California Air Resources Board

I.     Objective

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is responsible for developing quantification methodologies (QMs) for estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and other benefits from projects funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). The purpose of this study is to acquire technical assistance and expertise from qualified researchers to develop QMs that estimate the benefits from air filtration, microgrid, and electric bicycle projects. The benefits expected to be quantified from these project activities include, but are not limited to, estimates of GHG and air pollutant emission impacts and, if applicable, energy and fuel savings.

II.     Background

Under California’s Cap-and-Trade program, the State’s portion of the proceeds from Cap-and-Trade auctions is deposited in the GGRF. The Legislature and Governor enact budget appropriations from the GGRF for State agencies to invest in projects that help achieve the State’s climate goals. These investments are collectively called California Climate Investments.

Senate Bill (SB) 862 Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 36, Statutes of 2014 requires CARB to develop guidance on reporting and quantification methods for all State agencies that receive appropriations from the GGRF. Guidance includes developing QMs for estimating GHG emission reductions and other social, economic, and environmental benefits of projects, referred to as “co-benefits.” CARB develops QMs to provide project-level GHG emission or co-benefit estimates that are supported by empirical literature. This work relies on a review of the available science, coordination with the administering agencies, and outside experts and academic partners to obtain technical assistance and expertise, as needed. Based on this information, appropriate methods are developed that are as accurate as possible, with data readily and publicly available at the project level, while also considering ease of use by the intended users of the tools. CARB develops QMs to ensure that they fulfill the following requirements:

1. Apply at the project level;
2. Align with the project types proposed for funding for each program;
3. Provide uniform methods to be applied statewide, and that are accessible by all applicants;
4. Estimate net GHG emission reductions;
5. Use existing and proven tools or methodologies, where applicable; and
6. Reflect GHG emission reductions and co-benefit evaluation supported by empirical literature.

To date, CARB has developed over 40 QMs used by California Climate Investments programs to estimate benefits from a diverse assortment of projects that support transportation and sustainable communities, clean energy and efficiency, natural resources conservation and waste diversion, and more. CARB staff regularly evaluate and update QMs to reflect new scientific developments and new tools, or modifications to the analytical tools and approaches upon which the methods were based. As new project types are proposed for funding, new QMs are developed to estimate their benefits.

Across the suite of California Climate Investments, programs have begun to broaden their scopes to address community needs and new challenges. Historically, only a small number of air filtration, microgrid, and electric bicycle projects have been funded by California Climate Investments programs; therefore, QMs have not been developed for these project types given their complexity and the resources required to develop QMs. Consequently, those projects have been reporting zero benefits although CARB staff acknowledge that these projects do expect to reduce emissions and provide meaningful benefits. There has recently been growing interest by multiple California Climate Investments programs to fund air filtration and microgrid projects, as well as legislative budget allocations for electric bicycle incentives, which bolster the need to develop robust QMs for these project types.

The purpose of this study is to synthesize information from empirical literature and other credible resources to devise methods to quantify the benefits of air filtration, microgrid, and electric bicycle incentive projects. The proposed methodology for each topic shall align with the six implementing principles listed above. For this contract, one or more contractors may be awarded depending on their expertise in each of the three project types. The Contractor(s) will review existing literature, methods, and/or tools to support quantification of select project types, provide a summary of their findings, and propose quantification methods to be used by California Climate Investments. Each summary and QM will include a technical background to support fundings and a complete bibliography. The research summaries and QMs will be provided to CARB staff for review and comment, and may be posted publicly or referenced in public CARB documents.

III.    Scope of Work

The outcomes from this study will a include white paper for each of the three project types describing the proposed methodology to estimate the quantifiable benefits in a manner that is accessible for potential program applicants. The study will be divided into three tasks according to project type. Note that each of the three tasks may be awarded to different contractors at CARB’s discretion, considering proposal scores for each task. Proposals must address at least one task, but not necessarily all three tasks.

Task 1 – Quantifying Air Filtration Project Benefits White Paper

The Contractor(s) shall conduct a literature review and collect necessary data to inform the development of a QM for estimating GHG and air pollutant (i.e., nitrogen oxides, reactive organic gases, and particulate matter) impacts from projects that install or replace air filtration systems at schools and potentially other location types. The Contractor(s) shall meet with CARB staff, and any administering agency staff identified by CARB, to understand the applicable California Climate Investments programs as well as resources and constraints for developing QMs, and identify the quantitative and qualitative metrics that should be measured. The Contractor(s) will also review CARB’s existing methodologies for estimating emission and energy impacts of applicable California Climate Investments programs, including but not limited to the Community Air Protection program, to ensure the proposed air filtration QM is complimentary to and consistent with existing tools. The Contractor(s) will also conduct surveys and data collection/analyses as deemed necessary, including evaluating air filtration projects funded by CARB and/or California Climate Investments. The Contractor(s) must connect with communities that have implemented air filtration projects and/or communities who are in need of air filtration projects to understand the operation and impacts of these projects. Community needs and experiences will help better understand how these projects are and will be used when implemented. The communities must include at least one disadvantaged community and one low-income community.

Based on the literature review and other research, the Contractor(s) will draft a white paper that first presents a concise and comprehensive assessment of the literature. Based on their assessment, the Contractor(s) will develop and include in the draft white paper a proposed QM for California Climate Investments programs to estimate the impacts of potential air filtration projects, including but not limited to GHG and air pollutant emissions. The QM will consider relevant equity implications, defined in consultation with CARB staff. The white paper shall include information regarding the methods and sources from which the QM were derived. The Contractor(s) will revise the draft white paper based on feedback from CARB staff, and any administering agency staff identified by CARB, via an iterative process. The Contractor(s) will also provide to CARB staff any accompanying data and emission factors.

Task 2 – Quantifying Microgrid Project Benefits White Paper

The Contractor(s) shall conduct a literature review and collect necessary data to inform the development of a QM for estimating GHG emission reductions and co-benefits (i.e., nitrogen oxides, reactive organic gases, and particulate matter emission reductions; energy and fuel savings) from projects that install microgrid systems for residential communities and commercial and industrial businesses. The Contractor(s) shall meet with CARB staff, and any administering agency staff identified by CARB, to understand the applicable California Climate Investments programs as well as resources and constraints for developing QMs, and identify the quantitative and qualitative metrics that should be measured. The Contractor(s) will also review CARB’s existing methodologies for estimating emission and energy impacts of applicable California Climate Investments programs to ensure the proposed microgrid QM is complimentary to and consistent with existing tools. The Contractor(s) will also conduct surveys and data collection/analyses as deemed necessary, including evaluating microgrid projects funded by CARB and/or California Climate Investments. The Contractor(s) must connect with communities that have implemented microgrid projects and/or communities who are in need of microgrid projects to understand the operation and impacts of these projects. Community needs and experiences will help better understand how these projects are and will be used when implemented. The communities must include at least one disadvantaged community and one low-income community.

Based on the literature review and other research, the Contractor(s) will draft a white paper that first presents a concise and comprehensive assessment of the literature. Based on their assessment, the Contractor(s) will develop and include in the draft white paper a proposed QM for California Climate Investments programs to estimate the impacts of potential microgrid projects, including but not limited to GHG and air pollutant emissions and fuel and energy consumption. The QM will consider relevant equity implications, defined in consultation with CARB staff. The white paper will include information regarding the methods and sources from which the QM were derived. The Contractor(s) will revise the draft white paper based on feedback from CARB staff, and any administering agency staff identified by CARB, via an iterative process. The Contractor(s) will provide to CARB staff any accompanying data and emission factors.

Task 3 – Quantifying Electric Bicycle Project Benefits White Paper

The Contractor(s) shall conduct a literature review and collect necessary data to inform the development of a QM for estimating GHG emission reductions and co-benefits (i.e., nitrogen oxides, reactive organic gases, and particulate matter emission reductions; energy and fuel savings) from projects that provide incentives for the purchase of electric bicycles and projects that fund electric bikeshares. The Contractor(s) shall meet with CARB staff, and any administering agency staff identified by CARB, to understand the applicable California Climate Investments programs as well as resources and constraints for developing QMs, and identify the quantitative and qualitative metrics that should be measured. The Contractor(s) will also review CARB’s existing methodologies for estimating emission and energy impacts of applicable California Climate Investments programs to ensure the proposed electric bicycle QM is complimentary to and consistent with existing tools. The Contractor(s) will also conduct surveys and data collection/analyses as deemed necessary, including evaluating electric bicycle projects funded by CARB and/or California Climate Investments. The Contractor(s) must connect with communities that implement existing electric bicycle projects and/or communities who are in need of electric bicycle projects to understand the operation and impacts of these projects. Community needs and experiences will help better understand how these projects are and will be used when implemented. The communities must include at least one disadvantaged community and one low-income community.

Based on the literature review and other research, the Contractor(s) will draft a white paper that first presents a concise and comprehensive assessment of the literature. Based on their assessment, the Contractor(s) will develop and include in the draft white paper a proposed QM for California Climate Investments programs to estimate the impacts of potential electric bicycle projects, including but not limited to GHG and air pollutant emissions and fuel and energy consumption. The QM, at a minimum, will consider the avoided or displaced vehicles miles travelled from passenger automobiles, the energy consumption of an electric bicycle, and delivery- or service-related impacts from maintaining bikeshare services. The QM will also consider relevant equity implications, defined in consultation with CARB staff. The white paper will include information regarding the sources from which the QM were derived. The Contractor(s) will revise the draft white paper based on feedback from CARB staff, and any administering agency staff identified by CARB, via an iterative process. The Contractor(s) will provide to CARB staff any accompanying data and emission factors.

IV.    Deliverables

The project pre-proposal must include but is not limited to the following deliverables:

During Active Contract Period

1. A one-page plain-language outreach deliverable for the public produced at the beginning of the project that describes the project’s goals, process, and planned deliverables (available in multiple languages, template will be provided).
2. Quarterly Progress Reports including public-facing updates to be posted to CARB’s website and an updated schedule/deliverable timeline.
3. Quarterly Progress Meetings.
4. Informal monthly progress update meetings with CARB contract manager.

Prior to Contract Close

5. Draft white paper “Estimating the Benefits of Air Filtration Projects.”
6. Final white paper “Estimating the Benefits of Air Filtration Projects.”
7. Draft white paper “Estimating the Benefits of Microgrid Projects.”
8. Final white paper “Estimating the Benefits of Microgrid Projects.”
9. Draft white paper “Estimating the Benefits of Electric Bicycle Projects.”
10. Final white paper “Estimating the Benefits of Electric Bicycle Projects.”
11. Presentation summarizing findings.

NOTE: Contractor(s) will be responsible for ensuring their documents comply with the American with Disabilities Act.

Additional deliverables to be determined in consultation with CARB staff.

V.     Timeline

It is anticipated this project will be completed in 12 months from the start date (start date is estimated to be in Spring 2024). The estimated budget for this project is up to $200,000.

Scoring Criteria

Each task will be scored using the following criteria:

1. Responsiveness to the goals and objectives outlined in the proposal solicitation (20 points)

The proposal should explain—in adequate detail and clear, understandable language—how the proposed project satisfies the project objectives. This contract should develop methodologies to quantify the GHG and air pollutant emission impacts and, if applicable, energy and fuel savings and other co-benefits of air filtration, microgrid, and/or electric bicycle incentive projects.

2. Work experience and subject matter expertise (20 points)

The proposal should demonstrate that the proposers have the work experience or subject matter expertise required to successfully carry out the proposed project as described. Additionally, the proposal should describe how the project will build upon previous relevant work that was funded by CARB or other regional, state, and federal agencies. The proposers should have knowledge of clean air and clean energy technologies and/or innovative micromobility options.

If the proposer has experience with community-based engagement approaches, the proposal should describe this prior work, include letters of support or references, and/or describe how this prior work has impacted communities. Regardless of prior experience with community engagement, the proposal should describe how the team will meaningfully engage relevant communities in the execution of the proposed project.

3. Expanding expertise (20 points)

The proposal should explain how the project team expands expertise such as by incorporating multidisciplinary expertise or perspectives; including members from various public universities, non-academic institutions, or community-based organizations; or providing opportunities to build skills and expertise for individuals from underrepresented groups. Reviewers will consider if key personnel contributing significantly to the project (i.e., a principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or co-investigator, contributing 25 percent or more of their time to the project) have not worked with CARB in the past five years.

4. Explanation of technical or methodological approach (20 points)

The proposal should clearly explain the logic and feasibility of the project’s methodology, spell out the sequence and relationships of major tasks, and explain methods for performing the work. The proposal should include a clear description and plan for how each applicable task will be completed.

5. Level and quality of effort and cost effectiveness (20 points)

The proposal should describe how time and resources will be allocated and demonstrate how this allocation ensures the project’s success. Proposal reviewers will evaluate, for example: if the objectives of the project can be met given this allocation, if there is adequate supervision and oversight to ensure that the project will remain on schedule, if time and cost are appropriately divvied up across different project tasks and stages, detail provided on compensation for community participation, etc.