Sand Island Photovoltaic System Renovation

The U.S. Forest Service is seeking a contractor to renovate the existing photovoltaic system at the Sand Island Ranger Station near Bluff, Utah. The scope of work includes furnishing all labor, equipment, supplies, and materials necessary to replace the entire battery bank, inverters, and controls, and to upgrade the photovoltaic cells on both ground-mounted and tracker arrays. The contractor must also assess the existing fossil-fuel generator and provide recommendations for restoring backup power generation capacity, though no generator replacement is included in this contract. The performance period is 30 days from the Notice to Proceed, and the site is accessible Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays.

Technical requirements specify a minimum 31 kWh battery bank with UL1973 certification and fire testing to UL 9540A, with acceptable brands including Pytes, Fortress, EG4, Discover, or Sol-Max. Inverters and controls must include 5 kW Victron charge controllers or approved equal, a smart shunt for state-of-charge redundancy, a DC breaker system, and automatic generator start control integrated with the new system. Photovoltaic panels must provide a minimum of 4,800 W total across all arrays, use bifacial technology, and be mounted on existing infrastructure wherever practical. The contractor must completely integrate all new components with the existing wiring and provide full manufacturer warranties for all parts and systems.

All removed equipment must be disposed of in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations. The government will provide use of the existing mounting structures and battery shed, but the contractor is responsible for all other needs, including onsite power and water. The site is located adjacent to UT Highway 191, with the last 0.3 miles being a maintained dirt road. The work is bid on a lump-sum basis across five line items: replacement of the battery bank, inverters and controls, ground-based PV array, tracker PV arrays, and assessment of the existing generator. All bid prices must include shipping, handling, installation, and disposal costs.