Request For Proposals Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Infrastructure Development, Investment and Operations Partnership

Ref. #: City of Bethlehem, Northampton County
The City of Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania (“the City”), is seeking formal, competitive proposals from qualified third-party Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) project developers, owner-operators, and technology vendors ("Selected Vendor") to evaluate, rank, design, permit, finance, construct, own, operate, and maintain National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI)- Level 2 (L2) and/or Direct-Current Fast Charger (DCFC) stations at municipal properties.
The City, which is home to over 75,000 residents, is a vibrant, historically rich, and growing community spanning both Northampton and Lehigh counties. Known for its industrial heritage, dynamic commercial districts, higher education institutions, and dense residential neighborhoods, Bethlehem is committed to advancing sustainable urban infrastructure and improving community-wide quality of life.
As part of its long-term climate action, sustainability, and municipal planning goals, the City is actively pursuing the expansion of Community Charging Infrastructure to address community transportation and mobility needs: • By expanding robust public charging networks, the City aims to encourage residents, local commuters, visitors, and commercial fleets to transition to hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). This initiative is a critical strategy to help Bethlehem reach its goal of reducing community transportation emissions by at least 30% by 2030. • The City recognizes that widespread adoption of clean transportation requires equitable and accessible charging infrastructure across diverse municipal properties including downtown business corridors, public parks, street parking zones, and community facilities. To achieve this, Vendors are encouraged to propose the optimal charging technologies and power levels (such as Level 2 or Direct-Current Fast Charging) that provide the best overall value, usability, and financial viability for each proposed site. The City will evaluate and score power levels and proposed technology models as part of the overall selection criteria to ensure all community members have reliable charging options.
The City seeks creative and thoughtful proposals from Respondents regarding charger type (L2 and/or DCFC), plug count, charger layout, and user experience. Respondents are encouraged to take into account parking lot use cases, total amount of parking, regional EV usage patterns, and requirements of funding assistance programs such as NEVI. Respondents’ designs should also be tailored to the strengths of their particular technology, customer service, and business models.
Under this Third-Party Owner/Operator model, the City of Bethlehem will not act as the primary grant applicant, facility owner, or capital financier: • The Selected Vendor assumes full financial, technical, and legal responsibility for submitting grant applications to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) NEVI Program (and/or relevant federal/state funding rounds), providing the mandatory minimum 20% non-federal cost match, paying all utility interconnection costs, and handling long-term operations and maintenance. • The City’s administrative participation is strictly limited to providing site control through a formal Site Host / Lease Agreement and issuing official Letters of Support to accompany the Selected Vendor’s grant applications. Zero municipal capital expenditures or ongoing administrative costs are anticipated or required. • The Selected Vendor shall compensate the City through a structured commercial arrangement (Revenue Sharing Agreement, parking space lease, or other form of compensation from the Contractor to the City).
All questions or clarifications about the meaning or intent of the Request for Proposals are to be submitted electronically via the “Messages, Public Q&A” feature within PennBid before November 3rd, 2026. Responses to all inquiries will be issued to all interested parties in PennBid by November 10th, 2026.
All Proposals shall be submitted exclusively in electronic format through PENNBID at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com/ no later than November 17th, 2026, at 4:00 PM. Proposals provided by any other means will not be accepted. Incomplete proposals and those received after the specified date and time will not be considered. Hand delivered, mailed, courier, faxed and/or emailed responses will not be accepted.
The City will handle proposals confidentially during the pre-award period.