Mark Swarthout ⋅ Bloomfield Hills, MI CSC ⋅ 30 years experience

Sounds like you are really going for an RFI, a Request For Information. If you don't have specific work or a project to hand out you don't want to give them the wrong idea.

They may even have specific contract they work through, so you could request they provide a copy of their standard agreement. Some solid searches for your area should give you the names of specific companies that do that work in your area.

It may seem expensive, but a couple hours of a contract attorney's time is worth it to get a good workable contract that protects both parties.

George Hernandez ⋅ La Porte, TX International Cooling Tower ⋅ 20 years experience

For your manpower of qualified installers, you are needing a subcontracting company that is willing to train their applicants with the specific requirements that you have.
In the industrial/commercial construction industry, they do this all the time with specific trades.

Serena Davidson ⋅ Fayetteville, NC U.S. Army Reserve, Sergeant First Class ⋅ 27 years served

Either look up the Fayetteville Chamber, there's a RFP class scheduled for 20 May at FTCC 3-6p rom 129 contact Toni Cunningham-Dixon at 910-433-6767. Contact NCCEED.org at 230 Hay street, or Small Business Admin(SBA).

Dr. Scena Webb ⋅ Auburn, WA Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) ⋅ 15 years experience

Please check out VWISE. That organization puts on a conference that can help you.

Hank Pellegrini ⋅ Newport Beach, CA Pellegrini Properties, One Place, LLC, One Property Management, LLC ⋅ 15 years experience

You could simplify your "RFP" to a basic bid project eg, just type up a simple one page list of what you are wanting to do, the requirements you desire regarding the licensing and bonding, etc and then call 5-7 installers (yelp is a great source of info) and ask them if they will come out to your location and give you a QUOTE for your project. You won't be able to know ever detail about what the project entails but if you ensure they are giving you a quote, not just an estimate, you should be able to compare each company's quote and choose the best price. Also I would require them to be a chamber of commerce member and listed with the Better Business Bureau.

Ted Mittelstaedt ⋅ Portland, OR Portlandia IT LLC ⋅ 20 years experience

If you want solar panels on your new office that's great but unless your a plumber you would not presume to tell a plumber you hire how to unclog a drain nor would you presume to tell a mechanic how to fix your car. This is no different.

The only people who can get away with putting out RFPs are large orgs who have deep pockets asking for expensive services in a flooded industry. For example right now there is a huge glut of collocate space in the tech industry that is available so buyers who put out RFPs all have 10 people knocking at their door desperate to sell them space. The sellers will waste the time responding to the RFP because they have no other choice.

In your case your going to have to go out looking for installers. It's just the law of supply and demand.

David Akre ⋅ New York, NY A NYSE listed financial company ⋅ 25 years experience

My guess is that most contractors doing residential business won't know what an RFP is. I guess in your area that could be a wrong assumption. Try it and see what happens. I'd go to the local newspaper and try to get them to run it as cheaply as possible.
Try Home Depot to get a copy of an agreement. They have contractors in there all the time and typically are selling contractor services. I bet one of the contractors will give you one of their agreements if you ask.
You're headed in the right direction with solar.
Best of luck.