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Questions and AnswersGFO-17-607: School Bus Replacement for California Public School Districts, County Offices of Education and Joint Power AuthoritiesJuly 12, 2018These answers are based on the Energy Commission’s interpretation of the questions received. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine whether or not their particular proposed project is eligible for funding, by reviewing the Eligibility Requirements within the solicitation. The Energy Commission cannot give advice as to whether or not a particular project is eligible for funding, because all proposal details are not known.AdministrativeWould it be advisable to list all of my buses in my fleet?Yes. Attachment 1, Table 1 is used to list all of the old buses in an applicant’s fleet even though each applicant is only eligible to receive a maximum of 10 replacement buses. The Energy Commission would like to obtain a statewide inventory of all the school buses in California which could inform future funding opportunities. Should we submit an application if we only have older Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to scrap out?CNG buses are not eligible for replacement under this solicitation. However, the Energy Commission would like to obtain a statewide inventory of all the school buses in California which could inform future funding opportunities. Therefore, if you would like to submit bus information to help the Energy Commission compile this inventory please send the school bus information asked for in Table 1 of Attachment 1 Application Form to: schoolbusprogram@energy..Because old buses being replaced under GFO-17-607 cannot use other funding opportunities, does that mean GFO-17-607 funding is not stackable?Eligible applicants under GFO-17-607- school districts, county offices of education (COE) and joint power authorities currently operating home-to-school transportation programs on behalf of local educational agencies (JPA)- may use other funding sources, including federal, state, or local agency funding, to lower the total cost of a new school bus; however, if the other funding sources provide an award equal to or more than the full price of a bus, the Energy Commission will not provide additional funds. For example, Applicants may use Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) funding to lower the purchase price of electric buses or infrastructure; in this example, the Energy Commission would pay the difference if that applicant were awarded under GFO-17-607. Applicants may not be awarded the full price of a school bus replacement under another program or funding opportunity, and then use the same old bus to qualify for GFO-17-607.On the application regarding using a vehicle for a previous grant, if I used a bus for a previous grant opportunity but it wasn’t awarded can I use it for this grant opportunity?Yes. If an applicant unsuccessfully attempted to use an old bus to apply for another grant program, that old bus is still eligible to be replaced under this solicitation.Is there a limit to how many buses can be requested in each school district or county office of education (COE) application?Each school district/COE/JPA is eligible to receive a maximum of 10 school buses under this solicitation. See Section 1.H., Maximum Number of School Buses Awarded to Each Applicant.However, each school district/COE/JPA may provide the Energy Commission information for more than 10 school buses. The Energy Commission would like to obtain a statewide inventory of all the school buses in California. A comprehensive list could help the Energy Commission to procure funding to replace more old buses in the future.Can a district request fewer than 10 buses?Yes. Each applicant is eligible to receive a maximum of 10 replacement buses, but there is no requirement that each applicant request the maximum amount.If an application is submitted early (2 weeks+) would the Energy Commission confirm that the application is complete from a technical perspective? No. The Energy Commission does not review application packages until after the submittal deadline. Please see Section III.C, Application Organization and Attachment 11 - Quick Reference Guide to track required documents and avoid incomplete applications being submitted.Applicants may contact Crystal Presley-Willis, Commission Agreement Officer, with questions of clarification about GFO-17-607 any time prior to the application submittal deadline at: crystal.presley-willis@energy..Please note that only questions of clarification will be answered. See Section I.M., Questions. Do we need to select the replacement buses (Type A, B, C and D) as part of the application process in Attachment 1? Yes. Table 1 of the Attachment 1 Application Form asks the applicant to identify the type of bus (A, B, C, or D) that is being requested.Should we list our retrofit buses?Yes. List all buses in the school district/COE/JPA fleet in Table 1 of the Attachment 1 Application Form. Retrofitted buses are eligible for replacement provided the bus can meet the scrappage requirement in our grant agreement. See Section II.C. Project Requirements.If we only have 3 diesel buses to replace, can we apply for more than 3 buses since our remaining 8 buses are older CNG buses?Based on our understanding of your question, you may only apply to replace the 3 diesel buses. Each requested bus needs to replace an existing diesel bus. See Section II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types. If a school district, COE or JPA has won bus funding in the previous year, how does that affect their chances of winning this current year? This is a new grant funding opportunity offered by the Energy Commission, so there are no previous awardees in this program. There are however, other school bus replacement programs offered in California. If a school district, COE or JPA has received a replacement bus for an existing old diesel bus, the same old diesel bus cannot be used to qualify for a replacement bus under this solicitation.If a school district, COE or JPA was awarded Prop 39 K-12 grant funding in previous years, how does that affect their chances of winning in this current bus solicitation? This is a new grant funding opportunity offered by the Energy Commission. If an applicant has received previous Prop 39 funding it will not affect the applicant’s eligibility or score under this solicitation.Does the number of buses requested impact the applicant's final score?No. The number of buses requested has no impact on the applicant’s final score. Each bus will be evaluated separately based on the published scoring criteria. See Section IV.D. Evaluation Criteria.Is there a buy America requirement?There is no “buy America” requirement for GFO-17-607, which is Phase 1 of the School Bus Replacement Program. However, this may be a requirement in Phase 2 of the Program, which will solicit manufacturers to design, construct, and deliver the replacement electric buses to school districts, COEs, and JPAs awarded in Phase 1. Phase 2 is scheduled to be released later in the year. See Section I.E., Program Design.For CNG Awards will any consideration be made for those districts that already have a fueling station on site vs. a district that would need to build a new fueling station?No. Whether an applicant has CNG infrastructure will have no impact on scoring. CNG buses will be scored based on the same criteria as applications for electric school bus replacements. See Section IV.D, Evaluation Criteria. As a consultant helping a school district, are consultant costs allowable in this grant funding? Will consultant costs be reimbursable after a school district/COE is awarded funding?No. Consultant costs are not allowable or reimbursable under agreements resulting from GFO-17-607. The Energy Commission has attempted to make this application process as simple as possible. Are administrative costs allowable?No. Administrative costs are not allowable or reimbursable under agreements resulting from GFO-17-607. 100% of Energy Commission funds must be used for the purchase of a new school bus. I understand that the cost to apply for this funding is the responsibility of each applicant. Once an applicant is selected to receive funding are there any administrative, project management, or technical assistance costs allowed that are reimbursable to the Recipient via this funding? No. Project management or technical assistance cost are not allowable or reimbursable under agreements resulting from GFO-17-607. 100% of Energy Commission funds must be used for the purchase of a new school bus. If an applicant applies for 10 replacement buses, and not all of them are awarded can the applicant receive buses for the ones that are?Yes. Each bus will be evaluated separately and those that score and rank high enough will be proposed for funding.?See Section IV.D. Evaluation Criteria.I’m having trouble reading the Appendix A tab in Attachment 1. Can you help? You may be using an older, incompatible version of Microsoft Excel. Using different spreadsheet software, like Google Sheets, may fix this error. See Addendum 1. A pdf version of Appendix A is now provided in the GFO-17-607 solicitation files posted online at: you are using the PDF version for reference, please make sure to fill out the Excel version of the application when submitting.During the workshop, staff said there is a link and a video for the application. Can you please provide that to me?The Pre-Application Workshop slides and recording can be found on the following link: . The video explaining the application can be found here: we scrap old diesel buses, the metal company reimburses the owner for the scrap metal, so do we as a school district have to report that to the Energy Commission or forward the scrap metal monies to the Energy Commission?No. The Energy Commission only needs verification that the bus was scrapped. Any revenue generated from scrapping the bus may remain with the school district, COE or JPA.How will the procurement process work for applicants awarded under GFO-17-607?Electric school bus awardees will be required to purchase the electric bus from the bus dealer/manufacturer awarded in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses, which is planned for release in late 2018. CNG school bus awardees will not purchase their CNG bus from the bus dealer/manufacturer awarded in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses. Instead, CNG school bus awardees will be required to procure the CNG school bus in accordance with the applicant’s established procurement procedures while adhering to all applicable state and local laws and the terms and conditions of the agreement resulting from this solicitation. See Section I.E., Program Design of the solicitation.What is the timeline for the school districts/COEs/JPAs to receive awards and when will they be able to order their school buses? Applications are due September 20, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. An initial notice of proposed awards (NOPA) is scheduled to be posted in October 2018 and a final NOPA in February 2019. Awards must be approved by the Energy Commission at a Business Meeting which is anticipated in April 2019. Bus delivery could potentially start as early as October 2019.Are there any data collection requirements??Yes. Awardees will be required to collect 12 months of data. An example of the Scope of Work is included in the solicitation files (Attachment 6). See Task 5 of the Scope of Work for data collection requirements.I have valid California Highway Patrol (CHP) 292 Inspection Certificates for my buses, but these certificates will soon expire. Can I send copies of the current inspection certificates now or do I need to wait until they are recertified and then send the new certificates? Please submit the current CHP certification(s) for your buses at the time you apply.If I think the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) bus registration has expired do I need to update the registration on these buses?Each bus proposed for replacement under this solicitation must have a current DMV registration. The DMV registration is used to demonstrate ownership of the bus for at least one year, which is a requirement for this solicitation. See Section II.C., Project Requirements.Please provide rationale for establishing different criteria for CNG and Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) funding requirements.This school bus program emphasizes electric buses but will allow for CNG as a replacement when electric vehicles (EV) are not feasible. Therefore, if the applicant is seeking a CNG bus replacement it will need to provide a justification of why an EV school bus will not meet the applicant’s needs. This is done through the submission of a Route Profile Evaluation and a CNG Application Form (Attachment 2) in addition to the other application documents. See Sections II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types, III.C, Application Organization, and Attachment 2 CNG School Bus Application Form for more information.Additionally, please note that all buses proposed for replacement (CNG or EV) will be evaluated based on the Evaluation Criteria in Section IV. D. Those criteria are: Age of School Bus, Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities, and Free and Reduced Priced Meals.On the bottom of the attached resolution example, I see that there are six lines under Governing Board Representatives. Our board normally only has the president and clerk sign a resolution.?? Will that suffice for my submission?Yes. The Governing Board Resolution (Attachment 3) has been provided as an example. It is not required that you use the sample resolution. Applicant Eligibility Are Joint Power Authorities (JPAs) eligible to submit an application in the school bus replacement program?On June 27, 2018, Assembly Bill No.1808 was signed, expanding eligible applicants to include joint power authorities currently operating home-to-school transportation programs on behalf of local educational agencies (JPAs). The Energy Commission will be releasing a second addendum in July 2018, to update the solicitation to describe how the Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities and Free and Reduced Priced Meals evaluation criteria will be scored for JPAs. Is this funding available to private school bus fleet providers that serve a district?No. Eligible applicants are school districts, COEs, and JPAs. For eligibility requirements please refer to Section II.A., Applicant Requirements of the solicitation. An applicant hires a private firm to run our school buses. Are these firms able to receive this grant on our behalf if the vehicle is used for their students?No. The school district, COE or JPA would need to apply and must be the registered owner of the school buses.If an LEA contracts with a local nonprofit organization for school bus service, and the nonprofit is using an older diesel bus, can the LEA apply to the School Bus Replacement Program on behalf of the nonprofit organization to replace the bus with a (zero emissions vehicle) ZEV school bus? And would the LEA be required to be the registered owner of the school bus if the grant is awarded, or could they transfer ownership?The old school bus is required to be owned and operated for a minimum of 12 months by the school district/COE/JPA in order to be eligible for replacement. Additionally, the new replacement bus must be owned and operated by the school district, COE, or JPA for a minimum of 3 years.Bus EligibilityCan we replace CNG Buses with Electric Buses? No. Only diesel buses are eligible for replacement under this solicitation. See Section II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types.Will the grant also change out the current CNG fueling stations with new electric?Funding is available to install CNG fueling infrastructure or electric vehicle charging equipment for any new replacement bus awarded under this solicitation. There is no requirement that existing fueling or charging equipment be removed. Can a gasoline bus be replaced with CNG?No. Awarded buses under this solicitation must replace diesel buses. Also note that applications for new replacement CNG buses must demonstrate a need for CNG rather than electric. This is done through the submission of a Route Profile Evaluation and a CNG Application Form (Attachment 2) in addition to the other application documents. See Sections II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types, III.C, Application Organization, and Attachment 2 CNG School Bus Application Form for more information.Are there any bus requirements for the EV vehicles or just the CNG? For example, the 90 miles a day for CNG vehicles? If so why?The primary objective of the School Bus Replacement Program is to replace old diesel school buses with new electric school buses. Therefore, no justification is needed to request an electric bus. However, there may be eligible applicants with bus route profiles not suited for an electric school bus. For those applicants, a CNG bus replacement is an option. To request a CNG bus, applicants need to provide a justification of why an EV school bus will not meet the applicant’s needs. This is done through the submission of a Route Profile Evaluation and a CNG Application Form (Attachment 2) in addition to the other application documents. See Sections II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types, III.C, Application Organization, and Attachment 2 CNG School Bus Application Form for more information. Will bus engine retrofits to CNG be covered by this grant?No. This solicitation is only for the purchase of new buses. No conversions or retrofits will be funded.How old do the diesel buses have to be to apply for replacement?There is not a specific age that is required. The buses proposed for replacement will be evaluated based on the Evaluation Criteria in Section IV. D. Those criteria are: Age of School Bus, Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities, and Free and Reduced Priced Meals. Are the replacement buses for electric or CNG buses only?Yes. The awarded replacement bus must be electric, or, if the applicant can provide justification why an EV school bus will not meet the applicant’s needs, a CNG bus. The bus to be replaced must be a diesel bus.To request a CNG bus, applicants need to provide a justification of why an EV school bus will not meet the applicant’s needs. This is done through the submission of a Route Profile Evaluation and a CNG Application Form (Attachment 2) in addition to the other application documents. See Sections II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types, III.C, Application Organization, and Attachment 2 CNG School Bus Application Form for more information.What are the minimum requirements for the electric replacement vehicle?It must be a Type A, B, C, or D bus, and be purchased from one of the approved vendors awarded under the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses conducted in Phase 2 of the School Bus Replacement Program. The Phase 2 solicitation is scheduled to be released later this year.Is renewable CNG a requirement?No. Renewable CNG is not a requirement.If you have a level 3 trap installed on bus as after-market will the bus still be eligible for replacement?The level 3 trap does not make the bus ineligible. However, there is a requirement to scrap the bus within 12 months of delivery. Applicants are encouraged to make sure that the bus they are replacing will be able to meet this requirement. For CNG replacement, is 0.2 g/bhp-hr for CNG allowed or only optional low NOx standards?Both 0.2 g/bhp-hr or optional low NOx are eligible as CNG replacement buses.What is considered an old bus? Last time I applied for a bus grant I was turned down because the bus I needed to replace was a 2008 with about 250,000 miles.There is no minimum age or mileage of a diesel bus to be eligible for replacement. We encourage school districts, COEs and JPAs to list all buses they are looking to replace, regardless of the age or miles. Each bus is evaluated individually based on three criteria: Age of School Bus, Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities, and Free and Reduced Priced Meals. Depending on the application pool, it is possible that buses on your list will be awarded.Are there any other specifications for CNG buses such as engine types or required executive orders for the engine? The solicitation does not specify other requirements, but applicants must make sure that any CNG bus replacement they purchase is in compliance with all local, state, and national requirements. Additionally, all new school bus engines must be certified by California Air Resources Board (CARB) for sale in California, comply with durability and warranty requirements, and be the current model year available.Confirm that type A buses are eligible to be replaced and will not be discriminated against compared to type C or D. For example, type C and D buses usually have much longer life than type A. This means the oldest buses in California are more likely to be C and D, which would put Type A buses at a disadvantage. All bus types- A, B, C and D- are eligible to be replaced. The replaced bus must be a diesel bus. Bus type is not considered as part of the evaluation criteria. Each eligible old bus is evaluated individually based on three evaluation criteria- Age of School Bus, Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities, and Free and Reduced Priced Meals. See Section IV.D. Evaluation Criteria.Can a district specifically apply for the CNG part of this grant or is it assumed that the initial grant request would be for EV buses only??Eligible applicants may apply for electric or CNG replacement buses. If an applicant is applying for a new CNG bus the applicant must demonstrate a need for CNG rather than electric. This is done through the submission of a Route Profile Evaluation and a CNG Application Form (Attachment 2) in addition to the other application documents. See Sections II.B. Eligible Bus Replacement Types, III.C, Application Organization, and Attachment 2 CNG School Bus Application Form for more information.We have been awarded partial awards for two buses via the AB 923 program and would like to apply to the Energy Commission’s program for the remaining funds ($50k) for these buses.?Is it acceptable to apply for these remaining funds based on quotes we currently have for the new Blue Bird buses?A replacement bus can be paid for partially by an award under this solicitation and another program provided the total awards do not exceed the total cost of the school bus. The applicant should also make sure it is able to comply with all requirements under this solicitation requirements and the resulting grant agreement while at the same time being able to comply with all requirements of the partial award from the AB 923 program.That said, new EV school buses awarded under this solicitation must be purchased from one of the approved vendors awarded under the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses conducted in Phase 2 of the School Bus Replacement Program. The Phase 2 solicitation is scheduled to be released later this year.What are the potential co-funding opportunities with the California HVIP as stated in the solicitation?Please visit the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) Web page at: . A replacement bus can be paid for partially by an award under this solicitation and another program provided the total awards do not exceed the total cost of the school bus. The applicant should also make sure it is able to comply with all requirements under this solicitation and the resulting grant agreement while at the same time being able to comply with all requirements of the partial award from the other program.Our buses have diesel particulate filter (DPF) retrofits that need to be retained until 2020. The DPF project will likely end during the 12 month period after the new buses are received. Will our project be de-prioritized if we are in one of these projects?If an old bus being replaced cannot be scrapped within 12 months of delivery of the new replacement bus, it is not eligible for replacement. All Recipients will be required to provide verification that the bus has been scrapped.Please provide further clarification on the 90-mile average route distance exceedance requirement.?Does the distance requirement apply for each individual bus or does it apply to the entire bus-fleet?? The distance requirement applies to the entire school district/COE/JPA fleet. The 90-mile route distance is an average distance traveled by the entire fleet. To qualify for a CNG bus, at least two of the four criteria must demonstrate an electric bus is not sufficient to meet the needs of the applicant. The average route distance exceeding 90-mile average route distance is one of the four criteria. See Attachment 2 for more details.Please provide clarification on why a speed limit of 45 miles per hour (mph) was selected. In California the speed limit in residential or business areas is 25 mph. Most school bus routes are located within residential areas. Can the speed limit requirement be lowered to reflect residential speed limits???The speed limit criterion is one of four criteria evaluated to determine whether an applicant is eligible to apply for a CNG replacement bus. Of the four criteria, at least two must be established in order to be eligible. If your school district/COE/JPA does not meet this criterion there are three additional criterion available as options. See Attachment 2 for more details.This speed limit criterion specifies that, of the school district/COE/JPA’s total bus fleet, 40% of the routes are on roads with speed limits greater or equal to 45 mph. This is a criterion because electric buses are less efficient at higher speed duty cycles. Will you find the replacement buses for recipients?Yes for electric bus awardees. Once the replacement bus applications are scored and ranked, the Energy Commission will release a Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses for manufacturers to bid and construct the buses. The school districts/COEs/JPAs awarded electric buses will be required to purchase their bus(es) from the manufacturer(s) awarded in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School G bus awardees will not purchase their bus(es) from the manufacturer(s) awarded in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing. Instead, those awardees will be required to procure the CNG replacement bus(es) using the applicant’s established procurement procedures while adhering to all applicable state and local laws and the terms and conditions of the grant agreement resulting from this solicitation.FundingIf CNG funds are exhausted and money is left over from the EV fund, can more money be transferred from the EV fund to the CNG fund?Funding is not expected to be swapped from the EV funding source to fund CNG replacement buses or CNG infrastructure. Does the grant cover 100% of each electric school bus?The price of the electric buses will be determined by the Energy Commission’s Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses due for release later in 2018. If additional features are ordered beyond the base model negotiated in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses, those costs may not be covered by the grant.What is the allocation for the Sacramento area region?The Sacramento area is part of the northern region, and will compete with other public school districts/COEs/JPAs in the northern region. Each of the four regions in California will receive $18.75 million to replace the oldest diesel buses in their individual regions. See Attachment 7 for a map of the regions.Is funding equally distributed between the 4 regions?Yes. Each region has been allocated $18.75 million.Infrastructure-ElectricHow do we determine if our facility can support the electric infrastructure needed to charge electric buses?Please contact your local utility for assistance with infrastructure needs or contact Energy Commission at schoolbusprogram@energy. and staff can assist in helping with a point of contact at the utility companies.Can the Energy Commission provide direct point of contacts at power utilities that will help schools prioritize bus related infrastructure projects?Yes. Contact Energy Commission at schoolbusprogram@energy. and staff can assist in helping with a point of contact at the utility companies.Will the procurement of EV buses also include infrastructure? Section 4 of the Attachment 1 Application Form asks the applicant if infrastructure is needed to support the new EV bus(es). By filling out that section, applicants can apply for electric charging infrastructure. The Energy Commission expects to award up to $60,000 in additional funding per awarded bus for electric charging infrastructure. Recipients will be responsible for the procurement and installation of the charging infrastructure. If the cost of the electric infrastructure exceeds the maximum grant amount per bus, is there additional funding available? Although this solicitation is limited to up to $60,000 per awarded bus for electric charging infrastructure, other co-funding sources may be available. It is recommended that you contact your local utility company or local air district to seek additional funding opportunities.Does the $60,000 available for EV infrastructure cover labor for installation and back-end infrastructure upgrades like new transformers or panels?Yes. If awarded an electric school bus from this solicitation, the infrastructure grant funds can be used for the purchase and installation of the charger and any backend or make ready upgrades needed.Infrastructure-CNGWill this grant cover just infrastructure costs? For example: CNG station? Infrastructure funds from this solicitation are only available if the applicant is awarded a school bus from this solicitation. There is infrastructure funding available for both CNG and electric buses. The amount of funding available for CNG infrastructure is more limited than the funding for EV charging infrastructure. Highest scored and ranked buses will be offered the infrastructure funding first. See Section I.E. Program Design of the solicitation.Can the CNG infrastructure funds be used to upgrade an existing CNG station?Yes. If awarded a CNG bus from this solicitation, the CNG infrastructure funds can be used to upgrade an existing station.Is there a matching fund requirement for CNG infrastructure?? That is, if money is granted by the Energy Commission, does the school district/COE/JPA also need to have matching funds available?No. There is no match requirement for bus infrastructure. However, if the infrastructure project cost exceeds the total funding available from the Energy Commission, match funding could be required by the school district/COE/JPA or another funding source to pay the difference.Infrastructure-GeneralIf a school subcontracts a project manager or consultant to assist with installing infrastructure, will the cost incurred by the subcontractor be eligible for reimbursement under the grant funding?Yes. Cost incurred from a subcontractor for the installation of infrastructure is eligible for reimbursement under this solicitation. However, no administrative, consulting or subcontractor costs for the procurement of school buses are eligible for reimbursement.How long do school districts/COEs/JPAs have to spend the infrastructure money after the grant is awarded?Once the awards are approved, each Recipient will be required to sign a grant agreement. The terms of the infrastructure encumbrance requirements will be included in the agreement which will determine the date by which the infrastructure must be installed and the funds spent. That said, from a practicality standpoint, school district/COEs/JPAs should complete their infrastructure project prior to the school bus delivery. Will funding be provided to the school for purchase or contracting of infrastructure for the new buses?Yes. School districts/COEs/JPAs awarded funding for vehicle infrastructure will be required to procure the electric vehicle charging or CNG fueling infrastructure using the applicant’s established procurement procedures while adhering to the terms and conditions of the agreement resulting from the solicitation and all applicable state and local laws.MiscellaneousWill awardees be able to configure the buses to suit the needs of their districts, i.e., wheelchair, variable seating, heaters, air conditioning, braking systems, etc.? Yes. However, if the additional features are beyond the base model negotiated in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses the costs may not be covered by the grant.How far can an electric bus go on a charge? The approximate range of an electric bus on a single charge is anywhere between 75-100 miles, but is dependent on several variables such as the size of the bus, number of batteries, weather, driving speed, and the grade of the street. Since we must get a route profile from an electric bus dealer to confirm that an electric bus is not feasible for our school, is there a particular dealer we contact, or just any dealer?Any electric school bus dealer is eligible to complete a bus route profile evaluation.Is each bus rated individually, or the district as a whole? In other words, is it possible that only 3 of the 5 buses applied for are selected because 3 are older (2001) than the remaining 2 (2005)?Yes. Each bus is evaluated individually based on the published evaluation criteria in Section IV.D of the solicitation. It is possible that not all the buses you apply for will be awarded for replacement.Will the Energy Commission continue to reach out to school districts/COEs/JPAs to educate them about this program?Yes. The Energy Commission will be doing outreach to encourage school districts, COEs, and JPAs to apply for this solicitation. To stay informed about this program visit our website and sign up for our listserv located at: manufacturers need to respond before the current September 20, 2018 deadline, or do we wait for the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses?No. Bus dealers/manufacturers do not apply for this Phase 1 solicitation. Only public school districts, COEs, and JPAs are eligible for this solicitation. Bus dealers/manufacturers should wait for the Phase 2 solicitation, the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses, scheduled for release in late 2018. Also see the answer to question 76 below for more information.If bus dealers/manufacturers are not required to respond to the Phase 1 solicitation, are there any other actions/tasks that need to be fulfilled prior to the Phase 2 solicitation?No. There are no required actions of the bus dealers/manufacturers that need to be completed prior to the release of the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses (Phase 2). However, a pre-solicitation workshop will be held at the Energy Commission on July 24, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. and attendance is strongly encouraged. Also, if not already completed it is encouraged to sign up for the school bus listserv located at: bus providers need to partner with a school district, COE or JPA?No. What are the bus requirements for bus providers? This will be articulated in the Solicitation to Establish Bulk Purchase Pricing for Electric School Buses planned for release in late 2018. ................
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