City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2024
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: JULIAN GONSALVES, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Receipt and referral of bids for a Franchise to use certain public property to design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove electric vehicle supply equipment for the use and benefit of the public, including incidental design, construction, and modifications to City infrastructure to further and accommodate such use.
BODY
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ISSUE: Receipt and referral of bids for the granting of a Franchise to use certain public property to design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for the use and benefit of the public, including incidental design, construction, and modifications to City infrastructure to further and accommodate such use for City Manager review.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Receive the names of the bidding companies that submitted bids to the City in accordance with the terms and specifications outlined in the Ordinance adopted by City Council on July 2, 2024;
2. Request and receive any additional bids from any potential bidders at City Council’s September 24, 2024 meeting;
3. Refer bids to the City Manager for evaluation, review, and consideration in the manner prescribed by law, including the negotiation of a franchise agreement with the preferred bidder; and
4. Direct the City Manager to recommend to City Council, as soon as feasible, a firm to be awarded a Public EVSE Franchise by City Council.
BACKGROUND: On July 2, 2024, City Council adopted an ordinance (Attachment 1, Attachment 2) to solicit bids for a franchise for a vendor to provide services to design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove publicly available EVSE at no cost to the City.
To support the growing adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) to meet the goals outlined in the City’s Energy and Climate Change Action Plan (ECCAP), there is a demand for the City to deploy publicly accessible EV chargers on public property (e.g., parking garages, parking lots, parks, libraries, recreation centers).
The City has researched various business models and approaches for deploying publicly accessible EV chargers on City property and following the issue of a Request for Industry Information (RFII), several vendors have expressed interest in providing turnkey EVSE installation, operation, and maintenance at no cost to the City.
DISCUSSION: Pursuant to the ordinance adopted on July 2, 2024, the City issued and publicized an invitation for bid for a Franchise to use certain public property to design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove publicly available EVSE at no cost to the City. The City Clerk placed advertisements in local newspapers which notified potential bidders how to bid and provided the due date for bids. This information was also provided on the City’s web page.
Bids were due to the City by 4:00pm ET on September 13, 2024. The Code of Virginia requires that the Presiding Officer read the names of the bidders in an open session. Accordingly, it is recommended that Presiding Officer make the following statement at the meeting:
“As of September 13, 2024, City staff has received timely responses to Ordinance No. 5556 from Blink, Greenspot, LQ Contracting, OBE Power, and Shell. Each of these bidders has submitted proposed public EV charging franchises for review and evaluation by City staff. Are there any other companies who, at this time wish, to submit a bid in response to the Ordinance? Accordingly, at this time, the bids are referred to the City Manager to be reviewed and further evaluated by City staff. The City Manager is to return with a proposed recommended public EV charging franchise agreement for approval by City Council as soon as is feasible.”
Based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the Terms and Specifications for Bids for Franchise (Attachment 3) and summarized below, staff would then select a preferred bidder from those bidders that are determined to be responsible, and negotiate a franchise agreement for recommendation to City Council.
Bids will be evaluated on the following four criteria:
• Qualifications and Performance
• Technical Approach
• Key Personnel and Team Composition
• Financial Bid
FRANCHISE AWARD TIMETABLE: After City Council refers the names of the bidders to the City Manager, staff will evaluate each bid based on the City’s established criteria and begin franchise negotiations with the selected bidder. The City Manager will bring the successfully negotiated franchise agreement to City Council for approval. The timing of when the recommendation returns to Council depends on the length of the negotiation with the proposed bidder.
FISCAL IMPACT: The awarded franchisee will design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove publicly available EVSE at no cost to the City. The City may receive a share of revenue or fixed payments from the Franchisee. The City will continue to pursue federal and state grant opportunities to facilitate the installation of additional chargers across the City, with a focus on Justice40 areas. Staffing efforts during the franchise term include permitting reviews, community engagement, and project oversight to ensure the EVSE are installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with City standards and community expectations.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: June 25, 2024, Docket Memo (July 2, 2024, Public Hearing)
Attachment 2: Public EV Charging Franchise Ordinance
Attachment 3: Terms and Specifications for Bids for Franchise
Attachment 4: Presentation
STAFF:
Ryan Freed, Climate Action Officer
Amy Posner, Electric Vehicle Planner
Shawn Lassiter, Assistant City Attorney