Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) is requesting information from firms qualified to perform services for the Agency to inform the design and implementation of its Solar for All Program (SFA).
VHFA Solar for All Request For Information (published 6/9/2025)
Proposals must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, July 11, 2025.
Note: This page and the RFI schedule referred to a 5:00 PM deadline on July 11, while pg. 5 of the RFI document had an error referring to "midnight on July 11th". VHFA will accept proposals up to 11:59 PM Eastern Time on July 11th.
Q: Section 2 – Scope of Services, pg. 4: “Assess feasibility of awarding SFA funding to the following types of affordable housing projects: multifamily new construction, multifamily rehabilitation/existing properties, single family development, manufactured home communities.”, Please explain what criteria or metrics VHFA plans to use to assess feasibility, or whether VHFA is looking for support in developing these metrics. Is feasibility going to be based on financial, impact, engineering, or other areas to be measured?
VHFA has yet to establish criteria but feasibility will be based on financial, impact, engineering and perhaps other criteria with a goal of delivering minimum energy cost savings to as many low and moderate income Vermonters as possible. VHFA is looking for help in developing these metrics.
Q: Section 2 – Scope of Services, pg. 4: “Determine whether storage will be included in Solar for All projects and determine funding restrictions for inclusion in solar projects.”, Is VHFA looking for the successful bidder to determine whether the storage component will inform the satisfaction of the 20% savings requirement, or are there other criteria to be considered as to whether storage should be included, and if so, what other criteria?
At this time, VHFA has not yet identified a compelling need to include storage in its SFA projects for the target segments. However, since storage is an eligible use for SFA funds, and Vermont’s Solar for All Draft Work Plan emphasizes the benefits of storage in improving household resiliency and demand management, VHFA expects to review the potential benefits and challenges of storage options with the contracted firm(s) to make a final determination.
VHFA does not currently expect storage to impact the determination of the 20% savings requirement.
Q: Section 2 – Scope of Services, pg. 4: “Determine need for technical assistance to help developers determine solar system requirements.”, Does technical assistance mean, for example, tax, engineering, financial expertise, or other areas of knowledge? Would the developers indicate whether they need technical assistance, rather than the successful bidder make the determination that there is a need?
Technical assistance could include tax, engineering, and financial expertise, as well as other areas yet to be identified. VHFA’s SFA program will primarily target funds to affordable housing developers, many of whom already have experience in installing on-site solar. VHFA intends to conduct a public input process to assess any remaining needs, particularly among less experienced developers. In consultation with the contracted firms(s), VHFA will determine which services are needed and are feasible to offer.
Q: Section 2 – Scope of Services, pg. 4-5: “Development of subsidy model tool to analyze on-site solar arrays project debt capacity and future cash flow potential, ability to leverage energy tax credits and other subsidies alongside housing resources, to determine appropriate subsidy amounts and financing structure for awards to housing projects.”, What other subsidies does VHFA anticipate should be taken into account in this model?
Other subsidies could include Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) awards and federal renewable energy tax credits, should those sources be available to Vermont affordable housing projects. In the process of designing the program, VHFA would expect the contracted firm(s) to assist in identifying any other energy subsidies that could likely impact debt and cash flow analysis.
Q: Section 2 – Scope of Services, pg. 5: “Develop funding agreements and coordinate long-term compliance for SFA benefits alongside housing funding compliance systems.”, Does VHFA anticipate this task requiring any legal expertise in writing documents? Is VHFA requesting compliance monitoring services through the lifetime of the program or beyond?
VHFA would not require firms to offer legal advice, although the availability of those services from the offering organization may be considered in the review process.
VHFA expects that the contracted firm(s) will offer services through no longer than the period of the SFA grant (ending 09/30/2029). However, part of the contracted scope of services will include assisting VHFA in designing internal systems to support compliance through the expected 20-year compliance period required under the SFA NOFO.
Q: Section 2 – Scope of Services, pg. 5: “Determine need for additional assistance services to help housing developers and property owners with limited solar experience apply for funding and leverage energy tax credits.” How does VHFA anticipate that this determination be made, would the successful bidder perform surveys or some other methodology?
VHFA intends to conduct a public input process to assess experience in leveraging energy tax credits among housing developers and identify challenges and potential assistance needed. In consultation with the contracted firm(s), VHFA will determine which services are needed and are feasible to offer.
Q: The solicitation is labeled as a request for information, as opposed to a request for proposals. The requested information in Sections 2-5 uses the term “proposal”, and includes scope of services, staffing and proposed fees. Is it correct to assume that this solicitation and responses are intended to solicit proposals, allowing VHFA to make a selection, as opposed to being a request for information, which will be used to inform the future development of solicitation materials, and a subsequent RFP?
That is correct. At this time, VHFA does not expect to issue a subsequent RFP.
In keeping the RFI open-ended and not establishing a specific scope of deliverables, VHFA intends to seek information from firms who may have experience in some, but not all areas that VHFA will be required to develop under its Solar for All grant. For example, VHFA would consider proposals from organizations solely interested in providing services for on-site projects, or solely community solar projects.
The scope of services, staffing and proposed fees will be relevant for VHFA to determine which firms it will move forward with negotiations, but final terms will be subject to a contract agreement. Providing a detailed scope of fees related to specific tasks or services, to the extent available, may facilitate VHFA’s review.
Q: Please provide references/links to publicly available documents that provide information on the State’s Solar For All award, from the EPA, including the EPA solicitation, the State’s application, and award notification.
Vermont’s Solar for All DRAFT Work Plan
Solar for All Terms and Conditions
Vermont’s Solar for All Application to EPA
Solar for All Notice of Funding Opportunity
Q: Are there specific “stage-gate” benchmarks within the EPA award that are at risk from defunding based on a shift in federal policy and priorities? In other words, if the program meets its stage gate metrics is there a risk the funding will still be cut? If so, please provide details on the timing of such stage gates and a brief (best guess) as to how such stage gates would impact the requested solar design advisory services.
The State of Vermont must submit a revised SFA workplan (developed in coordination with VHFA) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by December, 2025. That workplan must be approved to allow the State and VHFA to complete the planning period and access funds for the implementation period of the SFA program and award funds to projects.
See EPA’s Solar for All Terms and Conditions for more information.
VHFA has not been made aware of any specific metrics or benchmarks that expose Vermont’s award to risk of defunding.
Q: Has this program been obligated and funded with the funds in an account in Vermont? If not, is it at risk for being defunded in the future?
Vermont’s Solar for All award has been obligated, and in the State’s opinion, this represents a binding agreement with EPA. However, this program is designed for awardees to draw funds as a reimbursement from EPA, and funds are not held in an account controlled by the State of Vermont.
Q: Does the application for the Solar For All program, or the State’s successful proposal include a target level of savings for participants? Are solar services through the program or proposed to be at no cost to participants? Or is there a desired average range of savings (e.g. on average participating households will save X% from their standard electric rate for the solar… or alternatively will save X%+ on their annual or monthly electric bills).
EPA SFA guidelines require at least 20% savings on electric bills. Vermont’s SFA workplan anticipates that its three programs (including MASH) will offer participants an average monthly electricity bill reduction of at least 20%, with some experiencing greater savings, depending on the program.
Under VHFA’s MASH program, grants or loans will be made to housing developers, who are responsible for making benefits available to tenants and/or eligible homebuyers or homeowners. Tenants are not expected to have costs associated with the program, but housing developers may.
VHFA expects that savings requirements are likely to be targeted at the minimum 20% for multifamily on-site projects, but this will need to be finalized as part of the program development. If SFA funds are made available to manufactured housing communities, single family housing developments, or community solar, there may be different benefit targets established.
Q: Has it been determined, or is it a remaining design task, whether it will be Solar developers, property owners, tenants, or combinations of the above that will be the target applicants for the program?
VHFA anticipates that affordable housing developers or property owners will be the target applicants for the program. It remains possible that some other structure could be proposed for the program, particularly for community solar.
Q: The solicitation states that 500 multifamily housing developments serve 15,000 residents, and also that the average multifamily affordable housing development has 30 units. Please clarify if the program’s eligible market of ~500 multifamily housing units represents 15,000 units or 15,000 residents. It appears that it is 15,000 units.
Correct, it is 15,000 units. This figure was provided solely to give offerers a better understanding of the scope of Vermont’s affordable housing development.
Q: Under Offer Qualifications in Section 3 Proposal Format, the solicitation states “please keep this portion of your response to 15 pages or less”. Is the 15-page limit applicable to just the qualifications portion of a proposal, or is 15 pages the limit for the full proposal?
Only the qualifications section of the proposal should be limited to 15 pages or less.