To: Trolis Niebla, City Manager
From: George Harris, Senior Director of Administrative Services Date: November 24, 2025
Subject: Sole Source Justification – Professional Services Agreement with MYNT Systems
Lancaster Municipal Code 3.32.200(B)(2) Sole Source. Where the purchasing officer determines that the materials or services are unique and available only from one source, so that the quotation procedure required by this section would be meaningless.
Purpose: This memorandum justifies the sole-source selection of MYNT Systems to provide integrated financial modeling, design, engineering, project management, and construction services for the Police Station and Lancaster Baptist Church microgrid and solar+storage installations under the City of Lancaster’s California Energy Commission (CEC)–funded Advanced Energy Community project.
Justification for Sole Source Selection: The microgrid installations required under the CEC project are highly complex, time-sensitive, and require specialized expertise across feasibility analysis, full EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) delivery, structured financing, incentive administration, and advanced microgrid engineering. MYNT Systems is the only known vendor capable of providing all of these services in an integrated, accelerated, and CEC- compliant manner. The CEC grant Term’s and Condition’s include the following language regarding running either a competitive process OR providing a memo to the Commission Agreement Manager regarding why the cost is reasonable and efforts made to assess appropriate vendors or justify a sole source.
See page nine: https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2023- 12/Renewable_CEC_Standard_Grant_Terms_and_Conditions_ADA.pdf The following factors support the determination that competitive quotations would be impracticable and meaningless:
1. Unique combination of technical capabilities and vertically integrated delivery MYNT Systems provides end-to-end microgrid services—including engineering, financial modeling, design, construction management, installation, and asset management—entirely in-house. This vertically integrated model creates scale efficiencies and ensures technical alignment from design through commissioning, which is essential for these projects’ complex multi-megawatt microgrid configurations. Two other firms were considered (Serious
Controls or GridScape), however they could not offer the full integrated suite at the required technical depth.
2. Demonstrated microgrid expertise tailored to the City’s project needs MYNT is one of the largest microgrid project developers in California, with extensive experience executing small, medium, and large multi-megawatt microgrids. They employ licensed general contractors (B), solar (C-46), electrical (C-10), and a staff Electrical P.E., which makes them uniquely capable of handling the engineering and construction scope.
Their expertise exceeds that of Serious Controls, which works primarily on smaller DER/VPP installations, and GridScape, whose staffing and capacity constraints made them unavailable.
3. Uncompensated pre-contract feasibility and financial modeling work MYNT was the only firm willing to evaluate microgrid feasibility and conduct detailed pro forma financial modeling prior to formal contracting and without compensation—a requirement created by the rapidly changing incentive and tax-credit landscape in 2024–25.
This level of upfront work was necessary to validate project viability before an EPC contract could be issued. Neither GridScape nor Serious Controls was able or willing to take on this no-cost, high-effort preliminary work.
4. Ability to perform under CEC reimbursement constraints CEC-funded projects reimburse invoices on a 60–90-day cycle and withhold 10% of payments until at least six months after project completion (estimated late 2026). Many contractors cannot accept this burden.
MYNT, with a large project portfolio and strong cash flow, is uniquely capable of working under these fiscal constraints, which neither GridScape nor Serious Controls could feasibly accommodate.
5. Proven performance and exceptional engagement with City sites During nine months of feasibility studies and pro forma development, MYNT’s engineering and client engagement teams consistently demonstrated high technical competence, responsiveness, and professionalism. Their leadership and engineers made multiple on-site visits at their own expense to evaluate and advance the microgrid designs.
This level of proactive engagement and investment has not been matched by any other vendor.
6. Capability to meet the City’s accelerated project timeline
Due to the late pivot from the canceled HNR-1 project, the City has approximately one year—rather than the typical 1–2 years—available for microgrid design, permitting, and construction.
MYNT is the only vendor that affirmed the ability to accelerate design and construction to meet the March 31, 2026 CEC deadline. Serious Controls and GridScape either lacked bandwidth or the technical capacity to deliver within this compressed schedule.
Review of Alternative Firms
ZNE Alliance and City staff evaluated three firms with relevant experience on the Advanced Energy Community project: MYNT Systems, Serious Controls, and GridScape. • GridScape was unavailable due to staff capacity and low expected profitability. • Serious Controls lacked experience with complex microgrids and had limited local staff committed to other project tasks.
• Only MYNT Systems possessed the technical breadth, financial stability, capacity, and willingness to undertake both the preliminary feasibility work and the accelerated EPC timeline.
The City and ZNE Alliance subsequently received CEC approval to utilize MYNT Systems as a sole-source vendor.
Conclusion: Based on MYNT Systems’ unique capabilities, extensive proven experience, willingness to perform uncompensated feasibility work, ability to operate within CEC reimbursement constraints, and unmatched capacity to meet the accelerated project schedule, MYNT Systems is uniquely qualified and available only from one source for these microgrid and solar+storage projects.
Therefore, MYNT Systems meets the criteria under Lancaster Municipal Code 3.32.200(B)(2), and a competitive quotation process would be impracticable and meaningless.