Project Information

Bid Title

Port of Bellingham Energy Transition Plan

Issuing Agency

Port of Bellingham

Location

Washington

Published Date

Feb 27, 2026

Closing Date

Mar 27, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

PS 26-1

Original Source

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Project Description

Bid Number:	PS 26-1
Bid Title:	Port of Bellingham Energy Transition Plan
Category:	Personal Services
Status:	Open

Description: The Port of Bellingham (Port) issues this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit responses from qualified consulting firms with demonstrated expertise in energy transition planning for maritime and industrial facilities. The Port seeks a consultant team capable of providing energy innovation planning, resilience analysis, electrification and alternative-fuel scenario development, life cycle and techno-economic evaluation, grant management support, workforce transition assessment, and community and stakeholder engagement for the Port’s marine terminals and associated facilities. This planning effort is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Ports Program: Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition. The selected consultant will support the Port and its subrecipient, the National Lab of the Rockies, in developing a comprehensive, community-informed Energy Transition Plan to guide future policy decisions and capital investments that advance emissions reduction and energy resilience. All RFP submittals must be received via email no later than 5:00 PM (PT) on 03/27/2026. The Port plans to schedule interviews with selected teams within two (2) weeks of the submittal deadline. Publication Date/Time: 2/27/2026 7:00 AM Publication Information: Bellingham Herald and OMWBE Closing Date/Time: 3/27/2026 5:00 PM Contact Person: Adrienne Douglass-Scott, Sustainability Program Manager Adrienned@portofbellingham.com 360-319-7255 Related Documents: Port of Bellingham Clean Ports RFP

Attachment Preview

Port of Bellingham

Request for Proposals- The Port of Bellingham Energy Transition Plan

The Port of Bellingham (Port) issues this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit responses from qualified

consulting firms with demonstrated expertise in energy transition planning for maritime and industrial

facilities. The Port seeks a consultant team capable of providing energy innovation planning, resilience

analysis, electrification and alternative-fuel scenario development, life cycle and techno-economic

evaluation, grant management support, workforce transition assessment, and community and stakeholder

engagement for the Port’s marine terminals and associated facilities.

This planning effort is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Ports

Program: Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition. The selected consultant will support the Port and

its subrecipient, the National Lab of the Rockies, in developing a comprehensive, community-informed

Energy Transition Plan to guide future policy decisions and capital investments that advance emissions

reduction and energy resilience.

All RFP submittals must be received via email no later than 5:00 PM (PT) on 03/27/2026. The Port plans

to schedule interviews with selected teams within two (2) weeks of the submittal deadline.

Electronic submittals must be submitted in PDF format only. Maximum 20 pages and 20MB file size.

Please direct inquiries, requests for background material and submittals to:

Adrienne Douglass-Scott

Sustainability Program Manager

Adrienned@portofbellingham.com

360-319-7255

Project Purpose

The Port of Bellingham is undertaking a three-year energy transition planning effort for its shipping terminals and

other waterfront facilities. The purpose of this RFP is to procure a consultant team to provide strategic planning,

technical analysis, grant management and compliance support, stakeholder and community engagement, workforce

development analysis, and implementation road-mapping to help the Port transition from fossil-fuel dependence

toward electrification and resilient alternative energy systems (e.g., shore power, renewable generation, energy

storage, hydrogen and methanol).

The consultant will support the development of a community-informed Port Energy Innovation Plan that:

• Establishes a baseline of current energy use and air pollutant emissions.

• Forecasts future energy demand under multiple electrification and alternative-fuel scenarios aligned with

anticipated Port growth.

• Identifies up to three (3) feasible Port-wide energy transition scenarios and compares them using life-cycle

analysis (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA).

• Assesses energy system vulnerabilities and resilience strategies, including preliminary microgrid concepts at 3

areas, likely the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, Fairhaven and Squalicum Harbor (SQH) areas.

• Completes a workforce development assessment and develops implementable workforce transition initiatives.

• Develops and supports a community and stakeholder engagement framework and integrates feedback into

planning recommendations.

The Port anticipates initiating this contract in May 2026 and completing all contracted work by October 31, 2028.

The consultant will work closely with Port staff, the National Lab of the Rockies, tenants, utilities, organized

labor/workforce partners, and community stakeholders.

1

Scope of Work

Proposals must include a detailed work plan addressing, at a minimum, the tasks and deliverables below. The Port

may refine sequencing with the selected consultant during contract negotiation. Work will include close

coordination with Port staff, tenants/operators, utilities, workforce partners, and community stakeholders, including

multiple in-person workshops/site visits in Bellingham and around Whatcom County. More details are available in

the Clean Ports Narrative, under tasks 1-3 and 5-7.

• Task 1. Energy System Resilience: Goals, Risks, and Priority Setting: Using input from key stakeholders,

assess energy system vulnerabilities, risks, and transition priorities to guide scenario design and target setting.

• Task 2. Emissions Inventories and Load Forecasting for Tenant Equipment & Key Facilities: As-needed

support for developing baseline inventories and load forecasts to quantify current/future emissions and energy

demand for Port tenants and facilities. The key responsible party for this task is NLR.

• Task 3. Transition Scenario Development and Microgrid Concepts: As-needed support to develop and compare

electrification and low-carbon fuel transition pathways aligned with Port growth and resilience needs.

• Task 4. Stakeholder & Community Engagement: Design and facilitate engagement to inform datasets,

scenarios, and recommendations. Develop a stakeholder-informed community engagement strategy.

• Task 5. Workforce Development Assessment & Implementation Support: Assess workforce impacts of the

energy transition and propose implementable training/transition initiatives;

• Task 6: Energy Transition Plan document, including feasibility analyses of options.

• Task 7. Project management: Provide the Port with ongoing grant compliance and reporting support for their

EPA award, as identified by the Port grants team, including tracking milestones/deliverables, preparing

technical progress documentation, and coordinating grant-related communications and tasks with project

partners as needed.

Workplan Proposal

Please submit a high-level project schedule outlining all project task timelines, broken down into quarters.

Proposals must also include total costs.

Minimum Qualifications

The consultant team should demonstrate exceptional knowledge and experience in the following areas:

• Port, maritime, industrial, or transportation industry energy transition planning, including electrification and

alternative fuels.

• Baseline energy and emissions inventory development and load forecasting using utility, fuel, equipment, and

tenant/operator data.

• Life-cycle analysis (LCA) for emissions and energy pathways.

• Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and scenario comparison for infrastructure and fuel transitions.

• Energy resilience planning for critical facilities, including risk and vulnerability assessment.

• Microgrid feasibility assessment and conceptual/preliminary design (generation, storage, controls, and

interconnection).

• Stakeholder and community engagement planning for infrastructure and/or energy projects.

• Federal grant management and compliance support, including tracking requirements and preparing progress

reports/documentation for EPA Clean Ports or similar programs.

• Workforce development and economic transition assessment tied to clean energy technologies, including

coordination with workforce councils, education/training providers, and labor partners.

• Familiarity with relevant federal and state maritime electrification and clean ports funding programs and

associated reporting requirements.

• Experience coordinating with utilities, terminal tenants/operators, labor/workforce partners, educational

institutions, and community organizations.

2

Scoring and Firm Selection

Responses will be reviewed and scored by a project team consisting of Port staff. Submittals must include

a cover letter, clearly address the criteria below, and not exceed 20MB, exclusive of attachments. Scores

will be applied as follows:

1. Team Qualifications and Project Experience (50 points)

a) Demonstrated project management experience

b) Demonstrated experience leading energy transition plans for ports, maritime facilities, industrial sites, or

transportation systems.

c) Proven capability in LCA/TEA, baseline development, electrification/alternative-fuel scenario modeling,

and resilience planning.

d) Experience developing microgrid or distributed-energy conceptual designs for critical facilities.

e) Experience conducting workforce development or economic transition assessments tied to clean-energy

initiatives.

f) Demonstrated experience implementing or supporting workforce transition/training initiatives in maritime

or industrial contexts.

g) Experience designing and supporting community/stakeholder engagement processes in infrastructure or

energy contexts.

h) Demonstrated experience providing grant management/compliance support for federally funded

infrastructure or planning projects.

2. Project Approach (25 points)

a) Proposed cost is within the budget in the approved grant budget table

b) Clear narrative of the proposed technical approach by task.

c) Approach to coordination with Port staff, subrecipients, utilities, tenants/operators, workforce partners, and

community stakeholders, including a stakeholder-informed community engagement strategy

d) Proposed schedule aligned with 2026-2028 deliverables and EPA reporting requirements.

e) Identification of project risks, data constraints, and mitigation strategies.

3. Demonstrated Ability to Perform Services (25 points)

a) Key personnel assignments, credentials/licensure (as applicable), and relevant expertise.

b) Ability to manage multi-year planning efforts with limited oversight.

c) Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process for analyses and deliverables.

d) Three (3) to five (5) representative projects of similar scale/complexity, including references.

e) Team accessibility to Bellingham and the ability to support in-person events and workshops.

Appendices

1. EPA Clean Ports Narrative

2. Sample Contract

3

(1) Cover Page:

Project Title

Applicant Information

Type of Eligible

Applicant

Budget Summary

Port of Bellingham Energy Transition Plan

Port of Bellingham

1801 Roeder Ave., Bellingham WA 98225

Adrienne Douglass-Scott, Sustainability Program Manager

360-319-7255

AdrienneD@PortofBellingham.com

Port

EPA Funding Requested: $1,525,892

Project Location(s)

Port of Bellingham

Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington

100% of the activity will occur in Whatcom County.

The Port of Bellingham is a small water port

Project Period

Project Start Date: December 1,

2024

Project End Date: December 31, 2028

Short Project

Description

The Project develops an energy transition plan for the Port as a whole,

focusing on resiliency and long term emissions reductions, with an emphasis

on the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, Squalicum Harbor and the Bellingham

Cruise terminal. It develops specific action plans with measurable energy,

emissions and diesel particulate reductions goals and builds on significant

emissions inventories and planning work done by the Port and in the region.

Please indicate which of the following planning activities are included in the

project:

_x_ Emissions inventory and/or accounting practice

_x_ Emissions reduction strategy analysis

_X_ Development of emissions reduction target

_x_ Plan for reducing future port emissions

_x_ Port resiliency assessment

_x_ Plan to increase resilience of port

_x_ Formal stakeholder engagement

_x_ Workforce planning analysis

__ Other activity (please specify)

Other Potential

Federal Funding

Sources

Use of Logistics

Software

The Port of Bellingham is also applying for funding from the Clean Ports

Clean Ports ZE Deployment Program Competition related to, but not

dependent on, this project.

The applicant does NOT use LOGINK or any other prohibited logistics

platform as described in Section III.D. of the NOFO.

1

(2) Workplan:

Section 1- Project Summary and Approach Overall Project

The Port of Bellingham (the Port) requests $1,525,892 in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition (the Program) to prioritize areas for transitioning to

alternative energy and identify specific measures to reduce maritime and Port emissions.

This Port of Bellingham Energy Transition Plan (the Project) will be managed through the Port’s

Sustainability Program and will move forward several key goals from our 2023 Climate Action Strategy. It

also builds on our existing Building and Infrastructure Energy Management Program, and our Renewable

Energy Program, which has installed the largest publicly owned solar array in Whatcom County on the

Bellingham Cruise Terminal and is installing another of the same size at the Bellingham International

Airport in 2024. We have completed numerous other solar feasibility studies throughout Port property.

The Project will also benefit the Port’s budgets through identification of cost saving priorities, economic

growth potential, energy independence and innovation.

The Port completed a baseline emissions inventory for the calendar year 2019 and using that

information was able to prioritize emission categories for reduction. These are specified in more detail

in Figure 1 and in our 2023 Climate Action Strategy.1 Subsequent inventories were completed for 2022

and 2023, and these show reductions over time. All inventories until now focused on Port controlled

emissions (Scope 1) or emissions Port from purchased electricity and natural gas (Scope 2), with a small

amount of Scope 3 added.

The emissions from tenant activities, including vehicles, equipment and cargo handling have

thus far not been included in the Port’s emissions inventories. This Program funding will increase that

knowledge, strengthen the work already done, increase engagement with the community and identify

priority areas for further feasibility and design of specific electrification and alternative fuels

infrastructure projects.

The Port is the largest property owner and harbor facility in Whatcom County, which is 95 miles

north of Seattle on the northern edge of Puget Sound and 25 miles south of the US/Canadian border. It

is the connection for marine traffic in Puget sound, barges on the M5 Americas Marine Highway, and

vessels heading north to communities in British Columbia and Alaska. We have one of the largest cold

storage facilities on the West Coast and support a strong maritime economy and community.

This Project is a good fit for our expertise, interest and public expectations. Through the Port’s Marine,

Aviation and Real Estate divisions supports more than 8,780 jobs, or approximately 11% of local

employment2. The Port’s mission statement is “to promote sustainable economic development, optimize

transportation gateways, and manage publicly owned land and facilities to benefit Whatcom County”.

One of the Port’s core values is “to be a valuable public organization with a reputation for delivering on

its commitments, working in an open, decisive atmosphere, taking pride in its work, and communicating

its contributions to the community.” The Port is engaged in numerous projects to ensure the protection

of its assets and those of its tenants and customers from the effects of extreme weather events. In 2018,

the Port installed empty heating and cooling pipes with other utilities in the nearby waterfront district,

and in 2024 a District Energy system came into operation. This supplies heating and cooling for the

entire campus of buildings at the waterfront just north of the BST, using waste heat from a nearby PSE

electricity generation plant.

1 https://www.portofbellingham.com/1007/Key-Work-Products

2 Port of Bellingham

2

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