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Cohasset committee meets with lone bidder on school solar RFP, flags tax‑credit and roof questions
Summary
The Cohasset Alternative Energy Committee reported a single response to its school solar RFP and said the evaluation committee met the bidder to probe three issues: qualification for the investment tax credit, compatibility of racking with a new school roof, and the bidder's calculations of benefits to the town. Next steps include internal evaluation meetings and briefings to the select board and school committee.
The Cohasset Alternative Energy Committee said the town received only one response to its school solar array request for proposals and will reconvene the evaluation committee to decide how to proceed.
"We completed the RFP. The deadline passed. 1 bidder came in with a bid," said Doren Hole, an associate member of the committee, reporting the subcommittee's work and the evaluation committee's follow‑up. Committee members said they and the bidder met on June 11 to go through questions raised by the evaluation review.
The committee identified three primary topics to pursue with the bidder: what steps are necessary for the deal to qualify for the investment tax credit and be "safe harbored," whether the proposed racking is technically compatible with the schools' new roof, and whether the evaluation committee can review the bidder's calculations of projected benefits to the town and schools.
"One of them related to, from their perspective, what was necessary in order to ensure that...the deal we were being proposed would benefit from the investment tax credit and be safe harbored," Hole said.
Committee members said the evaluation committee will meet within a few days to consider next steps based on what they learned in the meeting with the bidder and will communicate its recommendation to town counterparts. Chair Tanya Bodell said the committee has already lined up further briefings: Greg Watts is scheduled to give an update at the select board meeting and Corey Evans at the school committee meeting, which will help tee up any ask to proceed.
"That's where we stand as of today," Hole said. The committee did not announce a timetable for a formal vote to award a contract; members said their next internal evaluation meeting will determine whether to recommend proceeding in order to preserve potential tax‑credit timing.
The committee's action plan is to finalize follow‑up questions with the bidder, complete the internal evaluation, and brief the select board and school committee in the coming week so any approvals or signatures needed to lock in tax incentives can move quickly.
The evaluation committee includes town and school representatives; members emphasized coordination with school leadership as part of the next steps.
The committee adjourned after completing its agenda; no final procurement decision or vote on the RFP award was recorded at the June 11 meeting.
