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Presentation, discussion, and possible action on the selection of International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology to administer the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program in Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
WHEREAS, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (the Department) administers the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in Texas through a network of 21 subgrantees using U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) WAP funds;
WHEREAS, on November 15, 2021, the President of the United States signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (i.e., Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)) into law which provided the Department with an additional $173 million in DOE weatherization funding;
WHEREAS, on December 9, 2021, the Board authorized staff to procure a statewide/regional multifamily BIL DOE WAP provider to assist the current WAP subgrantee network in providing weatherization assistance throughout Texas to assist in effectively expending and utilizing the funding allocated to Texas in the BIL;
WHEREAS, on August 16, 2023, Department staff released a Request for Applications (RFA) seeking qualified organizations to submit an application to administer BIL DOE WAP in the state of Texas;
WHEREAS, International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST) was the only qualified applicant to respond to the RFA and they were approved for an award by the Board on December 7, 2023, to administer BIL DOE WAP in El Paso and Hudspeth counties;
WHEREAS, because the Department did not receive a sufficient number of applications from qualified organizations to administer BIL DOE WAP in other regions of Texas and the RFA originally released was closed, staff also gained Board approval on December 7, 2023, to issue another, slightly modified, RFA;
WHEREAS, on March 18, 2024, Department staff released a second RFA seeking qualified organizations to administer BIL DOE WAP that will remain open on an ongoing basis until a sufficient number of viable applications for the remaining regions of Texas have been received;
WHEREAS, in response to the second RFA, two applications were received, only one of which was able to demonstrate positive past performance with DOE WAP, which is ICAST; and
WHEREAS, ICAST has satisfied the threshold requirements and the Previous Participation Review Approval Process and is being recommended for a second award of approximately $9.5 million to administer BIL DOE WAP in Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties;
NOW, therefore, it is hereby
RESOLVED, that the Executive Director and his designees, be and each of them hereby are authorized, empowered, and directed, for and on behalf of the Department, to designate ICAST as a BIL DOE WAP service provider for Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties and to be issued a contract for a BILWAP award according to the formula in 10 TAC §6.404 as described in the RFA, and to be augmented with additional BILWAP funding should production and performance warrant it, and to remain the BILWAP service provider in such counties thereafter as long as there is not good cause to terminate or until there is insufficient funding to justify their need.
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BACKGROUND
The Department administers DOE WAP in Texas which is operated by a network of 21 private nonprofits and local government entities (i.e., subgrantees). Weatherization funding makes homes more energy efficient, safer and healthier for low income Texans. Each year the Department receives an annual allocation of WAP funds from DOE in the amount of approximately $8 million. In addition to the annual allocation, the BIL was signed into law on November 15, 2021, injecting an additional $173 million into Texas’ WAP, a twenty fold increase in funding.
Because subgrantees have had difficulty in the past expending their yearly allocation of DOE WAP funding, in part due to DOE WAP requirements being quite stringent, the Department recognized that additional help was needed and sought Board approval to issue an RFA seeking qualified organizations to assist in the administration of the new BIL DOE WAP funding. On December 9, 2021, the Board granted staff the authority to release such an RFA hoping to receive either a viable statewide application to administer BILWAP or a sufficient number of viable regional applications to administer BILWAP in the major metropolitan regions of Texas (i.e., Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso). There was significant delay between the Board’s initial approval and the actual issuance of the first RFA on August 16, 2023, because staff was awaiting further guidance from DOE on basic requirements of the BILWAP program. ICAST was the only qualified applicant to respond to the first RFA and they were approved for an award by the Board on December 7, 2023, to administer BIL DOE WAP in El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
At the same Board meeting on December 7, 2023, the Board approved the release of another RFA to identify additional qualified providers and which would remain open in regions where there are no qualified applicants, to allow such applicants to respond at any time. In response to this RFA, staff received two applications to provide regional weatherization services. Staff evaluated each application and found only one, ICAST, that satisfied the RFA requirement that the applicant have experience with administering DOE WAP.
A notice of denial and appeal rights was sent to the applicant not recommended for award (i.e., Adults and Youth United Development Association) due to their application’s failure to demonstrate experience administering DOE WAP. No request to appeal was received. Please refer to the table below for a list of applicants, counties for which they applied and initial approximate award amount for the recommended awardee. This initial award may be augmented with additional funds by the Department should production and performance warrant it. These funds will be utilized to cover costs related to administration, direct program staff costs, and for the provision of direct client services and assistance.
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Applicant |
Counties |
Approximate Initial BILWAP Award Amount |
|
Adults and Youth United Development Association, Inc. (AYUDA) |
Ector, Midland |
NA |
|
International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST) |
Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, Bexar |
$9,503,489 |
The Previous Participation Review Approval Process includes a review of DOE awards prior to contract execution. This award is subject to this review and the review has been performed. ICAST has been recommended for award with no conditions.
Staff recommends that ICAST be designated as a BILWAP service provider and awarded a BILWAP contract for Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties. They will remain a BILWAP service provider for Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties as long as they remain in good standing or until there is insufficient funding to justify their need.
ICAST is a highly qualified organization and capable of successfully administering BILWAP as demonstrated in their application. Not only has ICAST already been awarded to administer BILWAP in El Paso and Hudspeth counties, they have also managed the multifamily WAP for the state of New Mexico since 2013 and manage Tennessee’s multifamily WAP. If the Board approves, actions will be taken by Department staff in collaboration with ICAST to provide multifamily weatherization services to eligible households in Travis, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties.