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Board denies EGT Solar protest, then awards ARPA-funded mosquito abatement solar project to Magic Solar
Summary
Ada County commissioners denied a procurement protest from EGT Solar over RFP 25016 and subsequently approved the award of the ARPA-funded photovoltaic project for the weed and pest/mosquito facility to Magic Solar on Dec. 23.
The Ada County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 23 denied a procurement protest filed by EGT Solar regarding RFP 25016 and then approved the evaluation committee ward recommendation to Magic Solar for the county's photovoltaic project at the weed and pest/mosquito abatement facility.
Procurement staff recapped that the county received three proposals for RFP 25016: Magic Solar, EGT Solar and Quality Electric. The evaluation team scored the proposals and ranked Magic Solar first with 84 points, EGT Solar second with 82.67 points and Quality Electric third with 51.38 points. The scoring difference between Magic Solar and EGT Solar was about 1.33 points.
Evan Navigant, procurement, summarized EGT Solar rguments in its Dec. 16 protest: 1) inconsistent evaluator scoring compared with a prior photovoltaic solicitation (RFP 25003); 2) perception of favoritism because the county previously awarded similar projects to the same vendor; and 3) a request that the county hold interviews for this solicitation. Procurement explained evaluators score independently, discuss scores as a group, and that EGT had been interviewed for a prior juvenile services photovoltaic project; the team determined another interview for this project was not warranted.
Commissioner Davidson said the county had done a thorough review and that discussions with legal counsel and procurement did not reveal grounds to sustain the protest. Commissioner Daley amplified the explanation of the process and called for a motion. The board voted to reject EGT Solar's protest.
After denying the protest, procurement presented the final ranking and the evaluation committee recommended award to Magic Solar. The board then approved the award to Magic Solar by voice vote; no contract dollar amount was provided at the meeting and the procurement staff noted the protest had been considered and resolved.
The record shows no public testimony on the protest item at the meeting. Procurement staff said the evaluation files detail the scoring rationale and noted areas where EGT Solar's proposals had weaknesses, including a misattributed fire station and a confusing pricing matrix that affected EGT's score.
The board's actions allow procurement to proceed with final award steps for RFP 25016.
