RFP for Energy Feasibility Study

PROJECT POLARIS
Request for Proposal to Conduct a Feasibility Study of the Energy Needs for the Hope Vale Medical City with emphasis on Renewable Energy, High-Efficiency Technologies, and Advanced Energy Management Systems.

28 MAY 2026

Specific Procurement Notice (SPN)

Country: Grenada

Name of the Project: Project Polaris

Contract Title: Proposal to Conduct a Feasibility Study of the Energy Needs for the Hope Vale Medical City with emphasis on Renewable Energy, High-Efficiency Technologies, and Advanced Energy Management Systems.

Employer: The Government of Grenada acting through Polaris Development Company Limited

RFP No: PDCL/POLARIS/RFP/2026-001

Release Date: 28 May 2026

Submission Deadline: 26 June 2026

1. Introduction & Project Description

The Government of Grenada, acting through Polaris Development Company Limited as the Employer, is developing a climate-resilient, “smart” teaching hospital of approximately 250 beds, providing secondary care and select tertiary care services to the tri-island state of Grenada and the wider Eastern Caribbean region (the “Hospital”). The Hospital shall be constructed over a 24-month period and will serve as the cornerstone of the 84-acre Hope Vale Medical City (Medical City). The Medical City is planned as an epicenter for Grenada’s medical and retirement tourism industry, health sciences research, and biotech initiatives, integrating state-of-the-art healthcare facilities with residential, recreational, and commercial amenities.

To establish the foundational infrastructure strategies for this master plan, the Employer now invites sealed Bids from eligible interested parties to conduct a comprehensive Feasibility Study of how the electrical and thermal energy needs of the proposed Medical City will be met with emphasis on: Renewable Energy,  High-Efficiency Technologies, integrated energy management encompassing the entire project, minimal impact on the environment, and reliability considerations. The study should also consider the role of utility providers (electricity and water) and how they fit into the various strategies being evaluated.

As part of the overarching development strategy, the Employer is establishing a multi-phase framework to evaluate long-term environmental sustainability. While the ultimate objective for the master plan is to target a triple-net-zero footprint across energy, water, and waste ecosystems, the Employer recognizes that achieving a fully net-zero outcome may occasionally face limitations due to financial, physical resource, technological, operational, or other localized constraints. Therefore, the study must focus on optimizing practical sustainability balances. This specific Request for Proposals is strictly isolated to the Energy Strategy component. The purpose of this study is to explore the complete engineering and economic viability of clean energy production pathways, infrastructure systems, utility-scale configurations, and demand-side conservation frameworks. The selected consultant will guide the Employer on maximizing self-sufficiency, reducing strain on regional infrastructure, and identifying where resource constraints require balanced solutions, establishing what is practically achievable for a standalone campus development.

2. Scope of Services & Two-Step Approach

The Employer is seeking a qualified consultant to offer strategic advice, evaluate and recommend a wide and diverse range of technical solutions, utility frameworks, and innovative system configurations. The selected consultant will act as a trusted advisor to the owner, providing guidance on industry best practices and identifying the absolute best-fit solutions for sustainable energy production and long-term utility savings. Interested parties are explicitly encouraged to put forward creative, high-efficiency, and economically viable technology suggestions that align with the campus's modern baseline.

The study will be executed utilizing a phased, progressive approach. To assist in proposal preparation, the Employer will provide initial conceptual site plans, layout drawings, space programs, and narrative baselines to all qualified interested parties under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This technical package will serve as the baseline for calculating facility loads, allowing the final technical configurations to lock down concurrently as the broader hospital design advances.

Step 1: Feasibility Study, Opportunity Mapping & Tech Review

• Comprehensive Opportunity Identification: Review the provided conceptual drawings and master plan packages to identify, assess, and prioritize diverse clean energy and efficiency opportunities across the entire site footprint.
• Operational Load Analysis: Formulate comprehensive electrical and thermal loads based on the provided master plan and building concepts. The analysis must evaluate immediate critical facility demands while forecasting expansion steps for the surrounding Medical City districts.
• Exhaustive Candidate System Proposals: Interested parties are requested to include in their proposal an exhaustive list of all alternative production pathways, recovery mechanisms, and physical infrastructure configurations they intend to evaluate if awarded the project in Step 1. To appropriately gauge the thoroughness, technical depth, and forward-thinking nature of each interested party, the Employer is intentionally holding back a rigid checklist of systems at this stage. It is the responsibility of the consultant to independently raise, identify, and justify all viable pathways; as a reference, these evaluations could encompass options such as geothermal loops, cogeneration systems utilizing fuels with lower air emissions, solar arrays, wind energy, heat recovery systems tied to an on-site data center, concentrated solar power (CSP), etc. All proposed systems must be evaluated for their feasibility, durability, and commercial viability within a Caribbean small-island context.
• Phased Sequencing & Implementation Recommendations: The consultant shall review the master plan and hospital concept design documentation—which delineates the various development districts, the timing parameters, and the prioritization of Phase 1 (hospital) relative to subsequent development phases—and deliver professional recommendations and proposed sequencing strategies for infrastructure deployment.
• Grid Interaction Matrix: For each candidate system proposed, analyze the technical and financial trade-offs across multiple levels of utility grid reliance. This assessment must evaluate capital expenditure (CapEx), operating costs (OpEx), and risk profiles for each individual system, ranging from standard grid-tied offsets up to total self-generation.
  

Step 2: Technical Solution Lock-Down & Engineering Basis

• Dialing Down the Technical Solution: Following the review and strategic selection of preferred pathways by the Employer from Step 1, the consultant will narrow the focus to dial down and lock in the exact preferred technical solutions.
• Detailed Engineering Modeling: Progress the chosen concepts into definitive technical designs and engineering parameters.
• Financial and Lifecycle Optimization: Deliver accurate capital cost projections, lifecycle operational budgets, net present value analysis, and investment payback schedules for the recommended systems.
• System Safeguards & Resiliency Controls: For integrated infrastructure networks, establish clear engineering parameters that preserve absolute facility isolation (e.g., automated fail-overs, separate power routing, and independent critical backup generation) ensuring external utility or network interruptions do not impact hospital operations.
• Master Energy Strategy: Compile the finalized engineering data and specifications into a definitive utility master plan ready to inform detailed construction documentation.

3. Current Design Status & Collaboration Timeline

Interested parties must note that the drawing package, space programs, and narratives provided with this RFP are currently at the conceptual design stage. The technical configurations of the energy study are intended to progress and finalize in alignment with the advancing design. The selected consultant will work in close coordination with the Design-Build-Maintain (DBM) contractor, Architect of Record, PMO, and the Employer, serving as an integrated technical partner to ensure that approved energy-efficiency and production strategies are seamlessly woven into the building systems as the design progresses.

To maintain alignment with the design schedule, the study’s deliverables must map directly to the upcoming design milestones. The primary design team is scheduled to complete the Schematic Design phase by September 2026. Accordingly, the consultant's Step 1 scope (opportunity mapping, baseline load analysis, and initial technical reviews) must be finalized within this window to inform core system selections. Immediately following the September 2026 milestone, the project will transition into the Design Development and Construction Documents phases. The consultant's Step 2 scope (detailed engineering modeling, financial optimization, and finalized utility master planning) will run concurrently to establish the definitive technical basis required for the final construction packages.

4. Technical Proposal Structure & Submission Requirements

Proposals must be delivered in a structured format and provide clear documentation regarding the following qualifications:

• Executive Summary & Project Understanding: The submission must begin with an interpretation of the project goals relative to healthcare requirements and regional economic conditions.
• Project Team & Expertise: Detailed organizational chart and resumes of the specialized engineers, energy modelers, and financial analysts dedicated to this study.
• Regional Capability: Demonstrated experience navigating utility frameworks, logistics environments, and regulatory conditions unique to small island developing states, with preference given to Caribbean or regional OECS experience.
• Proposed Evaluation Matrix: Interested parties are requested to identify this exhaustive list of alternative production pathways, recovery mechanisms, and physical infrastructure configurations directly within their proposal to establish what they intend to evaluate.
• Methodology & Work Plan: Detailed technical approach for completing both Step 1 and Step 2, including proposed energy modeling software packages, if any.
• Comparable Project Portfolio: A history of successfully executed utility or energy feasibility studies of similar scale, specifically focused on high-reliability environments, healthcare infrastructure, or complex district cooling and power networks.
• Innovation & Advanced Systems Case Studies: Documented examples or case studies where the firm has successfully deployed innovative thermal management, heat recovery, or clean-energy integration strategies that yielded measurable lifecycle savings.
• Local Capacity & Operational Integration: Strategies for engaging local engineering stakeholders and technical personnel during data collection, including a clear plan for knowledge transfer to ensure long-term maintenance compatibility with local skill sets.

5. Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be scored out of a maximum of 100 points based on the following weighted criteria:

Evaluation Component

Maximum Points

Specific Deliverable Requirements & Scoring Basis

5.1. Technical Approach & Innovation Depth

35 Points

Project Understanding

10 Points

Assessment of the firm's grasp of high-reliability hospital utility parameters, small island microgrid constraints, and the strategic boundary between immediate Phase 1 deliverables and long-term Medical City vision.

Methodology & Work Plan

15 Points

Evaluation of the step-by-step framework to execute Step 1 (Opportunity Exploration) and transition into Step 2 (Solution Lock-Down). Points are awarded for realistic timelines, quality assurance protocols, and the robustness of proposed engineering simulation/modeling software (if any).

Thoroughness of System Identification

10 Points

Evaluated based on the depth, creativity, and expansive nature of the consultant’s unprompted technology index. Higher marks are given to firms independently proposing advanced thermal balancing networks, resource conservation configurations, and smart grid integrations.

5.2. Qualifications & Experience

20 Points

Portfolio & Case Studies

10 Points

Based directly on the provided case studies and portfolio history. Points will be awarded based on the relevance of past projects to large-scale infrastructure, centralized heating/cooling utilities, healthcare-grade engineering, and documented performance metrics.

Key Personnel Expertise

10 Points

Assessment of the dedicated project team's credentials. Points are scored on CV relevance, individual engineering or modeling certifications, and direct leadership roles on similar technical infrastructure scopes.

5.3. Capacity Preservation & Local Context

15 Points

Regional Utility & Environmental Context

5 Points

Evaluation of the firm's demonstrated knowledge regarding small island developing states (SIDS) operations, OECS/Caribbean regulatory frameworks, and site-specific resource constraints.

Knowledge Transfer Strategy

10 Points

Based on the deliverable detailing local stakeholder engagement and capacity preservation. Points are awarded for structured methodologies that bring regional engineers into data-gathering or prepare local teams for future system maintenance.

5.4. Financial Proposal

30 Points

Cost Competitiveness

20 Points

Evaluated by comparing the proposed fee against the average price of all qualified proposals, scoring the best overall value for the amount of technical work provided.

Transparency & Rate Structures

10 Points

Scored on the clarity of the pricing schedule. Full marks require clear fee splits between Step 1 and Step 2, transparent hourly rate structures for all named personnel, reimbursable expenses, and a clearly demarcated schedule of project exclusions and assumptions.

6. RFP Timeline

Key Activity

Target Date

RFP Issuance

28 May 2026

RFP Submission Deadline

26 June 2026

Shortlisting & Presentations Commence

6 July 2026

Selection Notice

15 July 2026

7. Procurement Terms & Conditions

• Employer Discretion: The Government of Grenada and Polaris Development Company Limited reserve the right to accept or reject any submission, alter the procurement schedule, cancel the RFP, or negotiate separate terms with any bidder in the interest of the project without incurring liability.
• Ownership of Material: All analytical models, data inputs, reports, calculations, and subsequent documentation generated under this contract will become the sole intellectual property of the Government of Grenada.
• Governing Law: This procurement process, selection criteria, and any resulting contract obligations are governed exclusively by the laws of Grenada. Any disputes arising from this process shall be settled within the appropriate legal jurisdiction of Grenada.
• Interested parties shall bear all costs associated with preparing, submitting, and presenting their proposals. The Employer will not be liable for any expenses incurred during this process, and no reimbursement will be made for the selection phase to successful or unsuccessful candidates.
• All proposed fees must explicitly state the breakdown of any local taxes, withholding taxes, Value Added Tax (VAT), or customs duties applicable in Grenada, in compliance with local regulations.

8. Information Access

• A complete set of bidding documents will be emailed to interested parties upon the execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), subject to meeting the minimum qualification criteria. To satisfy this requirement, interested parties must submit a brief corporate overview via email confirming they have relevant experience in delivering a similar utility, energy, or institutional feasibility study within the past 24 months in a similar geography or small-island environment, complete with examples and references. Upon quick verification of these credentials, the bidding documents will be shared.
• Interested parties may obtain further information from the Project Implementation Unit by emailing piu@projectpolaris.gd and copying pmo@projectpolaris.gd.

9. Submission Instructions

Proposals must be submitted electronically in a secure PDF format with the subject line “Project Polaris Energy Feasibility RFP Submission – [Bidder Name]” via email to the aforementioned email addresses.

Late submissions will be excluded from evaluation. All proposal materials, supporting data, and subsequent presentations must be delivered completely in English.

The Government of Grenada looks forward to receiving your proposals and working together to establish an energy-secure medical campus, setting a new benchmark for clean energy integration and climate resilience in regional healthcare infrastructure.

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