Applications must be received on or before
January 3, 2014.
*** Incomplete applications and those received after the deadline will not be accepted.***
Hard Copy Application Submissions • Hard copy applications (2 copies, front & back) must be received by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, 55 Trinity Avenue SW, Suite 2400, Atlanta, GA 30303 by 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on January 3, 2014 Electronic Application Submissions• Applications may be submitted via e‐mail ([email protected]) and must be received on or before 12:00 P.M. EST
on January 3, 2014.
CITY OF ATLANTA
SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE CHALLENGE
*** Please read the entire packet before beginning your application. ***
I.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE CHALLENGE GRANTS PROGRAM
The goal of the Sustainable Initiative Challenge Grants program is to fund the implementation of sustainable, environmental upgrades that improve water and energy conservation in multifamily properties located within the City of Atlanta. This City of Atlanta recognizes that multifamily buildings present an opportunity for improving energy‐ and water‐efficiency and helping the City achieve its sustainability goals. Comprehensive retrofits have been shown as cost‐ effective investments to increase efficiency of multifamily buildings for natural gas, electricity, and water use. Relating to energy nationwide, at 2010 national average energy prices, the level of savings achieved from comprehensive retrofits would translate into annual utility bill cost savings of almost $3.4 billion for the multifamily sector.1 This Grants Program seeks to promote increased asset value and economic development, to ensure business sense replaces business as usual, and to lower greenhouse gases through energy and water conservation by awarding grants funds for the purpose of implementing Eligible Projects. Program Objectives Project proposals submitted under this Grants Program should meet the following program objects: • Concentrate on multifamily properties, preference for “affordable housing” defined at or below 60% AMI. • Demonstrate potential returns from energy‐ and water‐efficiency projects and savings to tenants. • Agree to provide the City access to energy‐ and water‐consumption data for the multifamily property. • Improve the baseline for standard practice. • Encourage leadership in achieving portfolio‐wide energy and water reductions that accelerate the City’s Power to Change sustainability plan.
B. SUSTAINABILITY LEVERAGES AND LINKAGE TO POWER TO CHANGE PLAN
The funding provided in this Grants Program is provided to support community action towards achieving the City’s Power to Change Sustainability Plan’s energy efficiency and water management goals: 1. By year‐end 2014, 10% of the residential community have completed energy audits (single‐family households); 2. By 2015, triple the renewable energy generation capacity within the City of Atlanta; 3. By 2020, reduce Citywide building energy consumption by 20% (2009 baseline); 4. By 2020, reduce per capita Citywide water consumption by 20% (2010 baseline). 5. By 2020, reduce GHG emissions 20% through increased energy efficiency and renewable energy technology. More information on the Power to Change Sustainability Plan is available at http://www.p2catl.com.
The total estimated funding available for awards under this Grants Program is anticipated to be $250,000.00. Funding is contingent upon City funding levels, the quality of proposals received, and other applicable considerations.
The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will lead a City committee to review applications and will announce projects selected from this Grants Program announcement. The City reserves the right to make no awards under this Grants Program announcement, or make fewer awards than anticipated. In addition, the City reserves the right to make additional awards, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Funds may only be used for costs directly related to project goals.
III.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
All owner(s) of multifamily properties located within the City of Atlanta are encouraged to apply for funding.B. COST SHARING/MATCH REQUIREMENTS
For this Grants Program, the City is not listing any costs share or matching requirements.C. THRESHOLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Proposals must meet the following threshold criteria in order to be considered for funding. 1. Proposed project activities must take place entirely within the City of Atlanta jurisdictional limits and focus on multifamily properties. The City has the right to deem ineligible for funding consideration and not review or withdraw awards for project activities that are determined not to be in the City of Atlanta.2. Proposals must substantially comply with the proposal submission instructions and requirements set forth in this section or else they will be rejected. 3. Proposals must include projects that are related to: (a) Deep Energy Efficiency Retrofits (See Exhibit A for more details) i. Involve reduction in the energy use of over 20% across the units. ii. Include but are not limited to: comprehensive energy assessment, insulation, air sealing measures, duct sealing, installing high efficiency HVAC and water heater appliances, etc.
iii. Energy reductions shall be based on the Beacon Home Energy Advisor Report supplied by a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified technician.
(b) Water Efficiency Retrofits (See Exhibit A for more details) i. Installing or retrofitting water‐efficient devices
deemed eligible will be submitted to the Selection Committee for evaluation. Applications that are deemed ineligible will not be evaluated further or considered for funding.
• Applicants are notified by the Office of Sustainability funding action by e‐mail. Until decision e‐mails have been sent out, the Office of Sustainability will not be able to take calls regarding the status of applications. All applicants will be notified in accordance with the Application Calendar listed in these guidelines.
• Successful Applicants will be required to register as vendors in the City of Atlanta’s iSupplier system and comply with City of Atlanta Policies. This is a requirement for the issuance of payment and can be accomplished by visiting the City’s website (www.atlantaga.gov). Applicants need not complete vendor registration with the City unless they are selected as an award recipient. Once an applicant is notified that their project proposal has been accepted, they will need to complete an online registration form as well as an affidavit. Office of Sustainability staff will send detailed instructions on registering as a vendor with the City to all applicants who are selected as award recipients.
V.
GENERAL POLICIES
A.
Contract Terms
Funds awarded by the Office represent a legal, binding contract between the organization and the City of Atlanta to satisfy terms and conditions as detailed in the application recommended for funding.
B.
Contractual Obligations
The recipient’s performance shall be in the capacity of an independent contractor and not as an officer, agent or employee of the City.
• All contracts for services must be completed within the project year of the contract agreement. Project extensions will only be granted under extreme circumstances and are not guaranteed if applied for. • The scope of services corresponds to those outlined in the application. All changes to the scope of services need to be approved in advance, after being submitted in writing. • After completing the project, the award recipient must submit a final report no later than 30 days after the close of the fiscal year. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the final contract payment.
C.
Additional Terms and Conditions
The recipient must agree to comply with the terms and conditions outlined in Exhibit B‐2.D.
Open Records
Please be aware that under the Open Records Act, your application and contract may be subject to disclosure and public review.E.
ADA Compliance
Recipients are required to hold their activities in physically accessible spaces, and all funded organizations must provide written statements describing their adherence to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974.F.
Reporting Requirements
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EXHIBIT B2
Terms and Conditions
Contractor(s) and Property Owner(s) agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Atlanta, and their respective officials, employees, agents and representatives, as applicable, including but not limited to all claims, costs and expenses and reasonable attorney's fees, which may be incurred or paid out by reason of injuries to person or damage to property caused in whole or in part by any acts or omissions of the Contractor or Property Owner. The Contractor is acting in the capacity of an independent Contractor with respect to the City. Any and all employees or subcontractors of the Contractor or other persons engaged in the performance of any work or services required to be performed under this Agreement, shall not be considered employees of the City, and no claim whatsoever that may arise on behalf of said employees, subcontractors or other persons as a consequence of any act or omission by Contractor, Contractor’s employees or subcontractors; such act or omission shall in no way create any liability on the part of the City. Contractor and Property Owner acknowledge that Property Owner is responsible for paying Contractor, regardless of whether or not the City provides an award under this project.
Release Authorization
The Property Owner authorizes the release of their electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, or any other fuel consumption information for the 12‐month period preceding the improvements through the 24‐months following the improvements from the respective utility company to the City of Atlanta for the purposes of reporting, program analysis, and other purposes. Property Owner further agrees to audits of work, whether completed or in‐progress to be conducted by the City or assigns.
