At the Aug. 4 Howard County commissioners meeting, project manager Pam Isaac said the county accepted proposals for compliance monitoring on a planned solar project and that the contract will be awarded to BF and S.

Isaac told commissioners the county received proposals from AEGIS, Butler Fairman (BF and S), VS Engineering and Northpointe. She said a review committee evaluated the proposals and recommended BF and S; the county will send the recommendation to Emerald Green for review and coordinate details with that firm.

Isaac did not provide the dollar value of the monitoring contract, the committee's evaluation criteria, or a timeline for the monitoring work during the meeting. No formal vote or motion appears in the transcript approving the award on the record; Isaac presented the recommendation and asked if there were questions.

Why it matters: Compliance monitoring is a core part of permitting and oversight for local renewable energy projects; selecting a monitoring contractor advances the solar project's implementation if the award is finalized and supported by subsequent reviews.

Context and next steps: Isaac said the committee completed its review and will forward the recommended award to Emerald Green. Commissioners did not record a formal motion in the transcript; the county will need to complete any required procurement steps and finalize contract signatures before monitoring work begins.