23NC1123_RFP_Primary_Solicitation_Final.pdf

STATE OF CALIFORNIA GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor

PUBLIC UTILTIES COMMISSION

505 VAN NESS AVENUE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Request for Proposal (RFP) – Primary Number 23NC1123

For: California Shared Renewables Portfolio Programs’ Process and Impact

Evaluation March 24, 2025

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) invites you to review and respond to this Solicitation. In submitting your response, you must comply with the instructions found herein.

This is an open solicitation for all private entities, universities or governmental agencies.

In Decision (D).24-05-0651, issued May 30, 2024, the CPUC established its California Shared Renewables Portfolio Programs. Among other directives, the Decision expanded and improved its existing community solar programs and launched a new community renewable energy program that will allow California to capture millions of dollars in state and federal funding, including the Solar For All grant recently awarded to California by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Decision doubles the program capacity of the Disadvantaged Community Green Tariff Program (DAC-GT)2, which is a community solar program that allows low-income customers living in disadvantaged communities to subscribe to a pool of solar projects and receive a guaranteed 20 percent electricity bill subsidy. This program is funded through electricity bills and cap and trade funds.

The Decision also improves the design of the Green Tariff Program3, which allows customers of any income level, as well as commercial customers, to subscribe to a pool of community solar projects, without any cross-subsidies from other customers. The Decision also launches a new community solar program (CREP) that will allow interested customers to subscribe to a singular solar project. The program is designed to minimize costs to all customers, consistent with direction in Assembly Bill 2316 (Ward, September 16, 2022) while providing a mechanism to capture external state and federal funding opportunities.

Relevant to this solicitation, the Decision also sought to conduct an expert-led, independent analysis of the modified Green Tariff Program and the new community renewable energy program. This evaluation will provide a review of the programs’ metrics for success, including a megawatt baseline expectation for the community renewable energy program.

Additionally, on August 16th, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—the largest-ever federal investment in clean energy—which supports the development of clean energy while lowering energy bills for consumers, accelerating private investment in this field, 1 See https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/SearchRes.aspx?docformat=ALL&docid=533188781 2 See https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/customer-generation/solar-in-disadvantaged-communities 3 See https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/electric-rates/green-tariff-shared-renewables-program

California Public Utilities Commission RFP Number 23NC1123 strengthening supply chains, and creating well-paying jobs. This act allocated $27 billion for the Greenhouse Gas Reduce Fund (GGRF) to mobilize investment for greenhouse gas- and air pollution-reducing projects across the country. The Solar for All program was developed under the GGRF and will to expand access to distributed solar for Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities (LIDAC) and Tribal customers.

Before submitting a response to this solicitation, interested parties should read and review the entire solicitation including any attachments, all referenced web addresses, and any regulations, orders, and statutes cited.

Note that all agreements entered into with the State of California will include by reference General Terms and Conditions (GTC 2/2025) and Contractor Certification Clauses (CCC 4/2017) that may be viewed and downloaded at the following internet site:

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List- Folder/Standard-Contract-Language.

By submitting a proposal your firm agrees to the terms and conditions stated in this RFP and the proposed contract.

Any questions regarding the solicitation or terms and conditions of the proposed contract must be submitted by the deadline listed in the key action dates. Terms and conditions will not be negotiated after contract award.

Responses are due April 24, 2025 by 10:00AM Pacific Time.

CPUC Point of Contact:

Tanya Ibarra

Tanya.ibarra@cpuc.ca.gov https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. SCOPE OF WORK AND CONTRACT TERMS .................. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT

DEFINED.

EXHIBIT A – SCOPE OF WORK ........................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

Background .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Statement of Work ........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Tasks and Deliverables ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Location ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Period of Performance ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Amendments ................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Contact Information ...................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

2. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

3. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

4. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

5. PREFERENCE AND INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCESS

7. AWARD AND CONTRACT EXECUTION

8. REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT 1 – SOLICITATION CHECKLIST

ATTACHMENT 2 – CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

ATTACHMENT 3 – REFERENCES SHEET

ATTACHMENT 4 – PAYEE DATA RECORD

ATTACHMENT 5 – PAYEE DATA RECORD SUPPLEMENT

ATTACHMENT 6 – CONTRACTOR CERTIFICATION CLAUSES

ATTACHMENT 7 – DARFUR CONTRACTING ACT FORM

ATTACHMENT 8 – BIDDER DECLARATION FORM

ATTACHMENT 9 – DVBE DECLARATION FORM

ATTACHMENT 10 – COMMERCIALLY USEFUL FUNCTION CERTIFICATION

ATTACHMENT 11 – IRAN CONTRACTING ACT FORM

ATTACHMENT 12 – CALIFORNIA CIVIL RIGHTS LAW CERTIFICATION

ATTACHMENT 13 – GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPORTING

FORM

ATTACHMENT 14 – COST SHEET

ATTACHMENT 15 – SAMPLE STANDARD AGREEMENT

ATTACHMENT 16 – EVAULATION CRITERIA . ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

1. SCOPE OF WORK AND CONTRACT TERMS

EXHIBIT A – SCOPE OF WORK

A. Background

Among other determinations, and relevant to this work, Decision (D).24-05-065 concluded two consequential findings. First, it found that establishing a new Community Renewable Energy Program (CREP) would be beneficial to ratepayers. The design of this program would combine a subscription model for customers with added funding components from non-ratepayer sources.

This design ensured no cost shift to nonparticipating ratepayers and provided a pathway for community solar projects to leverage a host of non-ratepayer funding options such as $33 million from the state legislature’s 2023 budget appropriation to the Commission for community solar use.

An additional $200 million in grant funding was awarded to California in April 2024 through the EPA's Solar for All competition. The Decision also let open the possibility of pursuing other non-ratepayer funding sources such as using utility greenhouse gas auction proceeds, federal enhanced investment tax credits, and state greenhouse gas reduction funding.

As part of California's Solar for All application, the CPUC has requested an additional funding allocation to augment this evaluation effort. Should that funding be granted, the overall scope of this evaluation is not expected to change. However, the draft research plan may need to be revised to provide greater depth to the analysis, sampling plans, or methodologies. Information and encumbrance of the additional Solar for All evaluation is not expected until sometime in Q3 2025.

The new Community Renewable Energy Program (CREP) would utilize existing wholesale tariffs as its foundation, making the program fully compatible with federal law. The Decision created a mechanism for leveraging external funding and providing more lucrative financial support from non-ratepayer sources to encourage the development of grid-scale solar and storage projects.

The CREP requires that a minimum of 51% of each solar and storage project’s subscribers are low-income and receive a monthly bill credit based on a percentage of project revenue. Non-participating ratepayers do not pay for the program. Instead, the foundational wholesale tariff is paid for by participating ratepayers and the low-income adder by non-ratepayer state and federal subsidies.

Second, the Green Tariff program was modified to ensure more predictable rates, integrate with existing procurement activities, and created a mechanism for possible expansion beyond the initial 600 megawatts (MW) cap.

Tangentially, the Decision directed that a third program, the Disadvantaged Communities - Green- Tariff (DAC-GT) program, be modified to allow further flexibility in where projects are sited, include voluntary battery storage, and add additional capacity for a total allocation of approximately 144 MW. As noted in D.24-05-065, that program undergoes a tri-annual evaluation independent of the evaluation tasks enshrined within this solicitation. However, the decision revised the schedule for the DAC-GT evaluation such that it aligns with the evaluation schedule for the modified Green Tariff and new community renewable energy program. It is expected that the selected Contractor for this solicitation will work in alignment with the selected vendor for that parallel evaluation.

B. Statement of Work

B.1 The core objectives for the Contractor in conducting an impact evaluation of the California Shared Renewables Portfolio are to:

1. Develop and implement program logic models for both the modified Green Tariff and new Community Renewable Energy Program.

2. Document and establish comprehensive program metrics for each program.

3. Assess progress towards each programs’ goals and metrics, determine program cost-effectiveness, and meet Legislative reporting requirements.

4. Establish/verify data collection protocols necessary for program evaluation to be conducted in future independent evaluations.

5. Evaluate data to draw conclusions and recommendations.

6. Understand the evolving tax environment, including new options within Inflation

Reduction Act provisions, and document how such provisions are being utilized by program participants and market actors.

7. Evaluate delivery of the program administration to reach goals and objectives.

B.2 The selected Contractor will document and conduct measurement and verification on the following program elements which shall be included in the final report:

1. The programs’ geographic coverage across the state, including Disadvantaged Communities and Tribal communities.

2. Number and location of eligible customers (service account ID or SAIDs) and enrolled customers.

3. Number and location of eligible customers not served

4. Costs by program and program administrator; further broken out by

a. Forecasted vs. actual

b. Expenditures and uncommitted balances

c. Type/category:

I.Above Market Generation Costs II.20 Percent Bill Discount (CREP only)

III.Program Administration Costs

1. Program Management

2. IT

3. Billing Operations

4. Regulatory Compliance

5. Procurement

IV.Marketing, Education and Outreach

5. Capacity procured and capacity online by program and PA

6. The number of bids received per program solicitation (if applicable)

7. Monthly bill reduction outcomes for program participants (CREP only)

8. Changes in post-participation customer energy usage patterns

9. Environmental benefits

10. The report shall include an analysis of pending program commitments, reservations, obligations, and projected demands for the program to determine whether future ongoing funding allocations for the program are substantiated. Finally, the report should provide recommendations for improving the program to meet its goals.

B.3 The evaluation will also aim to provide insight into the Programs’:

1. Overall participation levels in relation to customer segment size

2. Results of the programs in both costs and benefits; numbers of MWs installed/costs

3. Comparison of program cost per MW installed vs. non program PV installed cost per

MW

4. Customer satisfaction with the programs

5. The effectiveness of programs' marketing and outreach efforts,

6. The effectiveness of automatic enrollment efforts (CREP only),

7. Participating and non-participating customer understanding and perception of each program’s environmental or social benefits,

8. Program bill discounts’ impact on customer arrearages and bill payment behaviors

(CREP only),

9. The effectiveness of each program in addressing specific barriers to solar adoption facing low-income customers in DACs and Tribal communities4

10. The appropriateness of adjusting program design such as geographic eligibility requirements in order to improve the number of eligible project bids

C. Tasks and Deliverables

This is the overall work that will be completed under the California Shared Renewables Portfolio Process and Impact Evaluation contract:

1. Draft and Final Research Plans

2. Draft and Final Reports

3. Interim memos on findings

4. Ongoing meeting facilitation

5. Public webinars on research plans and draft report findings

6. Compliance reporting in accordance with EPA Solar for All terms and conditions

The following is an enumeration of tasks and deliverables:

Task 1: Project Initiation Meeting

The selected Contractor shall conduct a project initiation meeting. The selected Contractor shall prepare a Proposed Study Plan to be reviewed at the project initiation meeting which shall be submitted to the Commission Project Managers prior to the meeting. The selected Contractor shall include with this a list of the selected Contractor’s key personnel to be present at the project initiation meeting who have been assigned to do work on the Study. The selected Contractor shall reach out to the utilities to ascertain expected timelines for responding to future data requests.

Deliverable 1: Kickoff Meeting (No Narrative Required)

Upon execution of the contract, a kickoff meeting will be convened for Commission staff and Contractor’s Team to discuss and refine the submitted draft workplan, orient the Contractor’s Team to the administrative and technical expectations of the Commission Project Manager and/or Commission Sector Leads, and initiate discussion of prioritization of tasks. The Contractor will also work with the Commission Project Manager to establish project management foundation for the contract.

Task 2: Develop Detailed Draft Research Plan and Schedule

The Contractor shall prepare for review and approval by the Commission Project Manager a memorandum to be known as the Draft Research Plan and Schedule which shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

1. A list of the key objectives to be assessed by the Evaluation.

2. A description of the methodology to be used to cover the goals of the

Evaluation.

3. A detailed (anticipated) timeline for initiation and completion of each objective of the Evaluation.

The Contractor must prepare a revised research plan that is based on the original proposal as modified in the project initiation meeting and subsequent communications with the Commission Project Manager. This plan should present a detailed description of all activities in this evaluation and provide the framework of what shall be contained in the ‘Methodology’ section of the final report, including the sample plan and the analysis plan.

At a minimum the research plan must include:

1. Revised research objectives as developed in Task 1.

2. Detailed specification and justification of methods and resources to be used.

3. Detailed program data review and program staff interview plans

4. Detailed specification of the data collection strategy, inclusive of estimated data request response times

5. Detailed sampling plans

6. Detailed analysis plan

7. Final detailed work plan and schedule for the study, by task and sub-task

8. Timeline for final report and project completion

9. Discussion of day-to-day project management issues and study procedures such as coordinating with the Commission Project Manager.

Pursuant to direction in D.24-05-065, the selected Contractor should design the research plan in alignment with the data collection, analysis, and public presentation milestones of the tangential DAC-GT program evaluation. Further, in light of California’s Solar for All application that is under review at the time of this Solicitation’s drafting, the research plan may need to be revised should additional evaluation funds be encumbered for this project. While the scope of this research evaluation will not change, additional funds may allow for a deeper dive into specific evaluation topics. Such modifications will be made in consultation with the Commission Project Manager.

Deliverable 2: Draft Research Plan (Narrative Required)

In conjunction with Task 2 above, the Contractor will have to complete a draft Research and Evaluation Workplan the California Shared Renewables Portfolio under this contract.

The draft Research workplan will describe in detail the methodology and approach to complete all deliverables for each program required under this contract. Contractor must include a narrative detailing the approach for each deliverable, a detail work plan that outlines all activities and tasks, a timeline for which the activities will be completed, and the resources and personnel necessary for each deliverable.

This draft plan should present a detailed description of all activities in this evaluation and provide the framework of what shall be contained in the methodology section of the final report, including the data collection plan and the analysis plan.

At a minimum the Research Plan must include:

1. Revised research objectives as developed in Task 2.

2. Detailed specification and justification of methods and resources to be used

3. Detailed program data review

4. Detailed specification of the data collection strategy

5. Detailed sampling plans (if applicable)

6. Detailed analysis plan

7. Final detailed work plan and schedule for the Report, by task and sub-task

8. Timeline for Final Report and project completion

9. Discussion of day-to-day project management issues and study procedures such as coordinating with Energy Division

The contractor will work closely with Commission staff to ensure that the research workplans will sufficiently meet all technical and administrative needs of the Commission. Contractor must submit the final draft of the research plans within 90 days of contract execution.

Task 3: Conduct Public Webinar on Draft Research Plan

The Contractor shall present the draft research plan in a public webinar. The selected Contractor shall prepare a brief for the Commission Project Manager that summarizes the feedback and results of the meeting. The Contractor will also accept written public comments and provide responses to the public in the same format.

If requested, the selected Contractor will organize a separate meeting for Commission staff and the Program Administrators (PAs), following the public webinar, to provide additional explanation and/or receive additional feedback.

Contractor must hold the public workshop on the draft research plan within 30 days of the finalization of the Draft Research Plan. This date may be amended in coordination with, and by approval of, the Commission Project Manager.

Deliverable 3: Stakeholder Workshops and Webinars (No Narrative Required)

The Contractor will participate in and/or conduct up to two stakeholder engagement webinars and must be able to explain the draft research plan (Task 2), including measurement and evaluation approaches and results to a non-technical audience. Once a draft report has been developed in accordance with Task 7 and 8, the Contractor will host another stakeholder webinar presenting the findings and garnering feedback.

Expected tasks and activities to complete this deliverable include:

1. Facilitating and presenting at public webinars;

2. Developing presentation materials that summarize draft research plans and report findings

3. Addressing issues that members of the public raise during webinars and specifically document how each comment has been considered or addressed;

4. Developing executive summaries or presentations for all technical documents in language accessible to stakeholders and decision-makers who may not be industry or technical experts, as defined by Commission Staff;

5. Developing of briefing materials accessible to public audience upon request of Commission Staff;

6. Managing written and oral communication, including public briefing materials, summarizing work products to decision-makers and stakeholders, as requested by Commission staff; and

7. Providing a summary of data and information gathered from the completed webinars.

At least two key team members are required to participate in each stakeholder engagement activity.

Contractor must hold the public workshop on the draft research report within 45 days of the finalization of the Draft Report. This date may be amended in coordination with, and by approval of, the Commission Project Manager.

Task 4: Conduct Program Material Review

The Contractor shall review all materials necessary to gain a basic knowledge of the programs’ history and program procedures. The information gained from the program materials should be sufficient to form the basis for developing an understanding of the programs, identify specific areas to evaluate and the methodology for completing the evaluation, and to assist in the development of program staff/customer interview/survey guides (if necessary). The review of program related materials should consider at least the following:

1. Program organizational and management structure

2. Program information systems, including the various Program Administrator workflow management systems

3. Existing PA Databases for applicable information

4. Marketing, Education and Outreach efforts and plans

5. Internal administrative procedures and quality controls

6. Accounting and disbursement methods, including contractor payment/compensation processes

7. Data processing and record retention

8. Program costs

Similarly, the selected Contractor shall conduct a Literature Review, including but not limited to the following sources:

• Foundational documents including AB 327, AB 2316, AB 2838, (D.) 15-01-051, (D.) 16-05-031, (D.) 18-06-027, (D.)18-10-007, (D.) 18-12-015, (D.) 20-04-006, (D.) 20-07-008, (D.) 21-12-036, D.24-05-065, Resolutions E-4999, E-5028, E- 5034, E-5102, E-5124, E-5130, E-5212, and E-5246.

• California Energy Commission Low-Income Barriers Study, Part A: Overcoming Barriers to Energy Efficiency and Renewables for Low-Income Customers and Small Business Contracting Opportunities in Disadvantaged Communities

• Past Community Solar program evaluations

• PA implementation plans and budgets

• PA quarterly reports

• PA executed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Advice Letters

• California’s EPA Solar For All application and grant award

• EPA Solar For All program guidance

To help guide evaluation research planning, the selected Contractor may choose to perform Task 4 before developing the final research plan. This task may include PA interviews as well as program material review.

Contractor must complete the program material review within 45 days of contract execution. This date may be amended in coordination with, and by approval of, the Commission Project Manager.

Task 5: Conduct Analysis in Accordance with the Final Research Plan

The Contractor shall conduct data analyses to address all the research objectives and requirements outlined in the Final Research Plan and Schedule developed in Task 2.

The Contractor shall implement the analyses once final approval by the Commission Project Manager has been received. The selected Contractor shall document all features of the analyses in a manner that allows for reproducible results.

Contractor must complete their analysis within 9 months of the contract execution. This date may be amended in coordination with, and by approval of, the Commission Project Manager.

Task 6: Monthly Status Reports and Interim Drafts

The Contractor shall provide a brief written Monthly Status Reports to the Commission Project Manager. These reports shall include, but are not limited to, description of progress towards completing milestones for each objective, percent complete by objective and task, percent of budget spent to date, and preliminary findings. The Contractor may also be required to provide monthly check-in meetings with PAs at the request of the Commission Project Manager. These check-in meetings will serve as an opportunity for PAs to discuss interim findings.

Once all milestones for an objective have been completed, the Contractor shall submit an Interim Draft for that objective to the Commission Project Manager.

Since this solicitation will be augmented with EPA Solar for All funding, the Contractor may also need to integrate EPA reporting requirements into these monthly status reports.

Deliverable 4: Monthly Progress Meeting (No Narrative Required)

The Contractor will attend between 1 to 4 monthly project coordination meetings with Commission Staff and other Commission contractors, on an ad-hoc basis or regular schedule, as directed by the Commission Project Manager. The purpose of the project coordination meetings is to provide a venue to discuss the status of tasks and activities across the entire contract with Commission staff and Commission management; strategize for coordination between Contractors as needed; resolve administrative and reporting matters concerning the entire contract and coordination with other Contractors; and coordinate interactions with program administrators’ EM&V, and program management staff.

The project coordination meetings required under this deliverable include administration check in (via virtual meetings) every two weeks with Commission staff to report on contract invoicing, evaluation project timelines, and other contract matters.

Task 7: Draft & Final Reports

The selected Contractor shall prepare a draft and a final version of the full Study that shall include the following sections:

1) Executive Summary emphasizing the major findings and the most significant recommendations pursuant to the Commission’s Energy Division guidance.

2) Background or Introduction chapter including the research objectives and description of this Study.

3) Methodology chapter describing and justifying the chosen approaches, data sources and data collection methods used in the Study. This chapter shall be based on the Final Research Plan.

4) Analysis and Recommendations for each of the Study objectives including the program’s data collection protocols.

5) Appendices including, but not limited to:

a. Bibliography

b. Spreadsheet of Recommendations

c. Program logic model

d. Program metrics

Since this solicitation will be augmented with EPA Solar for All funding, the Contractor may also need to integrate EPA reporting requirements into these draft and final reports.

Deliverable 5: Draft and Final Impact Evaluation Reports (Narrative Required)

The Contractor shall deliver a draft and final evaluation report to the Commission. The Contractor will coordinate with the Commission Project Manager to determine due dates for draft reports to ensure sufficient time for final revisions. The Commission Project Manager will determine which components of the final evaluation report will be submitted.

The Final Evaluation must clearly and thoroughly address each of the Objectives, in the manner defined in the Final Research Plan. In order to successfully do so, the Final Evaluation Report must clearly answer each of the Final Key Research Questions in the Final Research Plan. Any draft and final documents will be submitted to the Commission for review to provide edits and directions to finalize the evaluation document. The Executive Summary component of each draft and final report must be developed using language that is understandable by a non-technical audience. The evaluation reports must also follow a protocol rigor level as determined by the Commission.

The Draft Evaluation report will include all components of the final report. Both the draft and the final evaluation report will include the following components:

1. Executive Summary: A brief, easily understandable document to allow policy makers and the members of the public with limited time a high level understanding of the results of the Statewide Evaluation;

2. Background or Introduction chapter including the research objectives and description of the Report

3. Approach and Methodology: The methodology shall allow professionals in the industry to replicate their calculations;

4. Appendices including, but not limited to:

5. Bibliography

6. Data Source: A fully detailed document of data sources used in this report;

7. Submission of electronic PDF formatted document: Upon Contractor submission, the PDF shall be in a format that is ready to be uploaded by Commission Staff to the CPUC website for public consumption of the final graphic design and layout of the evaluation;

8. Submission of a print-ready format document: The Contractor shall electronically transmit to the Final graphic design and layout of the Final Evaluation report document that Commission can readily submit to a printing entity for mass printing;

9. Furthermore, the draft and final evaluation report shall take into consideration the following critical elements:

a. Readability: The executive summary shall be written in a way that is understandable to a non-technical audience;

b. Copy-editing: The draft and final report must be copy-edited by a professional copy-editor. The Contractor must provide a resume of the copy editor to Commission and obtain approval before finalizing the reports;

c. Peer-review: at the discretion of the Commission, specific studies within the Impact Evaluation Report will undergo the peer review process prior to finalization. The peer review process must meet current industry standards, and the peer review panel must be selected and approved by the Commission; and

d. Graphic Design: The draft shall be formatted in a professional manner with an effective design that meets or exceeds typical standards for high level public reports.

As outlined in Task 7 and 8, the draft report will be briefed at a stakeholder webinar. The Contractor must respond to each comment received from the stakeholders by making changes in the report or addressing the specific comments in a summary report in a template provided by the Commission

Project Manager. Upon approval of the Commission Staff on the final report, the formatted Final Evaluation report will incorporate all edits from the previous drafts and will be submitted to the Commission within 45 days of receiving feedback from the Commission. This schedule may be updated in consultation with the Commission Project Manager.

Since this solicitation will be augmented with EPA Solar for All funding, the Contractor may also need to integrate EPA reporting requirements into these draft and final reports.

Contractor must complete a draft version of the full Study within 365 days (1 year) of the contract execution. This date may be amended in coordination with, and by approval of, the Commission Project Manager.

Deliverable 6: Other Meetings and Briefings (No Narrative Required)

CPUC anticipates that it will be necessary for the California Shared Renewables Impact Evaluation Contractor to attend meetings with entities such as Commission Executives, Advisory Committee, and others, to provide updates, briefings, or participate in programmatic discussions. The Commission Staff will select which meetings the Contractor shall attend to fulfill this deliverable, in which the attendees from the Contractor’s team will communicate highly technical concepts to individual stakeholders in an effective manner.

The Proposer shall budget for approximately five meetings over the course of the contract. The Contractor shall take detailed meetings notes and provide them to the Commission Project Manager at the conclusion of each advisory meeting or briefings. The meeting notes should, at a minimum, summarize the issue discussed, date, time, duration of the meeting, attendees, and follow up items, if any.

D. Contractor Responsibilities

Contractor will be responsible for the execution of Commission staff-led research outlined in the California Shared Renewables Program Impact Evaluation.

For the research efforts listed in this solicitation, contractors and Commission staff will review research priorities. The main activities required under this solicitation to meet research objectives for each sector include the following:

i. Research and Evaluation plan;

ii. Stakeholder Engagement;

iii. Data Collection;

iv. Draft and Final Report development;

v. Project Management.

E. CPUC Responsibilities

The CPUC Project Manager is responsible for the following:

1. Provide access to business and technical documents that are held by the CPUC, as necessary, for the Contractor to complete the tasks identified in this Contract;

2. Approve, solely, all deliverables according to the following acceptance criteria:

3. Deliverables must be in the format specified in the Scope of Work;

4. If a deliverable is not accepted, the CPUC Contract Manager shall provide the rationale in writing within ten (10) business days of receipt of the deliverable;

5. Provide contact information for staff in all areas of CPUC involved in this project.

F. Location

The services shall be performed at the Contractor’s office, and other places as needed in performing the services of this contract. The services are considered statewide and are not limited to any specific counties.

G. Period of Performance

This Agreement will be for a term of three (3) years.

The services shall be provided during normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM PST – 5:00 PM PST, or during mutually agreed upon working hours, excluding State and Federal holidays.

H. Amendments

This Agreement can be amended for an additional one (1) year optional extension, to complete the scope of work. These shall be exercised by way of a formal Amendment to this Agreement which must be approved by DGS – OLS.

I. Contact Information

The Contract Representatives during the term of this Agreement:

State Agency: Public Utilities Commission Contractor:

Section/Unit:

Name: Name:

Phone: Phone:

Email: Email:

Direct all Administrative inquiries to:

State Agency Public Utilities Commission Contractor:

Section/Unit: Contract Services Section Attention: Name:

Email: Email:

The Contractor shall notify the CPUC Contract Manager within five (5) working days of a change in the Contractor’s Project Manager. The role of the Project Manager is to manage all contractual obligations associated with this Agreement. The Project Manager also acts as the single point of contact and is responsible for resource coordination, issues resolution and issues escalation.

EXHIBIT B - BUDGET DETAIL AND PAYMENT PROVISIONS

1. Invoicing and Payment

A. Payments

As compensation for the services specified in Exhibit A and upon receipt and approval of Contractor invoices by the CPUC, the Contractor shall be entitled to a sum not to exceed the total dollar amount noted on the STD 213 and/or its Amendment. Payments shall be based on the rates and or schedule as set forth and specified in Exhibit B-1, Cost Sheet which is attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement.

If Contractor discovers it has received an overpayment, Contractor must notify the State and refund the overpayment immediately.

B. Invoice Details

Each invoice shall include the following details:

I. Contract Number II. Contractor Name

III. Contractor Billing Address IV. Itemized Cost Per Deliverable V. A Summary of each Deliverable worked on including the Names and

Number of Hours worked by each Team Member.

VI. Total Invoice Amount

VII. Invoice Number VIII. Invoice Date

IX. Service Date(s) X. Contact Information

XI. Retention Amount to be Withheld XII. SB/DVBE Certification Number

Any invoiced items which are not included in the accepted Cost Sheet, will automatically be rejected, and denied for payment.

Should an invoice be disputed, Contractor will correct any/all disputed items on the invoice and resubmit the invoice as indicated above. Failure to provide and resubmit corrected invoice will result in a delay of payment.

C. Invoice Submission

Contractor shall submit the invoice in duplicate (including original invoice) not more frequently than monthly in arrears to:

APInvoice@cpuc.ca.gov

OR

mailto:APInvoice@cpuc.ca.gov

Fiscal Office, Room 3000 505 Van Ness Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94102 ATTN: Account Payable Technician

D. Travel

Travel costs will not be reimbursed by CPUC separately. Contractor’s rates shall include all travel expenses required to perform the services in accordance with this Agreement.

E. Reporting Requirement of Small Business and DVBE Subcontractors

The Contractor invoices shall include a subtotal that enumerates the amounts spent on DGS certified Small Business and DGS certified DVBE subcontractors for the period of the invoice, and a total-to-date for Small Business and DVBE spending. This requirement is in addition to reporting requirement of Section 19 of Exhibit C, General Terms and Conditions.

Pursuant to Mil. & Vet. Code Section 999.7, ten thousand dollars ($10,000) will be withheld from the final payment, or the full final payment if less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), until the prime contractor complies with the certification requirements of subdivision (d) of Mil. & Vet. Code Section 999.5. This requires the Prime contractor to fill out and submit a STD 817 form certifying the actual amount paid to DVBE subcontractors. Prime contractor shall be given 30 days’ notice to cure the defect. If, after 30 calendar days from the date of notice, the prime contractor refuses to comply with the certification requirements, CPUC shall permanently deduct ten thousand dollars ($10,000) from the final payment, or the full payment if less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

F. Progress Payments and Retention Withholdings

Progress payments will be made on the basis of completion of specific deliverables or sub-deliverables, subject to the approval of CPUC. Ten percent (10%) retention shall be withheld from each invoice, including billable hours and expenses, if applicable. The retention shall become payable upon the satisfactory completion of the Agreement or at the completion of each separate deliverable if the specific deliverable is not a foundation for succeeding deliverables leading to the completion of a finished project, report, or plan.

G. Retention of Records and Audit Requirement

The Contractor’s invoices will be subject to a financial audit by CPUC at any time within three (3) years of completion of the work.

2. Federally Funded Contract

A. It is mutually understood between the parties that this contract may have been written for the mutual benefit of both parties before ascertaining the availability of congressional appropriation of funds to avoid program and fiscal delays that would occur if the contract were executed after that determination was made.

B. This contract is valid and enforceable only if sufficient funds are made available to the State by the United States Government for the fiscal year for the purpose of this program. In addition, this contract is subject to any additional restrictions, limitations, or conditions enacted by the Congress or to any statute enacted by the Congress that may affect the provisions, terms, or funding of this contract in any manner.

C. The parties mutually agree that if the Congress does not appropriate sufficient funds for the program, this contract shall be amended to reflect any reduction in funds.

D. The department has the option to invalidate the contract under the 30-day cancellation clause or to amend the contract to reflect any reduction in funds.

3. Budget Contingency Clause

A. It is mutually agreed that if the Budget Act of the current year and/or any subsequent years covered under this Agreement does not appropriate sufficient funds for the program, this Agreement shall be of no further force and effect. In this event, the CPUC shall have no liability to pay any funds whatsoever to Contractor or to furnish any other considerations under this Agreement and Contractor shall not be obligated to perform any provisions of this Agreement.

B. If funding for any fiscal year is reduced or deleted by the Budget Act for purposes of this program, the CPUC shall have the option to either cancel this Agreement with no liability occurring to the CPUC or offer an agreement amendment to Contractor to reflect the reduced amount.

4. Prompt Payment Clause

Payment will be made in accordance with, and within the time specified in, Government Code Chapter 4.5, commencing with Section 927.

EXHIBIT C - GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The General Terms and Conditions, GTC 02/2025 will be included and adhere to in the Agreement by reference to the following link:

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List- Folder/Standard-Contract-Language

If Contractor does not have Internet access, a hard copy will be provided by contacting the State’s Contract Manager listed in the scope of work.

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language

EXHIBIT D, SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Excise Tax

The State of California is exempt from federal excise taxes, and no payment will be made for any taxes levied on employees' wages. The State will pay for any applicable State of California or local sales or use taxes on the services rendered or equipment or parts supplied pursuant to this Agreement. California may pay any applicable sales and use tax imposed by another state.

2. Dispute Resolution

A dispute for purposes of this section is a disagreement between Contractor and CPUC in the performance of the Agreement, which is unable to be resolved between Contractor and Program Staff (“Dispute”). In the event of a Dispute, Contractor shall file a "Notice of Dispute" with the California Public Utilities Commission, Executive Director, or designee within ten (10) days of discovery of the problem. Within ten (10) days, the Executive Director or designee shall meet with the Contractor and Contract Manager for purposes of resolving the dispute. The decision of the Executive Director or designee shall be final.

In the event of a dispute, the language contained within this Agreement shall control over any other.

State reserves the right to issue an order to stop work in the event that a dispute should arise, The stop work order will be in effect until the dispute has been resolved.

3. Subcontracts

A. No work shall be subcontracted without the prior approval of the State’s Contract Manager.

Upon termination of any subcontract, the State shall be notified immediately.

B. If the terminated subcontractor is a DVBE, the contractor must replace that subcontractor with another DVBE subcontractor, and such replacement must be approved by the Commission. Failure to adhere to DVBE Participation will be reported to DGS DVBE program for possible enforcement action, including without limitation be cause for contract termination and recovery of damages under the rights and remedies due the state under the default section of the contract.

C. Nothing contained in this Agreement or otherwise, shall create any contractual relation between the State and any subcontractors, and no subcontract shall relieve the Contractor of his responsibilities and obligations hereunder. The Contractor agrees to be as fully responsible to the State for the acts and omissions of its subcontractors and of persons either directly or indirectly employed by any of them as it is for the acts and omissions of persons directly employed by the Contractor. The Contractor's obligation to pay its subcontractors is an independent obligation from the State's obligation to make payments to the Contractor. As a result, the State shall have no obligation to pay or to enforce the payment of any moneys to any subcontractor.

D. It is the intention of the parties than no subcontractors shall be deemed an employee of the

State. Contractor agrees to take any and all actions necessary to comply with this intention.

E. Failure of a subcontractor to perform for any reason shall not relieve Contractor of the responsibility for competent and timely performance of duties under this contract.

4. Commission Staff

Commission staff will be permitted to work side by side with Contractor’s staff to the extent and under conditions directed by the Commission’s Contract Manager. In this connection, Commission staff will be given access to all data, working papers, etc., which Contractor may seek to utilize.

Contractor will not be permitted to use State personnel for the performance of services which are the responsibility of Contractor.

5. Commencement of Work

Performance will start not later than five (5) business days, or on the express date set by the State and the Contractor, after all approvals have been obtained and the agreement is fully executed. Should the Contractor fail to commence work at the agreed upon time, the State upon five (5) days written notice to the Contractor, reserves the right to terminate the agreement. In addition, the Contractor will be liable to the State for the difference between Contractor's bid price and the actual cost of performing work by another contractor.

6. Ownership of Data

Data developed for this contract shall become the property of the State. Contractor shall not disclose data without the permission of the Commission’s Contract Manager. Each report shall also become the property of the State and shall not be disclosed except in such manner and such time as the Commission’s Contract Manager may direct, with the exception of data which have become part of the public records of the State, as discussed in Paragraph 7.

7. Confidentiality of Data/Nondisclosure Agreement

The Contractor, by signing this agreement recognizes they may be required to have access to data, information and documents within the knowledge and possession of various entities under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Commission. The Contractor recognizes that some of this data, information and documents may be proprietary, confidential, or privileged in nature.

The Contractor further recognizes that Commission Staff has broad statutory authority to compel the production of such information subject to the provisions of Public Utilities Code 583 and General Order 66-D. The Contractor understands that these legal provisions generally preclude public disclosure of information obtained in confidence except during the course of a public hearing or with permission of the Commission.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=583.&lawCode=PUC https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=583.&lawCode=PUC https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/proceedings-and-rulemaking/documents/d-2109020-correcting-d-2008031-go-66d.pdf

The Contractor acknowledges that it has received a copy and read Public Utilities Code Section 583 and General Order 66-D and agrees to be subject to and to fully comply with these legal provisions in discharging its responsibilities. Such compliance includes abiding by the terms of prohibiting public disclosure of confidential information and submitting to the jurisdiction of the Commission for the purposes of enforcing Public Utilities Code Section 583.

The Contractor further recognizes that the data, information and documents obtained during the course of its work for the Commission may be subject to other requirements for nondisclosure which include, but are not limited to, attorney work product privilege, the official information privilege, the attorney-client privilege, and other prohibitions precluding disclosure of confidential information and Contractor may not disclose such data, information and documents without the prior written consent of the Commission or its Staff.

The Contractor agrees not to disclose any information regarding its work to third parties except with the Commission Staff’s express prior written consent, and to return all data, information and documents obtained during the course of the Agreement immediately upon request or termination. The Contractor agrees to immediately notify the Commission Staff of any inquiries from third parties which request disclosure of any data, information, or documents.

The Contractor will not comment publicly to the press or any other media regarding its work, or the Commission’s action on the same, except to the Commission Staff, Signatory’s own personnel and/or subcontractors involved in the completion of tasks under this agreement, or at a public hearing, or in response to questions from a legislative committee.

In addition, the Signatory agrees that prior to commencement of any work associated with this Agreement, the signatory shall: (1) provide a copy of this section of the Agreement, Public Utilities Code Section 583 and General Order 66-D…