September 19, 2023
Library and Community Services
DATE: September 19, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager - Community
Services
Tamara Walker, Deputy Director of Community Services
- Employment & Training
Fred Lucero, Program Manager
Subject:
Grant-Funded Contract with NET Electric to Provide
Classes on the Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Solar Power
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed expenditure of $32,000 will not impact the general fund. The entirety of the project funds will come from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant
awarded to the City of Richmond in May of 2023.
(12571141-400538-27G07).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
December 21, 2021
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Employment & Training staff is seeking approval of an
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant-funded
contract with NET Electric for certification classes for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and solar power.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract with NET Electric to provide
training and certification on the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and solar power in an amount
not to exceed $32,000, for a term commencing on
September 20, 2023, to June 30, 2026, with two one-year time only extension options – Community Services
Department, Employment and Training Division (Tamara
Walker 510-307-8006 / Fred Lucero 510-621-1562).
AGENDA
REPORT
September 19, 2023
DISCUSSION:
In May 2023, the Employment & Training (E&T) Division was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This grant was part of the Biden- Harris Administration’s Infrastructure Bill. Only twenty-five grants were awarded across the country and E&T’s RichmondBUILD was one of the twenty-five.
Under the grant requirements outlined in the EPA Grant’s Work Plan, E&T is required to teach electric vehicle (EV) charging station installation and solar installation. The City posted a and there were no responses. Although E&T wrote NET Electric into the EPA grant to teach the required EV-related classes at the RichmondBUILD facility, City staff still released a Request for Qualification (RFQ) to the City’s Bids Online system for those services. There were no responses to the RFQ; and therefore, E&T was allowed to award the contract to NET Electric.
Over the course of the grant and per E&T via the grant application, NET Electric will teach a series of eight two-week sessions of solar installation and EV Charging Installation courses at RichmondBUILD (16 sessions). Net Electric will receive $2,000 per session, for 16 sessions, which equals a total of $32,000.
NET Electric is a minority owned Richmond-based company and has solid experience working with E&T. In the past and in coordination with MCE, NET Electric taught electrical classes, hired graduates to work on projects like Solar One. They also worked on Richmond’s street lighting retrofit project. E&T also worked with NET Electric on another EV grant with the Transportation Parking Division. NET Electric will teach the following classes as outlined in the EPA 500 grant to the RichmondBUILD students:
EV Charging Installation
Working on a Brownfield Site for EC Charging Station
o HAZ 40 certification
o Capped vs not capped sites
Electrical & Electronic Components
Electrical tools & Test Equipment
Wiring Diagrams & Wiring Repairs
Basic Electrical Tests Computer Control Technology
Computer System Fundamentals
On-Board Diagnostic & Scan Tools Electrical & Electronic System Technology 12 Volt & HV Battery Technology
12 Volt & HV Battery Service
HV Safety
Drive Motor Technology
Drive Motor Service
September 19, 2023
Photovoltaic (Solar) Overview Solar Installation
Job site safety
Principles of photovoltaic
Site surveys, preplanning, and system sizing
Materials, tools, and conduit bending
Modules, inverters, and balance of system components
Modules features, inverter features, mounting systems Installation methods, guidelines, and calculations
Electrical wiring and connections
Residential vs commercial solar installation
City staff requests City Council approval to enter into a contract with NET Electric to provide training and certification on the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and solar power in an amount not to exceed $32,000, for a term commencing on September 20, 2023, to June 30, 2026, with two one-year extension options for time only. This term will extend through the term of the EPA grant.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Standard Contract
Attachment 2 – Request for Qualifications
Attachment 3 – Quote from NET Electric