Buildings of Excellence Early Design Support

Changes represented in this modification:
• Added funding of $1,000,000, for a total of $5,000,000.
• Changed application due date to November 14, 2025, by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)* or until funds are fully committed, whichever occurs first*.
• Changed the amount of funding awarded to, up to a per project-cap of $150,000.
• Added in that contracts must be executed by December 31, 2025.
• Added in that project funding is available for three years from the date of the contract.
• Added in that projects submitted for the same developer are subject to NYSERDA’s discretion for funding.
• Added in that projects submitted for subsequent phases of projects and are redundant in design are subject to NYSERDA’s discretion for funding.
• Added in that projects submitted that have already been awarded funding under previous rounds of the demonstration project Competition are not eligible for funding.
• Added in that projects that have been awarded funding under NYSERDA’s PON 4614 and 5614 and previous rounds of RFP3928 are not eligible for funding.
• Added in that projects proposing the use of larger commercial Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) air-source heat pump (ASHP) systems are not eligible for funding.
• Added in that project submitted must include a Resilience, Passive and Active Survivability and Market and Promotion Plan Scope of Work Service to be eligible for funding.
• Changed the modified RFP document to the version dated June 1, 2024.

The Buildings of Excellence Early Design Support Request for Proposal (the “EDS RFP”) seeks Proposals for qualified design firms that will provide early-stage design support for new construction, adaptive reuse, and gut rehabilitation multifamily projects that will be clean and resilient, beautiful, and functional, and will provide healthy, safe, comfortable, and resilient living spaces for their occupants. Funding through the EDS RFP may be made available to projects that will achieve carbon neutral performance and will also be profitable for their developers and owners and demonstrate realistic cost reductions in the design and construction phases. The EDS RFP is part of the larger Buildings of Excellence Competition (the “Competition”). Design firm Partner Proposers (the “Partner Proposers”) to the EDS RFP must demonstrate how their design firm has engaged with prior projects or will engage with future projects to substantially reduce energy use and per capita carbon emissions, while increasing building resiliency, including passive and active survivability, successfully integrating architectural design attributes, and improving health, comfort, safety, and productivity for occupants, in a manner that can be replicated at scale. Successful Partner Proposers will become design firm Partners (the “Partners”) under the EDS RFP.

Partner Proposers must prepare Partner Proposals that will demonstrate (1) competence in clean, resilient, and carbon neutral design that is coupled with architectural design quality and innovation, (2) ability to deliver high quality and functional, clean, resilient, and carbon neutral multifamily projects at competitive costs, (3) how their projects generate interest in and demand for the design, construction, and occupation of clean, resilient, and carbon neutral buildings, and (4) their commitment to share information related to the project’s design, costs, and performance to support the decision-making processes employed to achieve the desired outcomes.

The EDS RFP will consider funding the early-stage design of projects that intend to serve all portions of the multifamily market sector, while primarily focusing on mid- to high-rise (8 stories or greater in height) multifamily buildings and for projects that involve the adaptive re-use of commercial office, institutional, or retail space to provide multifamily housing. Through the EDS RFP, Partners will prepare Project Proposals for early-stage clean, resilient, and carbon neutral design support, as well as support for initiatives focused on broad marketing and public awareness. Partners are eligible to receive up to $1.50/square foot in direct funding, up to a per project-cap of $150,000, for the proposed projects.

If changes are made to this solicitation notification will be posted on NYSERDA’s website at http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/funding-opportunities 

1. Partner Eligibility
   Partner Proposer eligibility under this solicitation will be determined by the design firm’s credentials, experience, past projects, and marketing efforts. Partner Proposers must demonstrate that they can provide clean, resilient, carbon neutral design services as required by NYSERDA. Carbon neutral design services under the EDS RFP are defined in Section III, Project Proposal description. Design firm capabilities will need to be validated by NYSERDA.
   For a Partner Proposal to be deemed eligible, the design firm must provide credentials of currently employed staff members and evidence that those staff members have successfully designed carbon neutral multifamily or mixed-use projects while employed at the Partner Proposer’s firm. Joint venture entities created for the sole purpose of responding to the EDS RFP will not be considered. Applicants do not need to have offices located in New York State to respond to the EDS RFP. Partner Proposers must also submit evidence of design work on a minimum of three (3) carbon neutral or net zero energy multifamily buildings, or mixed-use buildings that incorporate multifamily occupancy as the primary use. Project examples and experience may be for new construction, adaptive re-use, or gut rehabilitation projects in which design has been completed through the completion of construction documents, while construction may or may not have been completed.
   Design firms interested in pursuing Provisional Partner status may be eligible for an exception to the above project work sample eligibility requirements. For this designation, design firms may apply without having any completed project work examples but must submit a Letter of Intent as outlined in the Introduction section of the EDS RFP. While Provisional Partners are limited to receiving early design support funding for one (1) project per calendar year, they can, and are encouraged to, work on additional carbon neutral multifamily design projects concurrently to the project funded through the EDS RFP. A Provisional Partner may progress to full status upon the submission of three (3) carbon neutral or net zero energy designs for multifamily buildings, or mixed-use buildings that incorporate multifamily occupancy as the primary use, as outlined within the EDS RFP.
   Partners that were approved under earlier versions for the EDS RFP and continue to be in good status will remain in an active status under the current version of the EDS RFP.
   2. Project Proposal Eligibility
   To be eligible for early design support funding, the Partner must be a member of the project’s design team and have the authority, or have been given the authority by the owner, to modify the building design. The Partner must also demonstrate that their internal and external project team, including sub-consultants, have the capabilities to perform and successfully complete the design process of the proposed project through the production of construction documents as a multidisciplinary and integrated project delivery team.
   Partners under the EDS RFP may elect to submit more than one (1), but not more than four (4) clean, resilient, and carbon neutral Project Proposals, for different projects in different locations, within one (1) calendar year, to receive early design support funding. Of those four (4) Project Proposals, a maximum of two (2) Project Proposals with the same developer or owner will be eligible. Multiple, alternative Project Proposals submitted for a single project will result in the disqualification of all Project Proposals.
   For a Project Proposal to be eligible for consideration to receive early design support funding, the proposed site must be identified in the Proposal, the land must be acquired for use for the project, and the project must incorporate multifamily occupancy as the primary use. This includes buildings that incorporate dwelling units, sleeping units, congregate living, or residence halls. Proposed projects may contain non-residential space; however, the non-residential space must consist of less than 50% of the occupiable square footage of the entire project. Proposed Projects are limited to buildings of at least 25,000 square feet of conditioned space. Buildings that provide student housing, including residence halls, that are owned or operated by a municipality or by New York State are not eligible to participate. Hotels, motels, or other hospitality-related buildings are not eligible to participate.
   The EDS RFP is available for projects located anywhere in New York State, regardless of whether the project will be located in an investor-owned electricity distribution company service territory. Partners are encouraged to submit projects for early design support funding that are located within Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) districts or disadvantaged communities (DAC) as defined by New York State.
   A Project Proposal can encompass one multifamily building, or a portfolio of similar and related multifamily buildings located on the same site or on adjacent and associated sites. One- and two-family homes or townhouses as defined within Chapter 2, the Definitions Section of the International Building Code and International Residential Code, are not eligible as a standalone project or as part of a multi-building Project Proposal. Project Proposals for multiple buildings that do not meet that criterion should be submitted by the Partner as separate and unique Project Proposals.
   Eligible multifamily projects are as follows:
   1. New Construction: A new building, buildings, or an addition, where a licensed professional architect or engineer has prepared and certified the building design documents.
   2. Adaptive Re-use or Gut Rehabilitation: Substantial renovation for one of the following types of projects where a licensed professional architect or engineer has prepared and certified the building design documents:
   i. Change of use and reconstruction of an existing building, buildings, or space(s) within a building,
   ii. Construction work of a nature requiring that the building, buildings, or space(s) within a building to be out of service and unoccupied for a minimum of thirty (30) days,
   iii. Reconstruction of a vacant structure, or structures, or space(s) within a building,
   iv. The addition to or expansion of a building, in combination with any of the above.
   3. Adaptive Re-use of Commercial Office, Institutional, or Retail Buildings to Multifamily Use: The existing building must have been previously occupied and used as commercial office, institutional, or retail space.
   i. Substantially new mechanical systems required to support occupancy as housing must be necessary, including the installation of kitchen and bathroom waste and supply piping, balanced ventilation that meets requirements for residential occupancy, and other attributes required to support conversion of existing commercial office, institutional, or retail to multifamily use.
   The proposed project must demonstrate clean, resilient, and carbon neutral attributes, and meet the definition of Carbon Neutral as defined below.
   Projects receiving early design support funding may also be eligible for and separately propose to receive project funding through forthcoming demonstration RFPs associated with the Competition, as well as some other funding opportunities offered by NYSERDA and utility service providers. Projects that have been awarded or are seeking funding for design support services from NYSERDA’s PON 4614 or PON 5614 will need to clearly indicate duplicative funding is not being provided for the same scope of design work. Partners must review the rules and eligibility of all other programs, including utility programs, to determine if those funds are accessible in combination with funds offered by the EDS RFP.
   Project Proposals to the EDS RFP are not eligible for award if they have already been awarded funding under previous rounds of the demonstration project Competition, and intend to seek or have already been awarded Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) funding distributed by the New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), or funding distributed through the New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Future Housing Initiative or any of their sub-agencies that is provided by NYSERDA through the Clean Energy Fund and intended to support goals similar to those promoted through the EDS RFP. Project Proposals that appear to be for designs of similar building sizes, floor plan layouts, or system selections as existing projects, or for subsequent phases of existing projects using similar building sizes, floor plan layouts, and system selections are not eligible.