Public Sector EV Fleets Get a Green Light with Procurement Fast-Track

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 02, 2025 – The often-sluggish gears of government procurement are getting a significant jolt of electricity. ForeFront Power, a major developer of renewable energy solutions, has secured a cooperative purchasing contract with Sourcewell, a move poised to dramatically accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the U.S. public sector. This agreement effectively creates a fast lane for schools, cities, and transit agencies to bypass the notoriously slow and complex process of issuing individual bids for EV charging infrastructure, a critical step in greening the nation's millions of publicly owned vehicles.

For public administrators, the announcement represents a solution to a persistent bottleneck. By leveraging the Sourcewell contract, over 50,000 eligible public agencies can now procure ForeFront Power’s fleet electrification design, installation services, and its innovative Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) model through a pre-negotiated, competitively vetted agreement. This seemingly administrative maneuver has profound strategic implications, potentially shaving months off project timelines and unlocking a wave of fleet modernization projects previously stalled by bureaucratic inertia.

The Procurement Bottleneck Unclogged

Traditionally, a public school district or municipality seeking to install EV chargers would embark on a request for proposal (RFP) process that can easily span six to nine months. This resource-intensive cycle involves drafting detailed specifications, advertising the bid, evaluating numerous vendor submissions, and navigating complex legal and compliance reviews. For many understaffed public works or education departments, the process itself is a deterrent.

This is the problem cooperative purchasing organizations like Sourcewell were designed to solve. As a self-funded government entity, Sourcewell harnesses the collective buying power of its vast membership to conduct a single, rigorous competitive solicitation process. Once a vendor like ForeFront Power is awarded a contract, any member agency can purchase from them directly, confident that pricing is competitive and compliance requirements are met. With a contract sales volume that has surged past $11 billion, Sourcewell’s model has become a powerful tool for public procurement.

“We are honored and excited to have been awarded by Sourcewell through a competitive and highly selective process,” said Rachel McLaughlin, Chief Commercial Officer at ForeFront Power, in a recent statement. “This contract supports streamlined procurement, enabling public agencies to deploy essential projects faster. It’s about giving our customers a clear, compliant, and efficient path to modernizing their infrastructure and achieving their energy goals.”

The sentiment is echoed by Sourcewell itself. “Sourcewell is excited for the awarded suppliers in the Electric Vehicle Supply equipment with Related Services category,” noted Mike Domin, the organization’s Associate Director of Cooperative Contracts for Fleet. “This gives agencies the ability to continue to purchase charging infrastructure to meet their goals.”

A Strategic Win in a Crowded Field

While a significant enabler for public agencies, the Sourcewell contract is an equally crucial strategic victory for ForeFront Power. The company is now positioned to capture a larger slice of a burgeoning market, but it enters a highly competitive arena. Other major players in the EV charging space, including ChargePoint, Blink Charging, and Siemens, also hold Sourcewell contracts, turning the cooperative platform into a key battleground for public sector dominance.

ForeFront Power's success will hinge on its ability to differentiate its offerings. With over 15 years of experience and 1,900 renewable energy projects totaling 1.6 gigawatts under its belt, the company brings a deep portfolio in solar and energy storage. This allows it to offer integrated solutions that go beyond simply installing chargers, encompassing on-site power generation and battery systems that can reduce electricity costs and enhance grid resilience—a compelling proposition for budget-conscious municipalities.

Furthermore, the inclusion of its Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) model in the contract is a key differentiator. CaaS allows agencies to pay a recurring fee for the use of charging infrastructure and services, converting a large, prohibitive capital expenditure into a manageable operating expense. This subscription-style approach is particularly attractive to public entities facing tight budgets and is a direct answer to the high upfront cost, one of the primary barriers to EV adoption.

The market they are competing for is enormous. The commercial and industrial fleet charging infrastructure sector alone is projected to skyrocket from $3.8 billion in 2024 to over $23 billion by 2033. By gaining streamlined access to the public portion of this market, ForeFront Power is positioning itself for substantial growth.

Powering the Green Transition for Public Fleets

The timing of this development could not be more critical. Demand for fleet electrification is surging, propelled by aggressive federal and state mandates. A 2021 executive order targets 100% zero-emission vehicle acquisitions for the federal government’s 645,000 vehicles by 2035. States are following suit; New York, for example, has mandated that its entire fleet of nearly 50,000 school buses be all-electric by the same year.

This top-down pressure is backed by unprecedented funding. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced a “direct pay” provision, allowing tax-exempt entities like cities and school districts to receive cash rebates for EV purchases and infrastructure—up to $40,000 for a commercial vehicle. This is complemented by programs like the EPA's Clean School Bus Program, which has already allocated billions for electric buses and chargers, prioritizing low-income and rural districts.

Despite the clear momentum and available funds, significant hurdles remain. Fleet managers grapple with vehicle availability, range anxiety for critical routes, and the immense complexity of designing and scaling charging infrastructure to support entire depots of electric buses or trucks. Agreements like the one between ForeFront Power and Sourcewell directly address the procedural and financial aspects of this challenge, allowing public sector leaders to focus less on procurement paperwork and more on the operational logistics of their electric transition.

The Ripple Effect on Communities and Infrastructure

The impact of accelerating public fleet electrification extends far beyond municipal budgets and contract awards. It represents a fundamental shift in community infrastructure with tangible benefits for public health and environmental quality. Replacing diesel-burning school buses, garbage trucks, and transit vehicles with electric alternatives directly reduces harmful particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, improving air quality in neighborhoods, especially around schools and in underserved communities that often bear the brunt of transportation pollution.

This transition also serves as a catalyst for modernizing local energy grids. The large-scale charging needs of a municipal fleet require careful planning and can spur investment in smart grid technologies, battery storage, and local renewable generation. Companies like ForeFront Power, with expertise in both EV charging and C&I solar, are uniquely positioned to help municipalities build holistic energy ecosystems, not just charging depots. An electric bus fleet, when paired with a solar canopy and battery storage, can become a grid asset, storing excess solar power during the day and potentially providing energy back to the grid during peak demand.

By removing a major layer of administrative friction, this cooperative purchasing contract does more than just facilitate transactions. It empowers thousands of communities to act on their climate goals, transforming public fleets from sources of pollution into cornerstones of a cleaner, more resilient, and technologically advanced public infrastructure.