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The PSD is seeking expert assistance in developing its recommendations to the PUC in the update of Rule 5.500
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Request Date: 7/21/2021 12:10:24 PM
Open Date: 7/21/2021
Closing Date: 8/20/2021 4:30 PM
Intent To Bid Deadline: 8/4/2021
Est. Dollar Value: $25,000.00
RFQ Number: 07212021PM
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Public Service Department
112 State Street
3rd Floor
Montpelier,
VT
05620-2601
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Locations:
Keywords:
Environmental Consultant Services
Bid Description:
The Vermont Department of Public Service (“PSD”) is housed within the executive branch of Vermont state government and is charged with representing the public interest in energy, telecommunications, water, and wastewater utility matters. The mission of the PSD is to serve all citizens of Vermont through public advocacy, planning, programs, and other actions that meet the public's need for least cost, environmentally sound, efficient, reliable, secure, sustainable, and safe energy, telecommunications, and regulated utility systems in the state for the short and long term. PSD works to advance all Vermonters' quality of life, economy, and security through implementation of our statewide energy and telecommunications goals, using sound statewide energy and telecommunications planning, strong public advocacy of the public good, and through strong consumer protection advocacy for individuals.
The PSD is one of many stakeholders engaged in the update of the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s Interconnection Procedures (Rule 5.500). Rule 5.500 was last updated in 2006, although a stakeholder process in 2019 led to a proposed update to the rule. The Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) has since opened an investigation, Case No. 19-0856-RULE, to explore the need for further updates to both the content and structure of the rule. On June 22, 2021, the PUC issued Requests for Information to stakeholders regarding a number of topics discussed at an April 2021 workshop. Pursuant to Act 54 of 2021, the PUC is required to propose an updated interconnection rule by March 15, 2022.
The PSD is seeking expert assistance in developing its recommendations to the PUC in the update of Rule 5.500, particularly in offering specific revisions to the rule that draw from best practices in recent interconnection rulemakings in other states with very high (and growing) penetrations of distributed energy resources (“DERs”) (e.g., California, Minnesota, Massachusetts). The Department is also interested in offering specific structural recommendations for Vermont’s interconnection standards to ensure uniformity and consistency for resources interconnecting across the state while also enabling adaptability to a rapidly evolving technological and regulatory landscape (e.g., a structure that not require the formal and time-consuming process of rulemaking to evolve). Finally, the Department is interested in exploring and incorporating complementary themes and trends that step beyond the traditional parameters of interconnection standards but that are essential to optimizing DERs for grid and ratepayer benefits (e.g., visibility, communications, and control through, in part, interoperability standards).
The specific areas where the Department is seeking expert assistance – including specific language that can be modified in or added to Vermont’s Rule 5.500 – include:
• Interconnection standards structure
o Rule vs. tariff structure
o Method for incorporating evolving technical standards (e.g., IEEE 1547-X, ISO-NE Source Requirements Document, etc.)
o Statewide consistency vs. flexibility for individual distribution utilities to customize as necessary
• Interactions with Vermont’s net-metering rule (Rule 5.100)
o Coupling /decoupling of processes
• Incorporation of energy storage resources
o Appropriate review based on size/use case
o Appropriate review based on storage capabilities/controls
o Review of storage facilities coupled with generation facilities
o Non-exporting and limited-exporting, as well as inadvertent export
• Evaluation of collective cluster impacts
o Mechanisms to address upstream impacts (distribution as well as transmission, technical review and cost allocation)
o Curtailment strategies
• Evaluation of aggregations
o Tracking and approval
o Visibility of dispatch by third parties
• Other
o Requiring replacement of inverters at end-of-life with smart inverters
o Requiring periodic updates to inverter settings
o Cybersecurity protocols
o Etc.
The PSD and other stakeholders have identified a number of topics that may lead to updates to the interconnection rule or other aspects of the interconnection process. While it is receptive to additional topic areas the contractor may wish to explore, the PSD expects the primary role of the contractor will be to review the 2019 proposed redline, plus existing materials in Case 19-0856-RULE, and propose additional redline edits to Rule 5.100 that address the topic areas above, while applying insights gleaned from other states that have recently addressed these topics in their own states in interconnection rule/standard updates. For that reason, the contractor must be (or their team must include) a licensed professional electrical engineer with interconnection process familiarity. The contractor or contractor team will be expected to work collaboratively with the Department’s engineering and planning divisions and the PUC or other stakeholders as necessary (e.g., in workshop or working group settings). The contractor’s primary role will be drafting, but some presentation (likely possible through remote means) may be required.
Special Instructions:
All questions regarding this RFP should be directed to Anne Margolis, PSD Planning Division, in writing no later than close of business (4:30PM EDT) on Date, August 2021, at the contact information provided below. Responses to questions will be provided by close of business on Date, July 2021.
Each proposal submission must include one hard copy with original signatures and one electronic copy (via email as PDF preferred). The hard copy may be submitted after the electronic copy. Proposals should be addressed to:
Anne Margolis, Deputy Director
Vermont Department of Public Service
Planning Division
112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601
Phone: (802) 828-3058
Email: Anne.Margolis@Vermont.gov
Electronic copies of proposals are due to the Department on August 9, 2021 at 4:30PM ET. The Contractor selection process will be conducted by a Proposal Review Team comprised of Department staff and others as the Department deems prudent. The Team will follow all rules and procedures required under the State of Vermont’s acquisition guidelines. Once a Contractor has been selected, the Department will notify all respondents of their status. Successful bidders must be available to begin work immediately following execution of a contract.
The proposal should present a clear understanding of the tasks to be addressed and a description of how the bidders proposed approach will accomplish the public engagement requirements efficiently, effectively, and fairly. The proposal should include the following sections:
1. Introduction & Summary – Understanding of the goals and associated issues for updating Vermont PUC Rule 5.500.
2. Proposed Approach – Overview of the proposed approach for addressing the topic areas identified above.
3. Task Descriptions – Details for each task with description of how the task will be met
4. Timeline – Provide an estimate of sub-task deadlines and deliverables needed to complete the public engagement activities
5. Budget – Task and total project budget that includes a listing of all staff by function assigned to the project including project manager, and their time allocations and billing rates. Budget proposals must include virtual and in-person cost breakouts. Reimbursable travel costs must be folded into hourly rates, but must also be described to allow for determination of reasonableness.
6. Qualifications of individual or firm(s), including management and staff structure; qualification of individuals.
7. Descriptions of similar projects with which the bidder has experience.
8. References, including a short description of the work performed for such references.
Bidder Confidentiality and Access to Public Records: All bidders are hereby notified that all responses and other information disclosed in connection with this RFP become the property of the State and, once the resulting Contract is finalized, may be subject to disclosure under the State’s Access to Public Records Law, 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq.
Accordingly, bidders are instructed to identify any material included in the response that is considered by the bidder to be proprietary or otherwise exempt from public disclosure in the event of a Public Records request, pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 317(c). In such instances the bidder must include a written explanation for each marked section that would support a reasonable claim of exemption, such as, for example, a description of the proprietary nature of the information and the harm that would occur should the material be disclosed. Additionally, if such material is included in the bid to this RFP the bidder must include a redacted copy of its response to this RFP. Redactions must be limited so that the reviewer may understand the nature of the information being withheld. It is typically inappropriate to redact entire pages, or to redact the titles/captions of tables and figures. Under no circumstances can the entire response or price information be marked confidential.
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