Request for Quote:

Consulting - EV Charging Infrastructure

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Overview

The Halifax Climate Investment, Innovation and Impact Fund (HCi3) is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants experienced in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer. The consultant will assist in the first phase of a new EV Infrastructure Acceleration Program for Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and across Nova Scotia.  

The deadline for submissions is 4 pm AT on June 16.  

Background/Context 

As Nova Scotia works to meet its ambitious goal of sourcing 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, it is becoming increasingly urgent to address emissions in the transportation sector. Transportation is expected to be the major emitter of greenhouse gas emissions by that time, yet Nova Scotia, and Halifax, lag behind most other regions of Canada in vehicle electrification and charging infrastructure installation. 

The provincial and municipal governments are taking action. HRM has one of the most ambitious climate plans in North America and adopted a Municipal Electric Vehicle Strategy in 2021. Transportation is currently estimated at 20% of emissions in HRM, with 90% of those emissions coming from light-duty personal vehicles. With funding through the federal Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), HRM has begun installing DCFC and Level 2 chargers this year but will not be able to meet estimated demand on its own. 

At the provincial level, the government has also committed to expanding EV infrastructure and increasing zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales to meet a goal of 30% of sales by 2030. The Province is working with several partners, including Nova Scotia Power, to increase access to charging across Nova Scotia. They also recently contributed to the latest round of ZEVIP, which allows successful DCFC projects in Nova Scotia to receive an additional 25% toward project costs. 

Currently, Halifax and Nova Scotia lag behind the rest of Canada in EV uptake, although adoption rates are increasing. In 2020, EVs represented less than 1% of new vehicle sales, while by the end of 2023 ZEVs sales grew to 4.2%. Between June 2023 and June 2024, the number of registered EVs in Nova Scotia more than doubled, from just under 2,000 to almost 4,000. To support municipal and provincial climate targets, and support the continued growth of EV adoption, supporting reliable and comprehensive infrastructure will be critical. 

In consultation with the existing EV Roundtable in Nova Scotia, HCI3 has identified the following gaps related to the installation of public EV charging: 

  • Knowledge sharing: As early actors install charging infrastructure, their hands-on lessons and insights are not being captured or transmitted to other organizations.  

  • Private sector engagement and investment: While governments are currently leading charging infrastructure roll-out, this level of public investment is not sustainable, nor are governments well-suited to operate charging infrastructure. Of equal importance, high levels of private land ownership in Nova Scotia make private sector engagement a critical part of siting an expanding EV charging network. 

  • Workplace charging: This has been identified as a focal area not currently covered by municipal or provincial EV plans, but which could contribute to improving network coverage. 

 

Scope of Work

Description of Work

HCi3 is seeking the services of a consultant who will assist in the first phase of work focused on knowledge capture and dissemination. The work will entail: 

  • Initial research identifying EV infrastructure gaps and organizations actively engaged in EV charger installation. This will include assessing charging “deserts” and analyzing current and needed infrastructure from a social equity lens.  

  • Conducting stakeholder interviews with organizations who have been installing EV chargers, with attention to including the perspectives of diverse communities and geographies, including First Nations communities; and 

  • Using these interviews as well as supplementary research to develop an EV charger siting and installation guide for Nova Scotia.  

The siting and installation guide would document and share best practices to support efficient and equitable site selection and installation of EV chargers and also serve as an education and engagement tool for potential site owners and site hosts. It could include a vetted list of contractors and a business case for being a site host and/or owner/operator.  

The guide will facilitate engagement with potential site hosts in further phases of work in the EV Charger Acceleration Program, particularly in the private sector, and standardize and document knowledge for current and future site owners.  

Deliverables

The project deliverables are: 

  • A survey instrument/questionnaire which is designed to most efficiently collect the specified information, either in-person or electronically; 

  • Data tables and summaries for the questions in the survey instrument; 

  • A written report providing descriptive analysis of the data collected and identifying key findings and conclusions; 

  • The EV Charger Siting Guide to be delivered to HCi3 by February 2026; and 

  • A communications and outreach plan to disseminate the guide.  

Communications

The Consultant will report to the following members of the HCi3 team: 

  • Sarah Chiasson, Executive Director 

  • Julia Sable, Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Outreach 

Key Personnel Support

HCi3 will provide: 

  • Project oversight and strategic alignment; 

  • Access to partner networks and stakeholders; and 

  • Communications and promotional support.

Questions

Interested parties can reach out to EVProgram@hci3.ca with any questions or to discuss the opportunity.

Submission Content and Deadline 

Proposal submissions should clearly indicate the Proponent’s contact information (i.e., firm name, address, contact information, including key contact person for the RFQ submission). Proponents must provide an indication of any potential conflicts of interest, with a description of how these conflicts will be resolved. 

In their submissions, proponents should demonstrate their experience conducting similar work, provide a description of their methodology and approach as related to the services outlined in the Scope of Work, and provide two references supporting this type of work. 

Proposals should include the following details: 

  • Individuals performing tasks for the project; 

  • Estimated hours of effort for the individuals performing tasks for the project; 

  • Per diem/per hour rates for the individuals performing tasks on the project;  

  • A project schedule; and 

  • Proposed budget inclusive of all expenses to deliver the work. HST is not to be included in the quoted prices but will be paid in addition to the contract price.  

 

The deadline for proposals is 4:00 pm AT on Monday, June 16.  

Proposals should be submitted via email to EVProgram@hci3.ca. Proposals can be submitted in MS Word, MS Excel or PDF format. Please include “RFQ - Consulting – EV Charging Infrastructure” in the email subject line.   

Proposal Evaluation Criteria  

Weighting for the RFQ responses will be evaluated according to the following table: 

General Conditions

Proponents shall be solely and fully responsible for all costs associated with the development and submission of any proposal or material submitted in response to this RFQ. By submitting a proposal, a proponent agrees that there may be no claims for reimbursement from HCi3 for any such costs.   

HCi3 assumes no contractual or other obligations as a result of the issuance of this RFQ. 

Should it be in the interest of HCi3 and the successful consultant to expand the Scope of Work beyond the initial phases of work outlined in this proposal, the two parties will discuss mutually agreeable terms at that time.