inspection “best practice.”
Answered in a previous question.
The budget should be based on each individual region.
Is there a breakdown for the following Admin. and what is the 5% based on. Also where do we get the rest of the line items for Prog. Ops,Leverage, Health and Safety T&TA and for how may years?
Offerors should submit the most accurate estimates possible. MFA will determine final allocations and will support the successful Offerors in developing complete budgets.
- Admin can be no more than 5 % of the total award.
- Line items should reflect true estimated costs for audit liability insurance, leverage.
- Leverage can be up to 5% of the total award.
- T & TA has historically been 5% of the total, but the Offeror can make a case for their training plan up to 15% if justified by need.
- Program Operations can be determined by using the Mock Schedule A.
- At the state level, Health & Safety has been budgeted at 15% of program operations.
On Page 21 - Attachment B Estimated Funding & Production by County - Please clarify that the dollar amount given in the region is the Progarm Ops amount only?
The dollar amounts on Attachment B are estimates of Program Ops only.
Item 2.4.3 in the rfp says that MFA forms released with the application, including application, budgets, certifications, and schedules must be on forms provided by MFA. The only form we can find on the MFA website is the 2012 NM Energy$mart RFP Application checklist. Are there budget, schedule, certifications, or other forms we must use and where are they on the website?Thank you.
We apologize for the confusion. As of this date there are now forms for the Application, Budget and Certifications on the website.
Page 7 of the RFP says 1 original and six copies of the application and all required schedules and attachments. The RFP checklist says 1 original and 4 copies. Which is correct?Thank you.
The correct answer is 1 original and 6 copies
Please clarify the clarification posted 11/29 re letters of recommendation. We currently provide services in multiple counties. Do we need to provide a letter from a unit of local government for each county we currently serve? For example, if we serve 5 counties now, we need to include 5 letters in the proposal. Thank you.
What do Offeror’s provide if the monitoring agency has not provided a letter and what years are required?
Please provide the most current letter dated 2010 or 2011. Anything older than that is not necessary to provide. If you did not receive a letter from a monitoring, please a list the names of the agencies and the dates of the most recent monitoring visit.
The requirement states that if Offeror is not a unit of local government, Offeror must submit a Letter of Recommendation from a unit of local government from areas where the Offeror has performed services. A Letter of Recommendation should be in the form of a letter supporting the Offeror’s application, dated no more than 180 days prior to the application date, signed by a local government official authorized to sign such a letter of the city, town, village or tribe in which the program activity will take place. For activities that will take place in unincorporated areas, the county is the unit of local government. The letter must specifically endorse the project/activity proposed in the application.
As clarification, In order to fulfill the RFP requirement an Offeror must submit one (1) letter of support from a unit of local government where an Offeror has, or is currently performing services. If an Offeror is ultimately awarded a service territory, a letter of support from a unit of local government for the awarded service territory will become part of their contract for NM Energy$mart.
An Active GB 02 or GB 98 license is required as part of minimum threshold. The question is whether an agency can certify that they will obtain the proper certification if awarded NM Energy$mart Funds.
At a minimum, an Offeror should have a partnership in place that is contingent on the award of funding in order to pass the GB 02 or GB 98 requirement. Proof of this can be in form of MOU with the qualifying party.
The RFP states the CPA’s auditors report must be conducted in accordance with Government Auditing Standards (GAS). The presentation states it must conform to GAAP Standards. What is the correct reference?
The correct Reference is that the audit must conform to Government Auditing Standards (GAS).
