DRAFT_Performance Work Statement_Energy Efficiency Data.docx

DRAFT Performance Work Statement U.S. Energy Information Administration

Project Title: Energy efficiency program cost-effectiveness and measure-level incentive data

A. BACKGROUND

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). EIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA provides a wide range of information and data products covering energy production, stocks, demand, imports, exports, and prices in order to provide analyses and prepare special reports on topics of current interest. EIA is the nation's premier source of energy information and, by law, its data, analyses, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. Government.

To accomplish its mission, EIA conducts a comprehensive data collection program covering the full spectrum of energy sources, end uses, and energy flows. EIA also prepares informative energy analyses, monthly short-term forecasts of energy market trends, and long-term U.S. and international energy outlooks. EIA disseminates its data, analyses, and other products primarily through its website, eia.gov.

EIA’s Office of Energy Analysis (OEA) analyzes energy supply, demand, and prices including the impact of financial markets on energy markets; prepares reports on current and future energy use; analyzes the impact of energy policies; and develops advanced techniques for conducting energy information analyses. OEA also oversees the planning and execution of EIA's analysis and forecasting programs to ensure that EIA models, analyses, and projections meet the highest standards of relevance, reliability, and timeliness.

OEA’s Office of Long-Term Energy Modeling (LTEM), is responsible for maintaining and running the complex energy and economic models that feed EIA’s market projections published in the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) and International Energy Outlook (IEO) and for ensuring EIA’s models adapt to address evolving energy trends and dynamics.

The AEO is published to satisfy the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977, which requires the Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration to prepare annual reports on trends and projections for energy use and supply. The AEO presents an assessment of the outlook for energy markets through 2050. This product is critical to EIA’s mandate to provide an unbiased view of energy markets and to promote public understanding of important energy issues.

EIA models the effects of energy efficiency programs on energy use and energy-system decarbonization potential in residential and commercial buildings. EIA is looking for information on energy efficiency programs sponsored by utilities and independent system operators that are designed to yield energy savings. EIA requires energy efficiency program data from across the U.S. to model reductions in electricity and natural gas use, and the associated energy-related CO2 emissions, that can be attributed to utility and system operator-sponsored energy efficiency programs.

EIA also requires program cost-effectiveness metrics and incentive values for measure-level data. EIA uses measure-level data to estimate the percentage of installed costs for buildings end-use equipment that are offset by energy efficiency program incentives.

B. OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this task is to update EIA’s representation of utility-sponsored energy efficiency (EE) programs in our National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) and to ensure the associated energy and CO2 emissions savings and program cost-effectiveness data and reports are available to the general public. The contractor will investigate processes and methods to develop program-level cost-effectiveness metrics, compile program-level energy and CO2 savings data, and provide incentive values for measure-level data for as many states as feasible.

C. MAJOR TASK TIMELINE

Deliverable/ Milestone 1:

Deliverable/ Milestone 2:

Deliverable/ Milestone 3:

Deliverable/ Milestone 4:

Deliverable/ Milestone 6:

*If the delivery day falls on a weekend or holiday, the deliverable is due on the next business day.

D. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, materials, equipment, and services necessary to perform the work specified in this PWS. The Contractor shall perform to the standards set forth in this PWS.

The Contractor shall abide by EIA's policy on confidentiality with respect to EIA data and information. (See DOE-H-2063 Confidentiality of Information (OCT 2014).)

All Contractors supporting this task order must successfully complete the requirements to obtain and maintain a public trust position (SF-85).

E. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall complete the tasks/activities throughout the EIA period of performance as outlined below. All prime and/or sub-contractor resources shall be subject to the oversight and direction of the Contractor’s Program Manager.

Task 1: Project Management

The Contractor shall develop and implement agile project management methods to coordinate all work under this contract. These methods shall be used to ensure work is completed within or before expected timelines and budgets, efficiently, and that quality control procedures are implemented to produce best-in-class work products.

Task 1a: Startup at beginning of contract

The Contractor shall conduct a kickoff meeting with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and EIA stakeholders within five (5) business days after the Contract Effective Date (CED). The Contractor’s Project Manager (PM) shall draft the kickoff meeting agenda, which shall include reviewing the PWS and deliverables. It shall also identify EIA and all other 3rd party systems, resources, etc. the Contractor requires to access and a plan to obtain. The kickoff meeting shall occur virtually.

Task 1b: Project Meetings & Communication (with COR & EIA Stakeholders)

Formal meetings between the Contractor, COR and EIA stakeholders shall be scheduled as needed. These meetings shall take place in a mutually acceptable environment to both parties. It is understood that the Contractor may collaborate and meet with EIA staff using a wide variety of EIA-approved tools including phone calls, emails, video conferencing (i.e., MS Teams, Cisco WebEx), and shared digital workspaces. The COR and the Contractor’s PM shall work together to determine the best tools for this after contract award.

The Contractor shall take meeting minutes, when asked, and deliver to COR within one (1) business day after the meeting. Format of meeting minutes shall be determined by the COR and the Contractor’s PM, but shall include discussion items and action items at a minimum.

The COR and other EIA stakeholders will be available to confer with the Contractor on a daily basis during core work hours/days. The Contractor is expected to acknowledge emails, phone calls, or other correspondence from the COR and EIA stakeholders within one (1) business day.

Task 1c: Reporting Requirements

Quarterly Status Report

The Contractor shall prepare and distribute a Quarterly Status Report (QSR) no later than 90 days after contract award (or other fixed date as mutually agreed upon by the COR and the Contractor’s PM), and quarterly thereafter.

The QSR layout may be updated, changed, or altered, with input from the Contractor’s PM and/or COR at any time throughout the contract to better suit reporting needs.

At a minimum, the QSR must include the following information:

a. Work and deliverables completed during the period

b. Status of ongoing activities

c. Activities planned for the following period

d. Problems or issues projected or identified

e. Alternatives and/or recommended solution(s) for identified or projected problems or issues

f. Known or projected resource (staff and funding) and schedule impacts, including list of all active staff supporting the call order

g. Summary of tasks performed

Task 2: Energy Efficiency Program-level data and Measure-level data

Task 2a: Collect reference year energy efficiency program data from utilities, independent system operators, and public filings, and develop report resources

The contractor will collect reference year program-level data for as many states as feasible and provide an Excel-based workbook and final report.[footnoteRef:1] The contractor will investigate processes and methods to estimate program cost-effectiveness metrics. Cost effectiveness shall be represented at a dollars or cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh) basis. The contractor will describe which cost-effectiveness test was used (e.g. total resource cost—TRC—or other similar test). Cost-effectiveness will also be described in terms of energy-related CO2 emissions savings or reductions attributed to a program. [1: See ‘Table 1: Task reference years’ below denoting reference years based on year work is completed for this task.]

The contractor will also collect and add subsequent year program level data where available. The contractor will collect this data from utilities, independent system operators, program administrators and public filings, reporting enough data to reliably describe energy efficiency program trends in as many states as feasible throughout the United States. The contractor will conduct a quality check on all collected data before making the data, reports, and supporting resources available for EIA’s use.

The contractor shall collect reference year program level data and populate a workbook with data arranged by sector, by U.S. census division, and by state. The contractor shall conduct a quality check on all data sets.

The contractor shall produce a workbook containing all data collected for this task for EIA’s internal use. EIA may use it for further analyses, and may publish aggregated data to support our modeling work and associated publications. The contractor will either ensure that sources used can be released to the general public, or will make a version of the database for EIA to distribute to interested stakeholders and members of the general public. If any of the data being collected is not fully public and needs to be purchased, the Contractor needs to ensure that the data permissions allow for EIA republication at the aggregate level.

Task 2b: Collect Program Year measure-level data from utilities and independent system operators, and develop report resources

The contractor will report incentive values for energy efficiency measures that offset the installed cost of electric and natural-gas fired energy efficient equipment in the residential and commercial buildings sectors. The contractor shall provide incentive levels by measure and associated administrative costs. Incentives shall be represented as a percentage of installed cost per measure where possible, as a cost per measure otherwise. Other metrics may also be reported following consultation between EIA and the contractor. On the basis of the data collected, the contractor shall develop a sales or population-weighted estimate of installed cost savings attributable to energy efficiency measures for each U.S. census division and end-use equipment type. The contractor shall collect reference year measure-level data and populate a workbook with data arranged by sector, by U.S. census division, by state, and by end-use.

The contractor shall include these metrics for as many of the major end-use equipment types which are modeled in the NEMS[footnoteRef:2] Residential and Commercial Demand Modules as feasible. Residential equipment types include: space conditioning equipment (heating and cooling), furnace fans and boiler pumps, water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, cook stoves, clothes dryers, and lighting. The relevant end-use services in the commercial module include heating, cooling, water heating, ventilation, cooking, lighting, and refrigeration. [2: For documentation on NEMS, please visit: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/nems/documentation/]

The contractor shall provide a written report describing task methodology, basis for data collection, range of entities surveyed, areas of success, and suggested areas for future additional research. In addition to the written report, the contractor should supply a spreadsheet containing information collected in the course of its investigations. Any proprietary data therein shall be held in confidence by EIA. However, EIA may use the data in aggregate for its analyses and modeling, and may publish analyses using aggregated results. If any of the data being collected is not fully public and needs to be purchased, the Contractor needs to ensure that the data permissions allow for EIA republication at the aggregate level. The final report shall be published on the EIA public web site with an EIA cover page and introduction.

Table 1: Task reference years

Deliverables for this task include:

a. The contractor will provide EIA with a workbook with reference year energy efficiency program data, including energy and CO2 emissions savings or reductions attributable to programs and cost effectiveness data

b. The contractor will provide EIA with a workbook with reference year measure-level incentive values and average savings relative to installed cost for electricity and natural gas-fired end-use equipment

c. The contractor will provide EIA with a final report describing energy efficiency program trends, the evolution of measure-level incentives, and data collection and estimation methods

Task 3: Turnover at the end of Task Order

As directed by the COR, no later than 30 calendar days prior to the end of the final performance period, the Contractor shall provide one (1) electronic copy of a transition plan for transfer of the project to the Government (as applicable), including a list of all outstanding issues under the task order (electronic file).

Other activities include:

a. Turning over in good condition to EIA complete documentation and all government-furnished property, hardware, software, materials, manuals, source code, data, produced or acquired with task order funds, or under the Contractor’s control as Government Furnished Property or Materials.

b. During a transition period (as long as necessary to adequately transition, up to and not exceeding 9 months), and if applicable, the Contractor’s senior personnel shall train the new personnel (Contractor or Government) in all applicable system operation and maintenance functions.

c. Performance of appropriate close-out of all outstanding technical and related work.

d. If applicable, the Contractor shall follow the requirements of project turnover and schedule a meeting with the COR and OIT to discuss the execution of information technology transition activities related to data, software, web content, and electronic records. The Contractor shall use appropriate forms when records are transferred from Contractor to COR at end of contract and for providing authorization to destroy any records (requests need to be made from the Contractor to the COR and COR provides approval).

See also: FAR 52.227-14 Rights in Data-General (MAY 2014)

Final Contract Report

The Contractor shall provide a draft final report to the COR no later than 30 days prior to the conclusion of the period of performance. The draft final report will be reviewed by the COR and EIA Stakeholders, and in conjunction with the Contractor’s PM, to determine the suitability of the report and if any additional information or clarification is necessary. Weekly updates and/or edits may be submitted until three (3) days before the conclusion of the period of performance when the final report shall be due.

At a minimum, this report shall summarize objectives achieved, significant issues, problems, and overall lessons learned for the entirety of the project. Additional items may be requested in the final contract report by the COR and EIA stakeholders as the work with the Contractor progresses and potential findings are discovered.

Place of Performance and Hours of Operation

The work to be performed under this contract will be performed offsite. Contractor staff performing work outlined in this PWS may participate in remote work. EIA encourages and supports a 100% virtual working environment for a majority of the workforce. COR approval, and the successful completion of all required trainings (mandatory for staff using government furnished equipment), will permit Contractor staff to also participate in the 100% virtual working environment initiative.

Quality Assurance

The Government shall evaluate the Contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the Contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s).

Special Security Requirements

The Contractor acknowledges that data furnished to it by EIA may contain information which must be held in confidence. The Contractor agrees to maintain such data in accordance with the preceding information and the clause, "DOE-H-2063 Confidentiality of Information (OCT 2014).”

The Contractor shall establish administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect EIA furnished data marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) data from unauthorized disclosure or use, and to prevent unauthorized access to the EIA computer system via the Contractor's workstation. Failure to adequately protect CUI data from unauthorized disclosure or misuse, or failure to prevent unauthorized access to, or misuse of the EIA computer system from a Contractor owned or operated workstation may result in a termination of the contract for default. EIA reserves the right to inspect the Contractor's physical security measures, storage methods, data handling procedures and other security safeguards to determine the security posture of the Contractor's facility.