GMAC QA_Responses_Final_10222025.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 19 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- BD-26-1041-ENE01-ENE01-121012
- Issued by
- Massachusetts
About this file
This file is a Q&A response document from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) regarding Request for Quotes (RFQ-ENE-2026-012) for consulting services to support the Grid Modernization Advisory Council (GMAC). The RFQ solicits administrative and technical support for grid modernization activities throughout calendar year 2026. The selected contractor will provide project management, administration, planning, meeting support, and technical analysis related to electric distribution company short-term forecasting and electric sector modernization plans. Contractor team members will be required to attend monthly GMAC meetings in person, with at least one representative responsible for recording meeting minutes in compliance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. Additional on-site requirements may include future in-person public stakeholder sessions throughout the state. The posting date for this opportunity was September 16, 2025, with a final submission deadline of December 31, 2025. A critical GMAC meeting was scheduled for September 18, 2025, to deliberate the draft 2026 workplan. The contract structure includes an initial one-year term with options to renew for two additional one-year periods.
The maximum contract obligation is set at $450,000, with bidders permitted to include travel costs for GMAC meeting attendance and public stakeholder sessions as part of their proposed budget, though long-distance travel was not considered in establishing the budgetary cap. Contractors may include recommendations and additional technical support within the maximum obligation limit. The GMAC's top priorities focus on fulfilling statutory duties under G.L. c. 164 §2C, including encouraging least-cost investments in electric distribution systems, identifying alternatives to investments that facilitate emissions reduction compliance, and increasing transparency and stakeholder engagement in grid planning. Support for forecasting analysis will be based on electric distribution companies' Electric Sector Modernization Plans (ESMPs), biannual ESMP reports, and presentations from EDCs and external presenters, with relevant materials available on the GMAC website. No set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are explicitly mentioned in the Q&A responses.
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GMAC Q&A
| 1 | 10/16/25 | Matthew Tremblay/WSP USA INC. | Commonwealth Plans | Have any Commonwealth plans regarding grid modernization been updated due to changes in Federal funding commitments? | No, no Commonwealth plans regarding grid modernization have been updated due to changes in federal funding commitments. |
| 2 | 10/16/25 | Matthew Tremblay/WSP USA INC. | Section IV.B | Per Section IV.B (Scope of Work AC Meeting Attendance), will a member of the Contractor team be expected to attend GMAC meetings and subcommittee meetings in-person? Are there any other on-site work requirements, and if so, will travel be included? | Select members of the Contractor team will be expected to attend monthly GMAC meetings in person. At a minimum, one member of the Contractor team will attend to take meeting minutes as required by Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. Attendance by additional team members will be determined by DOER and depend on the GMAC agenda. Current subcommittees, including the Executive Committee and Equity Working Group, hold their meetings virtually on Zoom. Additional on-site work requirements may include future in-person public stakeholder sessions held around the state. Bidders to this RFQ may include travel to GMAC meetings and in-person public stakeholder sessions as part of their proposed budget under GMAC meeting support although long distance travel was not considered in setting the budgetary cap. |
| 3 | 10/16/25 | Matthew Tremblay/WSP USA INC. | Section IV.A | Per Section IV.A (Scope of Work Project Management, Administration, and Planning), to what extent will the Contractor be able to make recommendations in addition to providing administrative support? | The Contractor may include recommendations in addition to providing administrative support as long as the additional work to develop the recommendations and provide additional support does not exceed the maximum obligation to the contract executed as a result of this RFQ ($450,000). |
| 4 | 10/16/25 | Matthew Tremblay/WSP USA INC. | Section IV.C | Per Section IV.C (Scope of Work Objective 1: Collaborate on EDC Short-Term Forecasting), are there any publicly available examples of the types of data, forecasting inputs, or documentation that the Contractor would be expected to analyze to support the CY2026 resolution? | Please refer to the GMAC website for the most up-to-date Version 3 of the GMAC workplan available here https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gmac-meeting-schedules. |
Support for Objective 1 will be based on forecasting information found in the EDCs’ ESMPs (accessible on the GMAC’s website here https://www.mass.gov/info-details/electric-sector-modernization-plans-esmps-information-and-recommendations), updates provided in the EDCs’ ESMP biannual reports (https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/dpu/fileroom/#/dockets/docket/12702), and future presentations from the EDCs and external presenters.
5 10/16/25 Matthew Tremblay/WSP USA INC. Top Priorities What are GMAC's top priorities for grid modernization? The GMAC’s top priorities for grid modernization are to fulfill its statutory duties outlined in G.L. c. 164 §§ 92C. In reviewing the EDCs’ ESMPs, duties include encouraging least-cost investments in the electric distribution system, alternatives to investments or to financing investments that facilitate meeting emissions reductions limits, and increasing transparency and stakeholder engagement in grid planning processes. In CY2026, the GMAC focused its workplan on fulfilling these duties through identifying and addressing challenges for load growth, challenges related to grid modernization costs, and challenges related to ESMP implementation. Please refer to the GMAC website for the most up-to-date Version 3 of the GMAC workplan available here https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gmac-meeting-schedules.
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