A resolution approving a proposed Amendatory Agreement between the City and…

This resolution amends an existing Master Services Agreement (On-Call) between the City and County of Denver and Intermountain Electric, Inc. The amendment extends the contract duration by 23 months, establishing a new end date of July 1, 2027. The original contract was established under agreement number CASR-202263648, and this amendment is tracked as CASR-202579865-01. Critically, no change is made to the total contract dollar amount, meaning the city is not authorizing new spending but rather allowing previously approved funds to be used over a longer timeframe.

The work covered under this contract falls under Denver's Community Action on Sustainability and Resilience (CASR) office and its Distributed Energy Resources (DER) program. DER programs are designed to reduce municipal energy costs, lower carbon emissions, and improve grid resilience by generating and storing electricity locally. The three components covered are solar photovoltaic generation, battery energy storage, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, all of which align with broader local and state climate commitments in Colorado.

Fiscally, the resolution carries no new financial obligation for Denver taxpayers. The extension simply provides more time for a contractor already engaged in active work to complete installations across city-owned facilities. Such time extensions are common in construction and infrastructure contracts when project scopes are complex, permitting delays occur, or supply chain constraints slow material delivery.

Stakeholders affected include city departments that rely on these energy systems, Denver residents who benefit indirectly from reduced municipal energy costs and a smaller city carbon footprint, and Intermountain Electric as the contracted vendor. The Denver City Council's Committee reviewed and approved filing this item on June 25, 2025, and the last scheduled Council meeting within the 30-day review window is July 28, 2025.

This type of amendment reflects a common municipal procurement practice where large on-call service agreements are periodically extended rather than re-bid, allowing cities to maintain continuity with contractors who are already familiar with the facilities and project requirements. The absence of a cost increase limits the controversy typically associated with contract amendments.

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The Denver City Council is weighing a resolution to extend an existing contract with Intermountain Electric, Inc. through July 1, 2027, giving the company 23 additional months to continue installing solar panels, battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicle chargers at city-owned facilities. The amendment does not add any money to the contract. It is part of Denver's Distributed Energy Resources program, run through the city's Community Action on Sustainability and Resilience office, which aims to generate and store electricity locally across municipal buildings and properties.

Supporters of the extension argue it is a straightforward administrative action that keeps important clean energy work on track without new taxpayer cost. Proponents say distributed solar and battery storage reduce city energy bills over time, improve grid resilience during outages, and help Denver meet its publicly stated climate commitments. They also point out that maintaining continuity with a contractor already embedded in the work avoids costly delays and the administrative burden of a new competitive bid process.

Skeptics may raise concerns about the length of the extension and the lack of competitive rebidding, arguing that a nearly two-year addition without market competition could allow inefficiencies to persist. Some fiscal conservatives question whether municipalities should be in the business of owning and operating energy generation equipment at all, preferring that such investments be left to the private sector or utility providers. Others note that without a formal review of project milestones, it is difficult for the public to assess whether the original contract has delivered promised results.

For ordinary Denver residents, this resolution has limited immediate impact. It does not raise taxes or change city services directly. Over time, if the solar and battery installations perform as intended, city buildings could draw less power from the grid, potentially freeing budget resources for other priorities. The Council vote expected by July 28, 2025 will determine whether this quiet but consequential infrastructure work continues on schedule.