|
Request for proposals for Interior Gas Project due Aug. 3
The Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority has issued a request for proposals for the Interior Energy Project, with proposals due Aug. 3, the first step in what the agency describes as a two-step public process.
The goal of the Interior Energy Project is to provide low-cost energy to Interior Alaska. The plan originally was for a liquefied natural gas facility on the North Slope, with LNG trucked to Fairbanks; that project was dropped.
With an expansion of the natural gas industry in Cook Inlet, interest switched to liquefying Cook Inlet natural gas for shipment to Fairbanks.
The Alaska Legislature approved the switch away from a North Slope project earlier this year, and also expanded the project beyond LNG to include propane and a small-diameter line.
Approach description AIDEA said in this first step “interested parties can describe a proposed approach to supplying LNG or alternative energy supply to the Interior utilities as part of the IEP.”
As many as four selected proposals will advance to the second stage and AIDEA said it “reserves the right to add additional proposals as necessary to meet the requirements of this RFP.”
The primary option for the solicitation is to develop a facility in Cook Inlet capable of producing 200,000 gallons of LNG per day, with expansion capacity up to 400,000 gallons per day, but AIDEA said it also encourages and will accept alternate proposals including but not limited to propane, liquefaction capacity combined with gas supply, liquefaction capacity combined with gas supply and transportation, North Slope liquefaction capacity or a small diameter pipeline.
Final project offers Step two will culminate with a call for final project offers from each proposer, AIDEA said. Those will be evaluated by a committee on the basis of most likely to succeed and selection criteria used in step one will not be used.
“The Evaluation Committee will review final project offers, evaluating and ranking as a group with the intent of coming to a consensus of their selection,” AIDEA said, but has the option of voting on the final ranking. The committee will provide a narrative justification for its decision.
A single entity will be selected to develop the energy supply chain - a selection which will be approved by the AIDEA board of directors.
Separate scoring In step one, evaluators will read and rate each proposal based on project understanding; methodology, experience and qualifications; project description and costs; and ability to meet IEP goals.
The evaluation committee will meet to discuss proposals after members have individually rated them, and may discuss factual knowledge of and may investigate those making the offers’ and their proposed subcontractors’ prior work experience and performance, and may conduct discussions with those making offers “determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected to advance to the second step” to assure full understanding of and responsiveness to solicitation requirements.
The committee may ask for best and final offers from those selected for discussions.
After completion of the two-step process and negations with the successful offeror, a notice of intent will be provided to all offerors. If negotiations with the offeror(s) selected are unsuccessful, AIDEA said it may cancel the solicitation or reserves the right to enter into negotiations with another offeror that advanced to the second step.
- Kristen Nelson
| 