NOTE: On March 12, 2025, the General Services Administration published an Advanced Notice for Multiple Award Schedule Refresh 25 and Upcoming Mass Modification detailing the removal of the Energy Savings Performance Contract ENABLE program. On March 25, 2025, the General Services Administration confirmed this update on the Vendor Support Center. As a result, no new task orders can be issued under Energy Savings Performance Contract ENABLE. Previously awarded projects may continue, but projects not yet awarded must use another contracting vehicle. The information below may no longer be accurate. Contact your Federal Project Executive to learn how the Federal Energy Management Program can assist you.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) ENABLE program streamlined procurement for small federal projects, enabling installation of energy conservation measures (ECMs) within six months.
Managed by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), the initiative operated from 2014 to 2025. Learn more about steps for already awarded ENABLE projects that are currently in the performance period.
Key Achievements:
- Contracts awarded: 26
- Total savings: $222 million
- Buildings covered: 1,600+ federal buildings, over 41 million square feet
- Small business participation: Five contracts awarded to small business energy service companies, including two Disabled Veteran energy service companies
ESPC ENABLE helped small federal sites improve energy efficiency and reduce costs by partnering with small businesses and energy service companies (ESCOs). Projects ranged from $200,000 to $18 million and covered facilities from 200,000 to 2.1 million square feet.
Case Study: Decreased Maintenance; Strengthened Borders
Video case study showcases the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ESPC ENABLE border lighting project that increased safety, saved energy, and reduced maintenance costs.
Video courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
ON THIS PAGE:
How Energy Savings Performance Contract ENABLE Worked
ESPC ENABLE used a set of pre-established procurement and technical tools to administer projects, formerly executed through the General Services Administration (GSA) Supply Schedule SIN 334512.
Tools and templates were available to streamline the process and to help agencies expedite project development and awards. Learn more about the process and available resources.
Enterprise Approach
The ESPC program encouraged an "enterprise approach" to energy savings projects. This approach integrates efforts across an agency’s administrative and operational units, enabling faster project development and larger-scale implementation than a project-by-project method.
A centralized program office can promote clarity and consistency across agencies, regions, and sites. It simplifies decision-making, reduces inter-region discrepancies, and minimizes the burden on site-specific personnel unfamiliar with ESPCs. These offices can enforce policies, set goals, and serve as a resource for navigating ESPC processes.
The following outlines key elements of the enterprise approach.
Senior management plays a critical role in establishing an enterprise approach. Leadership must understand the ESPC ENABLE process, authorize its use, and communicate its benefits across the organization. A letter from senior management to energy personnel at all levels can:
- Endorse ESPC ENABLE for achieving energy and water goals.
- Outline the agency’s enterprise process.
- Identify core team contacts for project engagement.
- Authorize the use of procedures, templates, and model contracts.
- Set organizational goals, such as reviewing 10% of small sites annually to achieve full coverage within 10 years.
A centralized team of ESPC ENABLE experts can streamline project development and execution. The team provides:
- Agency-wide oversight to identify potential projects, even at sites with no prior ESPC ENABLE experience.
- Support to ensure project success and consistency across the agency.
- Guidance on resolving conflicts, filling portfolio gaps, and sharing lessons learned.
Core team members include:
- Contracting officer experienced with ESPCs
- Project manager
- Legal and potentially centralized staff representing the areas of energy management or engineering.
The expertise and involvement of a knowledgeable contracting officer are vital, as ESPCs can sometimes conflict with federal acquisition rules.
Agencies should develop a clear, documented process for implementing multiple ESPC ENABLE projects. Key considerations include:
- Identifying project sites and assessing opportunities across regions.
- Defining roles, responsibilities, and workflows with target timelines (e.g., six months from project identification to award).
- Establishing approval paths and escalation procedures for issue resolution.
- Structuring budgets and payment flows to support multi-site projects.
- Creating a procurement plan for selecting an ESCO to manage phased, multi-year projects.
Energy Conservation Measures
ESPC ENABLE allowed streamlined implementation of specific energy conservation measures (ECMs) using the Investment Grade Audit (IGA) tool and simplified measurement and verification.
ESPC ENABLE: ECM Summary
| ECM | Included in the IGA Tool | Not Included in the IGA Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting |
| Solar lighting (off-grid installations allowed) |
| Water |
| Heating/cooling system improvements (cooling towers once-through cooling, condensate reclaim) |
| Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Controls | Whole building control strategies: time/temperature set-back, demand/night ventilation | Advanced controls* (e.g., energy management control systems /building automation systems) |
| Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Equipment | Basic whole building/system one-for-one replacements:**
| Central boiler/chiller plants, retro-commissioning-based activities, non-building related heating/cooling/ventilation |
| Solar Photovoltaic (PV) |
| Solar thermal (hot water), hybrid PV/hot water systems |
*Advanced controls may be considered; however, savings calculations within the FEMP IGA tool are limited to time/temperature set-back, demand/night ventilation.
**The IGA tool is configured to model one-for-one replacement of whole system(s) across an entire building with "like" systems (e.g., replace three RTUs with three higher-efficiency RTUs. The IGA tool is not configured to model partial replacements of building HVAC systems or replacements or modifications of subsystems (e.g., variable frequency drives on select fan units). Additional ECMs from GSA Supply Schedule SIN 334512 can be included using a hybrid approach.
Hybrid Approach to Energy Conservation Measures
FEMP supports agencies that are exploring a hybrid approach to ESPC ENABLE by combining the ECMs available under ESPC ENABLE with other ECMs under GSA Supply Schedule SIN 334512.
Conditions
- All ECMs fall under the same award, no need for different funding.
- Agency and ESCO must come to agreement about how the ESCO will calculate guaranteed savings outside of the IGA tool for non-ESPC ENABLE ECMs. The ESCO must also propose measurement and verification methodology for non-ENABLE ECMs.
- Notice of opportunity should state that the ESCO must demonstrate the capability to do this for the agency’s particular ECMs.
- Agency and FEMP ESPC ENABLE team will review ESCO savings and cost estimates and measurement and verification plans.
- FEMP cannot provide the same level of confidence for non-ESPC ENABLE ECM savings as for ECMs that are included in the IGA tool.
- The IGA tool is being expanded to address boilers, chillers, and motors based on high agency interest.
Did you know?
Agencies can prioritize Tribal majority-owned businesses for energy purchases under the Indian Energy Purchase Preference.
Energy Sales Agreements
ESPC ENABLE supported energy sales agreements for distributed energy projects as standalone or bundled ECMs.
To start an ESPC energy sales agreement:
- Review the requirements and benefits and fact sheet.
- Use available templates including:
Additional resources, including technical specifications for solar PV, battery storage, and wind systems, are available to support project development. The ESPC energy sales agreement toolkit also provides useful guidance.
Project Assistance
FEMP helps federal agencies implement ESPC ENABLE projects by providing support from Federal Project Executives and, if needed, agency-funded project facilitators for management, technical, and procurement support.
Agencies must sign an interagency agreement with FEMP for individual project support, with costs paid up-front or from project savings. Enterprise projects with a memorandum of understanding are exempt from these charges.
For GSA contracting questions (Schedule SIN 334512), contact Rocky Miller or Kevin Mitchell.
For more information or assistance, use the FEMP Assistance Request Portal.