Campuswide email: June 19, 2015
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
We are writing to provide an update on Ohio State’s exploration of a private partnership for comprehensive energy management.
The university is considering an innovative strategy that could advance our sustainability goals while providing additional support for Ohio State’s academic mission, reflecting the university’s priorities. This project could provide benefits in a number of areas, including energy conservation, energy supply (securing the best rates), operations (leasing our energy infrastructure) and affinity (support for teaching, learning and research).
In February, the university issued a Request for Qualifications to help us gauge interest and evaluate the credentials of potential partners. The reaction demonstrated strong interest, with 44 companies or groups submitting responses.
Our advisory groups, comprised of faculty, staff and students, agreed that the responses justify moving to the next step: a Request for Information (RFI). Our leadership team, in consultation with our faculty experts group, has determined that 40 of the responses are qualified to move on to the RFI.
In this stage, companies would provide more specific proposals for addressing Ohio State’s energy and sustainability needs.
Next steps
This summer, the project team will work to develop materials for the RFI so that they can be reviewed by our advisory groups in the fall.
If the RFI is issued, we would expect responses by the end of the year. More information about the phases and potential timeline is available online. We encourage you to stay connected and involved as our work on this project progresses. If you have questions, please email energymanagementplan@osu.edu or visit osu.edu/energymanagement.
Thanks,
Joseph E. Steinmetz, PhD
Executive Vice President and Provost
Geoffrey S. Chatas
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer