Bidders will be required to integrate customer and contracting diversity
PORTLAND, Ore. — January 31, 2020 — Energy Trust of Oregon plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) for program management and delivery of its Existing Buildings program, including its Existing Multifamily offerings. It will also seek a program delivery contractor for commercial and industrial lighting offerings.
The RPF will be posted March 9, 2020, at www.energytrust.org/about/explore-energy-trust/rfps-rfqs. Proposals will be due to Energy Trust on April 17, 2020. Work under the new contracts will begin January 1, 2021, with transition work beginning in fall 2020.
Please hold all questions until the comment period following the RFP release. A webinar to answer initial questions will be held March 12, 2020, at a time noted in the RFP.
Energy Trust will negotiate with the selected contractor(s) for a three-year contract with two optional one-year extensions.
Through a competitive process, Energy Trust will execute the following contracts:
- A program management contractor (PMC) will be responsible for the management and delivery of the Existing Buildings program in Oregon and Southwest Washington, including Energy Trust’s Existing Multifamily offerings, Commercial Strategic Energy Management initiative and other Energy Performance Management offerings. Energy Trust encourages teaming between bidders for outreach, technical services and operations, particularly with smaller, more specialized firms.
- A program delivery contractor (PDC) will be responsible for management and delivery of commercial and industrial lighting offerings in Oregon. This work may be awarded independently or in addition to the PMC services.
Energy Trust estimates the program delivery portion of the contracts will be up to $20 million, distributed across customer and contractor outreach; operations, processing and reporting; program management; technical/engineering support and program marketing.
Under its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative, Energy Trust seeks to diversify customer participation and contract with more minority and women-owned businesses. In support of that, the RFP will ask protentional bidders, subcontractors and interested association to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion strategies to improve program delivery and describe plans to ensure a minimum percentage of the contract spend is through subcontracts with diverse firms.
Subcontractors can sign up to be included on a list of firms interested in teaming with potential bidders. Instructions to do so will be in the RPF. The deadline to sign up is March 16, 2020, and the list will be published March 23, 2020.
Energy Trust offers technical services and cash incentives for commercial and multifamily building upgrades and commercial and industrial lighting upgrades. Existing Buildings is Energy Trust’s largest efficiency program and, along with Existing Multifamily, served more than 5,900 sites and provided $26 million in incentives to customers in 2018. By working with Energy Trust, these sites saved more than 136 million annual kilowatt hours of electricity and more than 1.5 million therms of natural gas in 2018. That same year, commercial and industrial customers who participated in Energy Trust’s lighting offerings saved more than 131 million annual kilowatt hours and received nearly $21 million in incentives.
Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping utility customers benefit from saving energy and generating renewable power. Our services, cash incentives and energy solutions have helped participating customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista save $3.4 billion on energy bills. Our work helps keep energy costs as low as possible, creates jobs and builds a sustainable energy future. Learn more at www.energytrust.org or call 1-866-368-7878.