Request for Information: NARC Seeks Cooperative Procurement Partner for AFVs in the Private Sector
Download: RFI: Proposed National Procurement for Private Sector Fleets
Purpose/Introduction
The purpose of this Request for Information ("RFI") is to facilitate a process to gauge interest from trade associations or other agencies that have a national membership base or the capacity to reach a national target audience to create a cooperative procurement program that includes alternative fuel vehicles (AFV). The target audience is private sector fleets, or the commercial market. The Fleets for the Future (F4F) project currently includes a national-scale public sector procurement initiative for AFVs along with fleet services, parts and equipment. The National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) and the F4F team have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces in promoting AFVs through NJPA's national vehicle program already in place. NJPA has nine national vendors under contract that offer a selection of fleet services, parts, equipment, school buses, and vehicles and chassis, with AFV upfit options for purchase and possible leasing arrangements. It would be ideal to set up a program similar, if smaller in scale, to the NJPA program to respond to the needs of the private sector fleet market.
Requests for clarification or questions must be submitted in writing to National Association of Regional Councils (NARC), Attention Sarah Reed (sarah [at] narc [dot] org) no later than May 15, 2017 by 4 p.m. EDT. Responses will be addressed by addendum and posted on NARC's F4F webpage.
Submission Due Date
Submit your response electronically to sarah [at] narc [dot] org by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Friday, June 2, 2017 (the "Response Due Date"). NARC requests the document(s) be in PDF format. It is the responsibility of the respondent submitting a proposal by email to ensure that the proposal has been received by the appropriate NARC staff, and not blocked by a spam filter or rejected because of large attachments. To confirm receipt, you may contact Sarah Reed.
Administered by the National Association of Regional Councils, Fleets for the Future (F4F) is a national partnership of regional councils, Clean Cities coalitions, and industry experts tasked with coordinating five regional and one national procurement initiative designed to consolidate bulk orders of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure. Through these procurement initiatives, F4F will reduce procurement and incremental costs, and disseminate best practices on application, usage, and procurement strategies for the selected vehicles and related infrastructure.
Clean Cities Program
Since 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program has supported community-led efforts to help fleets and consumers find alternative fuel or fuel-efficient solutions that meet their needs. Clean Cities' nearly 100 local coalitions across the country work to reduce petroleum consumption, limit pollution, and save money.
National Association of Regional Councils
The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) serves as the national voice for regionalism by advocating for regional cooperation as the most effective way to address a variety of community planning and development opportunities and issues. NARC's member organizations are comprised of multiple local governments that work together to serve American communities – large and small, urban and rural. Visit www.NARC.org for more information.