Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: County Administration
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Erica Lee Carter
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Award
Project ID (if applicable): 250189
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Solar United Neighbors
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 0%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 15%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Rate is not 0% and is listed above.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of an award on the basis of best proposal meeting requirements and that the County Judge execute an agreement with Solar United Neighbors for community engagement for the Harris County Community Solar Program for the Office of County Administration for the period of June 25, 2026 - June 24, 2027 with one (1) one-year renewal options (250189), Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible.
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Background and Discussion:
In July of 2024, Harris County received a Notice of Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a $249.7 million grant on behalf of the Texas Solar for All Coalition to implement the Solar for All program across Texas.
The Harris County Community Solar Program (Solar Program) under Solar for All will develop a portfolio of community solar and battery energy storage projects whose electricity will be used by one or more Retail Electricity Providers (REP) to serve community members of a County-organized aggregation of qualifying households. The Solar Program addresses two critical challenges: 1) rising energy costs for low-income communities across the County, and 2) the need for enhanced grid resilience during extreme weather events and power outages.
Engagement with residents around this Solar Program will be needed to reach the target of up to 10,000 households across Harris County. From planning and design of the program to delivering educational campaigns to supporting enrollment activities, outreach to income-qualified residents will build awareness and interest in this opt-in opportunity.
Expected Impact:
The goal of the project is to reduce monthly energy bills for low-income families and enhance energy resilience for Harris County residents. Solar United Neighbors’ Solar Ambassadors program will serve as outreach leads and trusted messengers to discuss the programmatic benefits to residents and help enroll households who are interested in joining. A portion of the DOE’s Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) will be funding the initial portion of this work.
Alternative Options:
To not approve this contract, which will leave a portion of the County’s DOE funding unspent.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 5. Minimize the impact of climate change and disasters.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Q: Encourage residents, businesses, and public entities to significantly reduce their environmental footprint for the health of our region.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Q2: Increase energy resilience of Harris County through deployment of affordable, reliable community solar.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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9/18/2025 |
322 |
Request for approval of a project scheduled for advertisement and consent for Request for Proposal for community engagement for the Harris County Community Solar Program for the Office of County Administration (250189). |
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Location: N/A
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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Anticipated Court Date: 6/25/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Lisa Lin, Director, Office of County Administration; Jeremy Woodard, Senior Sourcing Manager, Purchasing Department
Attachments (if applicable): Letter