Question 1

As an IIC, will the minimum number of contractors to receive allocations per zone, as listed on the IIC Zone Template, be a combined number between CLEAResult and Rise, or separate? Will there also be a maximum?

Accepted Answer

The minimum number of contractors selected per zone is determined independently for each Lead Vendor (LV). Each LV established its own minimum based on the projected volume of work it expects to allocate through the next 12 months beginning July 1st, 2026.  A maximum number of contractors is to be determined by each LV on a monthly basis depending on project volume to ensure adequate coverage.   For example; if one LV anticipates needing 10 IICs and the other LV anticipates needing only 5 IICs for that zone then the top 5 ranked IICs in that zone would earn allocation work with both LVs and the IICs ranked 6-10 would earn allocations from the LV needing 10 IICs to meet anticipated volumes.

Question 2

Will zones awarded to IICs as a result of this RFQ also affect what zones I can participate in for direct weatherization, ECR/PCRs, wx customer requests, Facilitated Services, and/or Turnkey (heat pump, barrier mitigation)?

Accepted Answer

The IIC zone awards as a result of this RFQ have no bearing on which zones an IIC can participate in for direct weatherization, ECR/PCRs, customer requests, Facilitated Services, and/or non-Wx Turnkey services (e.g., heat pump, barrier mitigation, etc.). IIC zone awards are only related to merit based weatherization work allocations.

Question 3

Can you please clarify who is eligible to bid on the optional spray foam measures and have their bid accepted?

Accepted Answer

Contractors may bid on anticipatory spray foam measures if they, or their crew, have been installing spray foam for the past 12+ months. Prior experience that is not recent (i.e., outside the last year) does not qualify. Requesters may require an attestation of this experience and will only accept bids from contractors who can verify it. Bids from contractors without qualifying, recent experience will be rejected.

Question 4

The ancillary measures related to R-60, such as the 4" polyiso measure does not achieve R-60. Should we bid according to installing 4" as it's listed or greater than 4" to achieve R-60?

Accepted Answer

Please provide the bid for installing 4" of polyiso as listed. That is the intended basis for the bid, even though it does not achieve R-60.

Question 5

For what reasons could a measure price bid be rejected?

Accepted Answer

Bids that are significantly greater or less than the majority of bids will be flagged. Respondents will have the opportunity to justify and defend the logic and methodology of their bid with the Requestors. Bids that are not able to be supported with sufficient backup may be rejected.

Question 6

For HPCs, does the number of HPCs who bid (or have an accepted bid) affect the range of acquisition fees?

Accepted Answer

No - There are 11 tiers of acquisition fees greater than the median fee and 11 less than the median. All non-bidders or rejected bids will receive the lowest (23rd) customer acquisition fee, 11 below the median.

Question 7

Regarding zone 15, if an IIC bids on that zone and wins allocation are they winning both Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard or just Nantucket?

Accepted Answer

While Zone 15 includes both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, the RFQ is limited to Eversource and National Grid. Since services for Martha’s Vineyard is administered by Cape Light Compact, Nantucket is the only location within the zone where an IIC would bid to receive allocation work through the RFQ.

Question 8

Have the number of IICs for each zone been decided?

Accepted Answer

The IIC Zone Template (Attachment 3) provides the minimum number of contractors each Lead Vendor anticipates it needs to ensure adequate capacity to serve customers in a timely manner.

Question 9

The Lead Vendors are both competitors of HPCs in the Home Energy Assessment market and hold supervisory/QA authority over HPCs, especially now given the fixed budgets. What specific firewalls, if any, exist to prevent Lead Vendors from accessing HPC bid data or using their administrative role to disadvantage HPC competitors? Please provide the written protocols, given this is a publicly funded program, these protocols should be available to the public.

Accepted Answer

The Lead Vendors do not directly install weatherization measures and all Wx measure costs are straight pass through payments to the Contractors.

Question 10

Section 2.12(f) of Attachment 1 gives the Lead Vendor unilateral discretion to "temporarily pause" an HPC's ability to bid on new work or receive allocations. What due process protections exist before such a pause is imposed? Is there an independent appeals mechanism that does not route through the Lead Vendor itself?

Accepted Answer

This clause refers to the allocation/assignment of Lead Vendor generated Wx projects  to IICs.  HPCs are not subject to this clause at this time given that HPCs generate their own Wx projects.

Question 11

Given that QA inspections of HPC work are conducted by Lead Vendors who compete directly with HPCs for the same customer base, will the Requestor commit to engaging a truly independent third-party QA inspector for HPC work? If not, please explain specifically why the current arrangement does not constitute a conflict of interest under M.G.L. c. 93A or applicable procurement regulations.

Accepted Answer

Wx inspections are performed by both a third party inspection company as well as by the HPC Lead Vendor .  All inspections are conducted against the same installation requirements.  All contractors have the opportunity to contest the findings of any inspection results before they are considered final. The HPC LV does not complete Wx work so there is no conflict of interest.

Question 12

The ranking methodology uses the volume of installed measures from January–December 2025 as the "baseline" to weight each contractor's bid impact. Please disclose: (a) the total program spend baseline figure; (b) the volume breakdown by measure attributed to each current contractor category (HPC vs. IIC vs. LV).

Accepted Answer

The program spend by measure is provided in the Measure Cost Submission Template in aggregate for the program.  The Requestors will not be differentiating between IIC and HPC completed work as all work is completed to the same requirements at the same pricing.

Question 13

The median acquisition fee ($393.00) was set based on prior-year results. Please disclose the methodology used to set the original 2025 median acquisition fee, who determined it, whether HPCs were consulted, and what regulatory body approved it. A fee that was set by parties who also benefit from keeping it low raises serious questions under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act.

Accepted Answer

Thank you for your interest in the RFQ for Mass Save Weatherization Services. The “Questions and Requests for Additional Information” part of the RFQ schedule was intended to address perceived ambiguities in the RFQ in order to better support your response.  This question requests a legal interpretation and/or legal conclusion rather than clarification of the RFQ requirements or information necessary for preparing a response. As a result, we will not be further addressing this question as part of this RFQ process.

Question 14

If fewer than 25% of respondents bid on a particular measure, the Requestor "reserves the ight to establish a price." What formula, cost data, or independent standard will the Requestor use to set that price? Will it be subject to EEAC or DPU review? Who has standing to challenge such a unilaterally-set price?

Accepted Answer

If this were to occur, the Requestors would disclose the methodology they used to determine the price which could be dependent on the specific measure.

Question 15

The RFQ states that "all accepted bids" are used in the price allocation formula, but this is a mischaracterization. The subset of bids used artificially deflates the price at the outset by specifically excluding IIC bids that are not low enough to receive work allocation and only takes into consideration the lowest bids. Please define how this is not market manipulation?

Accepted Answer

Thank you for your interest in the RFQ for Mass Save Weatherization Services. The “Questions and Requests for Additional Information” part of the RFQ schedule was intended to address perceived ambiguities in the RFQ in order to better support your response.  This question requests a legal interpretation and/or legal conclusion rather than clarification of the RFQ requirements or information necessary for preparing a response. As a result, we will not be further addressing this question as part of this RFQ process.

Question 16

HPCs are required to bid on all non-optional measures and are then bound to install everything they bid at the averaged price, which they had no individual power to set. This means an HPC that bids $X for a measure may be forced to install it at a lower averaged price. Has the Requestor conducted an analysis of whether this compelled-performance-at-below-bid-price mechanism could constitute an unconscionable contract term under Massachusetts law? Please provide the basis for this obligation.

Accepted Answer

No contractor has individual power to determine the price in this RFQ competitive solicitation.  No contractor is required to participate in the program, participation by eligible contractors under the program pricing is at their own discretion.

Question 17

Section 6 requires Respondents to waive "any right it might have to bring a claim against The Requestor" with respect to any matter arising out of the RFQ. This is a pre-dispute waiver of legal claims required as a condition of participating in a ratepayer-funded public program. Please identify the authority that permits such a waiver requirement in a publicly-mandated program. Does the DPU or EEAC consider such a waiver consistent with their oversight mandate?

Accepted Answer

Thank you for your interest in the RFQ for Mass Save Weatherization Services. The “Questions and Requests for Additional Information” part of the RFQ schedule was intended to address perceived ambiguities in the RFQ in order to better support your response.  This question requests a legal interpretation and/or legal conclusion rather than clarification of the RFQ requirements or information necessary for preparing a response. As a result, we will not be further addressing this question as part of this RFQ process.

Question 18

Section 4 (Ownership of Responses) states that "all materials submitted in response to this RFQ shall become the property of the Requestor." HPCs' proprietary cost data, operational details, and business strategies therefore become the permanent property of entities that include LV competitors. Please explain what protections prevent the Requestor or its LV agents from using HPC proprietary bid data for competitive purposes, including customer targeting, pricing strategy, or capacity planning.

Accepted Answer

The RFQ is not requesting any proprietary operational details or business strategy from Respondants.  A Respondants Wx bid is not proprietary information. The cost of weatherization will be utilized by the PAs as one factor in overall program planning and budget management.

Question 19

A contractor must be "In-Good-Standing" to submit a bid. Who has authority to revoke "In Good-Standing" status, under what standards, and is there an independent appeals process before such a revocation can be used to exclude a contractor from the bidding process? If Lead Vendors have any role in "In-Good-Standing" determinations, this creates a mechanism by which a competitor can exclude a rival from the entire bidding process.

Accepted Answer

The HPC Lead Vendor, whose Participation Agreement defines "Good Standing" does not complete Wx work and therefore is not in competition with HPCs.

Question 20

Please provide the written standards and procedures for how a contractor achieves, loses, and regains "In-Good-Standing" status. Are those standards applied uniformly to both HPCs and LV-aiiliated contractors? Please confirm whether the same "In-Good-Standing" requirements applies to LVs.

Accepted Answer

The written standards and procedures for how a contractor achieves, loses, and regains "In-Good-Standing" status are outlined in the HPC Performance and Disciplinary Procedures Policy. This policy is included as a supporting document in the HPC participation agreement. The policy details the criteria and processes for attaining and maintaining "In-Good-Standing" status, as well as the steps for reinstatement if this status is lost.

Question 21

The Requestor reserves the right to "modify the terms of this RFQ at any time in its sole discretion," including the right to "cancel this RFQ at any time." Given that HPCs invest significant resources in preparing bids and that program participation is essential to business continuity, what obligation does the Requestor have to provide advance notice and justification to participating HPCs before a material RFQ amendment? What regulatory body has oversight over such unilateral changes?

Accepted Answer

Thank you for your interest in the RFQ for Mass Save Weatherization Services. The “Questions and Requests for Additional Information” part of the RFQ schedule was intended to address perceived ambiguities in the RFQ in order to better support your response.  This question requests a legal interpretation and/or legal conclusion rather than clarification of the RFQ requirements or information necessary for preparing a response. As a result, we will not be further addressing this question as part of this RFQ process.

Question 22

The RFQ states the Requestor may "cancel, delay, or suspend this solicitation if in the best interest of the program." Who determines "best interest of the program"? Does this include financial interests of the Program Administrators (utilities) or Lead Vendors? Is EEAC or DPU oversight triggered when such actions are taken?

Accepted Answer

Thank you for your interest in the RFQ for Mass Save Weatherization Services. The “Questions and Requests for Additional Information” part of the RFQ schedule was intended to address perceived ambiguities in the RFQ in order to better support your response.  This question requests a legal interpretation and/or legal conclusion rather than clarification of the RFQ requirements or information necessary for preparing a response. As a result, we will not be further addressing this question as part of this RFQ process.

Question 23

The IIC zone allocation system caps IICs at 6 zones, with Lead Vendors determining the minimum contractor quantities per zone. Does this system allow Lead Vendors to eiectively exclude HPCs from geographic markets or to concentrate work among LV aiiliated subcontractors? Please provide the total available work allocation volume per zone and the number of IIC slots available for non-LV-aiiliated contractors.

Accepted Answer

HPCs are permitted to pursue work in any geographic area of their choosing based on their Program Participation Agreements with the Lead Vendor.

Question 24

This RFQ governs access to a ratepayer-funded public program administered pursuant to the Green Communities Act (M.G.L. c. 25, § 21). Exclusion from the program, whether through "In-Good-Standing" revocation, bid rejection, or low acquisition fee ranking, has significant consequences for HPC businesses. What formal due process protections does the Requestor provide to contractors facing adverse determinations? What is the role of the DPU or EEAC in reviewing those determinations?

Accepted Answer

Thank you for your interest in the RFQ for Mass Save Weatherization Services. The “Questions and Requests for Additional Information” part of the RFQ schedule was intended to address perceived ambiguities in the RFQ in order to better support your response.  This question requests a legal interpretation and/or legal conclusion rather than clarification of the RFQ requirements or information necessary for preparing a response. As a result, we will not be further addressing this question as part of this RFQ process.

Question 25

The Attachment 1 Standard states it "will be updated periodically" at the Program Administrators' "discretion" and that new rules effective June 8, 2026 apply immediately. Will HPCs be given advance notice and an opportunity to comment on material changes to the Standard before they take effect? What is the minimum notice period for changes that affect pricing, qualification requirements, or grounds for suspension?

Accepted Answer

The Program Administrators will determine an appropriate transition time, based on the materiality of any such changes to  the Material and Installation Standards.

RFQ Informational Call - Presentation

RFQ Informational Call - Recording