The American state of Ohio has recently revealed that there are six finalists for the 50-year concession and lease contract for energy management services in the 65,000-student Ohio State University, which is located in Columbus.

The Request for Qualification (RFQ) stage was launched in March 2015 and a total of 40 teams submitted their interest on the project development. After a pre-list of 10 teams, the University has shortlisted six finalist, the names of which have not been disclosed. 

However, according to local sources, a typical management team might consist of a finance firm, a utility and a company specializing in energy conservation.

The opportunity encompasses a contemplated 50-year concession and lease consisting of four major components:

• The operation and maintenance of the utility system
• Procurement of the energy supply for Ohio State's primary campus
• Implementation to achieve energy savings goals for the Columbus Campus, which could include for example energy conservation measures (ECM)
• The development of an affinity relationship with Ohio State and its stakeholders

The utility system is composed by: electric supply management and distribution system, chilled water system, steam and condensate system, natural gas supply management and distribution system and geothermal system.

The six final candidates will be asked for Request for Proposal (RFP) this fall.