How to Write an RFP for EV Charging Installation at Your Building

When HOA boards or property managers gather EV charging bids, the difference between three apples-to-apples proposals and three wildly different quotes often comes down to one thing: a written Request for Proposals, or RFP. An RFP forces every vendor to respond to the same questions, in the same format, with the same scope. That is what makes side-by-side comparison possible.

Without an RFP, you will typically get one quote that includes panel upgrades, another that quietly excludes them, and a third that bundles five years of network fees you did not realize you were paying for. Boards often end up spending more time chasing clarifications than evaluating the actual work. A six to ten page RFP eliminates most of that confusion before bids ever arrive.

There is a second reason to write one: documentation. Boards have a fiduciary duty to evaluate major capital projects fairly. An RFP creates a paper trail showing you solicited competitive bids, used consistent criteria, and selected a vendor based on stated factors. If a resident questions the decision later, you have a defensible record.

Start your RFP with a clear description of the property and the project goal. Vendors price based on what they can see, so the more accurate and detailed this section is, the more accurate the bids you receive will be.

If you already have building plans, a single-line electrical diagram, or a recent site survey, attach them as appendices. Vendors that bid without ever seeing the electrical panel almost always undershoot the price, which leads to change orders later.

This is the longest section of the RFP and the one that prevents the most surprises later. Spell out exactly what the vendor is responsible for delivering. Vague scopes are the single biggest source of change orders on multifamily EV projects.

Be specific about technical standards. Require compliance with NEC Article 625, ADA-accessible spaces where applicable, and any state EV-ready building code provisions. If you want load management so you can add chargers without a costly service upgrade later, say so explicitly. If you want OCPP 2.0.1 compatibility so you are not locked into one vendor's software, write that in.

Tell vendors how you will score them. This signals fairness, helps your board structure its review, and discourages low-ball bids that win on price but miss critical scope.

Ask each bidder for three references from multifamily projects completed in the past 24 months, including project size and a contact name. Then actually call at least two of them. A vendor with 50 single-family installs and zero condo projects is a very different animal from one that has installed 200 chargers across HOAs in your region.

Also require disclosure of subcontractors. The general contractor who pulls the permit may not be the same crew running conduit through your garage. You want to know who will actually be on site.

A realistic RFP timeline for a multifamily EV charging project runs about 60 to 90 days from issue to signed contract. Boards that rush this end up renegotiating later; boards that drag it out lose interested vendors.

Specify how bids should be submitted, the page limit, and a single point of contact for questions. Equal access to information is the rule. If one vendor asks a clarifying question and gets an answer, every bidder must get the same answer in writing.

State your funding and incentive expectations clearly. If you plan to apply for the federal 30C Alternative Fuel Refueling Property Credit, NEVI funds, or a utility make-ready rebate, ask vendors which programs their equipment qualifies for and whether they handle the paperwork. Some vendors file incentive applications for you; others leave it entirely to the board.

Three patterns trip up HOA boards repeatedly. First, specifying a brand instead of a standard. Writing "we want ChargePoint chargers" locks you into one bid path and often costs 15 to 30 percent more than allowing equivalent products. Specify the open standard (OCPP 2.0.1, UL listing, minimum amperage) and let vendors propose compliant equipment.

Second, asking for a "turnkey installation" without defining what turnkey means. To one vendor, turnkey means everything through commissioning and resident training. To another, it stops at the breaker box. Itemize the deliverables instead of relying on a single buzzword.

Third, omitting future expansion. If you install five chargers now and want to add fifteen more in three years, ask each bidder to price the upfront infrastructure (conduit stubs, panel space, load management headroom) that makes Phase 2 affordable. Without that planning, your Phase 2 cost can be 60 percent higher per port than Phase 1.

A well-written RFP is front-loaded work that pays back in clarity, comparable bids, and a board decision you can stand behind. Boards that skip the RFP step often pay 20 percent more and accept terms they never intended to.