RFQ26006503 Solicitation Specifications.pdf

SOLICITATION SPECIFICATIONS

RFQ26006503 – REQUEST FOR QUOTES

MPA 623 PRICING EVENT - RETAIL ELECTRIC SUPPLY SERVICE

SECTION 1. BACKGROUND

The State of Rhode Island’s Department of Administration (DOA), Division of Purchases (the “Division” or the “State”) on behalf of Executive and Judicial Branches of Rhode Island, Cities and Towns and other State entities is soliciting bids from qualified suppliers of retail electric supply service to provide firm supply of electricity to the accounts presented in Exhibit 1 to this Request for Quotes (RFQ). The purpose of this pricing request is to solicit, evaluate, and select, through a competitive bidding process, a source of guaranteed, firm and reliable electric supply for purchases commencing on October 1, 2026 or as otherwise noted in Exhibit 1 (Master Account List) and/or Exhibit 2 (Pricing Tables and Requirements).

LIST OF PARTICIPATING ENTITIES INCLUDED IN RFQ

This is a listing of the Participating Entities in this RFQ process, along with Pricing Group, Service Start Month, and the approximate number of electricity accounts for each.

Pricing Group Entity Name Approx. # of

Accounts

Service Start Month

Group 1 State of Rhode Island* 1,851

October 2026 Group 1 Rhode Island College 4 October 2026 Group 1 Rhode Island Public Transit Authority 15 October 2026 Group 1 Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority 10 October 2026 Group 1 Rhode Island Resource Recovery 11 October 2026 Group 1 University of Rhode Island 109 October 2026 Group 1 North Providence School District 20 October 2026 Group 1 Chariho Regional School District 19 October 2026 Group 1 Providence Public School District 56 October 2026 Group 1 Town of Westerly 79 October 2026 Group 1 Town of Westerly (additional) 10 November 2027 Group 2 University of Rhode Island (main account) 1 October 2026 Group 3 Narragansett Bay Commission 10 June 2027

Totals 2,195

* includes all State of Rhode Island accounts, as well as accounts for other departments and/or entities for which the State pays their bills, including: Judiciary Department, Community College of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island College.

PRICING GROUPS

Pricing Group 1. Pricing Group 1 includes all accounts in the entire package, except for one (1) account which is outlined below in Pricing Group 2, and ten (10) accounts which are outlined below in Pricing Group 3. All accounts in Pricing Group 1 will be priced together; however, note that some accounts in Pricing Group 1 may not have an identical Service Start Month and will be indicated. The Service Start Month for each account is identified in the table above, and also in the attached Exhibit 1.

Group 1 includes all accounts under the jurisdiction of State of Rhode Island (“State accounts”). Entities such as Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and Rhode Island College (RIC) are included within the State accounts, unless otherwise listed.

Group 1 also includes several entities referred to as “Quasi”-State entities. The Quasi- State entities include Resource Recovery (RR), Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority (RIPTA), Rhode Island Turnpike & Bridge Authority (RITBA), Rhode Island College (RIC), and University of Rhode Island (URI).

Unless otherwise noted in the table above, Group 1 accounts will have a service start month of October 2026.

Pricing Group 2. University of Rhode Island has a single account that consumes approximately 62,000 MWh per year (“URI main account”). This account is not included in Group 1, above; this account will be priced on its own. Pricing Group 2 contains this single account.

Pricing Group 3. The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) has ten (10) accounts that cumulatively consume approximately 24,000 MWh per year. These accounts are not included in Group 1 or 2, above; this group of accounts will be priced on its own and has a later start date of June 2027. Pricing Group 3 contains these ten accounts for NBC only.

SECTION 2: PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

The schedule for this procurement (Procurement Schedule) is presented in the following figure.

Please note that the Procurement Schedule is subject to change at the sole discretion of the State.

EVENT DATE TIME

Contract Award Notification(s) On date of final pricing event By 3:00 PM ET

Supply Contract Service Start Date

In accordance with each account’s meter read date that occurs on or after October 1, 2026 (unless otherwise noted for certain accounts herein) n/a

SECTION 3: ACQUISITION METHOD

The State will be receiving pricing via submission of a response to RFQ26006503 no later than the on the date and time presented in Ocean State Procures. The Pricing Form contained in Exhibit 2 is to be utilized for pricing. The State will be seeking all-inclusive, fixed rate pricing.

Further details and pricing requirements are presented in Exhibit 2 to this solicitation.

All bids submitted on the day of the pricing event are considered binding. Bids will only be considered on the date that they are received. Once a price quote is accepted and awarded, no further quotes will be considered.

It is the intent of the State to award a contract to a single bidder for each Pricing Group on the basis of “best value” to the State. The State will consider items such as supply term and price when determining the “best value.” The State reserves the right to reject any and all quotes received if it is determined that it is in the best interest of the State.

The State will issue a Notice of Award by electronic mail to the selected bidder on behalf of all agencies listed herein. Notice of Award is official and binding, and the selected bidder will receive an emailed letter stating that the State has accepted its price no later than the time and date listed in the Procurement Schedule. The official documents (i.e., the Purchase Order) will be issued and distributed a few days after the pricing event.

Alternate bids (bids based on terms or conditions different than those established by this Contract or listed on the Pricing Form) are not permitted; all prices submitted shall be in accordance with the provisions of this Contract.

SECTION 4: SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIREMENTS

BACKGROUND ON STATE/LOCAL ACCOUNTS

This solicitation is for the State’s electric requirements that qualify as transportation customers on the Rhode Island Energy system. Each meter will be served by a separate transportation contract with Rhode Island Energy and the State. For all accounts in this RFQ, Utility Consolidated Billing (UCB) is required. To facilitate billing and payment for all State of Rhode Island accounts, the State requests the awarded supplier to also submit to the State a single Summary Invoice on a monthly basis. All Participating Entities included in this procurement process are responsible for payment of their respective bills. Account numbers and billing addresses for each Participating Entity are provided in Exhibit 1. Accounts not listed but qualifying may be added to these requirements with the consent and approval of the winning supplier and the State (see appropriate section of this solicitation for additional information regarding adding accounts).

ELECTRIC SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS

This solicitation is being issued to solicit and procure an alternative electricity supply to meet a portion of the State’s total firm requirements at its many Department of Administration buildings, Courts systems, and other State accounts. The State’s annual requirements for the firm sales accounts can be obtained through Rhode Island Energy. In order to retrieve data from the utility, a Letter of Authorization (LOA) will be provided to bidders who request this.

The successful bidder(s) will be required to provide administrative services, acting as an agent for the State, and provide services such as monitoring and managing the daily deliveries of electricity for the system. The State is not subject to the State’s Gross Revenue Tax (GRT), GRT should not be included in pricing submissions. The State of Rhode Island requires invoice consolidation (UCB) to be provided by the supplier. Invoice consolidation would include the cost of transportation provided by our local distribution company (LDC) and any other incidental costs associated with transporting which would normally be included in billing by the LDC.

TERM OF AGREEMENT

The State is seeking price proposals for electric supply for multiple durations. The Pricing Form contained in Exhibit 2 includes the terms being requested. Any awarded contract will include the potential for two (2) renewals, each up to twelve (12) months in length.

PROPOSED QUANTITY

The quantity required for this solicitation is the full requirements of the accounts specified in this solicitation under Exhibit 1 plus any added accounts (see section entitled “ADD/DELETE

PROVISION”).

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

There is no Technical Proposal due as part of this solicitation. Technical Proposals have already been submitted. Only those suppliers of electricity that have been approved as a qualified provider by the State of Rhode Island are eligible to participate in this solicitation. Only those companies that are State-qualified will receive this solicitation.

RIGHTS OF THE PURCHASER

The State reserves the right to reject all bids and to terminate the solicitation at its sole discretion.

The issuance of the solicitation in no way obligates the State to negotiate a contract with any bidder. The State reserves the right to negotiate provisions of the contract, which can provide benefits to the State. The State shall be under no obligation to accept the lowest cost or highest scoring proposal or to return any proposal or materials submitted in response to this solicitation.

LIQUIDATED DAMAGES PROVISION

In order to ensure that the State’s electric supplier requirements are met for the duration of the contract term, bidders entering into a contract with the State as a result of this solicitation process will be required to warrant that they have or will acquire sufficient electricity and transportation contracts to perform their firm obligations under this contract. Furthermore, the supplier must agree to pay all fees or penalties associated with their failure to deliver the proper quantities of electricity on a daily basis. It should be assumed that any failure to deliver supply would result in substantial penalties and very high replacement costs. The State will require a liquidated damages provision in the contract, which will require such bidders to pay for replacement electricity costs and other damages including, without limitation, additional transportation charges in the event of a failure to deliver.

In the case of any Termination or Cancellation, the State or Participating Entity shall, within forty-five (45) days of the effective date of Termination or Cancellation, reimburse the Contractor for its Performance rendered and accepted by the State or Participating Entity, in addition to all actual and reasonable costs incurred after Termination or Cancellation in completing those portions of the Performance which the Contractor was required to complete by the notice. For instance, the damages a Contractor would incur due to loss in market value of locked-in future quantities would generally be considered a “reasonable cost.” However, the Contractor is not entitled to receive, and the State or Participating Entity is not obligated to tender to the Contractor, any payments for anticipated or lost profits or indirect damages.

SPECIFICATIONS

RISK OF LOSS

Risk of loss of electricity supplied under this contract shall remain with the selected bidder(s) until, and shall pass to the facility only upon, delivery of said electricity to the Delivery Point for each facility account.

CONSULTANT/BROKER FEE

The selected bidder hereby agrees to the inclusion of a procurement fee on all accounts included in this contract that will be included in the selected bidder’s price offers. The fee for any contract award is $0.000375 per kWh for all usage billed. This fee shall be paid directly to

NORESCO LLC by the selected bidder.

LOAD REDUCTION

The State will not be penalized in any way for pursuing energy conservation projects or participating in programs that reduce load requirements.

Please note that the State is currently engaged in energy conservation/load reduction projects and anticipates that there will be more projects in the future. All accounts in this solicitation are to be priced with a 100% usage swing tolerance. The State will attempt to notify the selected supplier if an energy conservation project could potentially and permanently impact future usage in a material fashion.

FORCE MAJEURE

Except for the State’s obligation to pay the winning supplier for electricity delivered, if either party is rendered unable, wholly or in part, to perform its obligations under this Agreement due to Force Majeure, to the extent affected by the Force Majeure the obligations of each party will be suspended for the duration of such Force Majeure. A party claiming Force Majeure shall promptly notify the other party by telephone and confirm within a reasonable period of time by a written notice describing in reasonable detail the nature, and estimated duration, of such Force Majeure. The Force Majeure will, so far as possible, be remedied with all reasonable dispatch. If the duration of the Force Majeure event exceeds twenty (20) days, the party not claiming Force Majeure may terminate the affected portions of this Agreement with ten (10) days written notice to the other party.

ENROLLMENT

The selected bidder will be responsible for switching accounts from the applicable LDC (or third-party contractor) to the selected bidder and fulfilling any obligations with the LDC to that end. If the selected bidder fails to switch accounts within the terms specified in this contract, penalties may be assessed based on the difference between the applicable LDC Basic Service Rate and the rate that would have been charged by the selected bidder for the period of time the account remained on LDC service. Additionally, the selected bidder will be required to provide an enrollment report detailing the status of each account to be enrolled. The enrollment report is due by the time and date specified in the Procurement Schedule, with copy sent to the Consultant of record.

PAYMENT AND BILLING

The State and all participating Entities herein require Utility Consolidated Billing (UCB). For State-specific accounts, the selected bidder will submit all monthly invoices to a single location for payment. To facilitate billing and payment, the State also requests the supplier submit a single summary invoice each month. For any eligible entities participating in the procurement, the selected bidder will bill each meter or account monthly by participant. Payment terms are governed by the State Of Rhode Island General Conditions of Purchase, which can be found at https://ridop.ri.gov/about-us/procurement-statutes-and-regulations The selected bidder shall provide the State with a Monthly Usage and Cost Summary which will accompany the summary invoice. The report will include a summary of usage and cost for each account awarded to the bidder.

https://ridop.ri.gov/about-us/procurement-statutes-and-regulations

DEFAULT AND CANCELLATION

Default and cancellation language is contained in the State Of Rhode Island General Conditions of Purchase, which can be found at https://ridop.ri.gov/about-us/procurement-statutes-and-regulations .

ADD/DELETE PROVISION, +/-5%:

The State reserves the right to add and/or delete accounts throughout the life of the supply contract without penalty or fee, provided that the net result of the added and/or deleted accounts does not exceed +/-5% of the original total contract annual quantity.

If the 5% threshold is exceeded, any new account would be added only by and with mutual agreement of contract price, which may be different than the original contract price.

This add/delete provision shall be applied and applicable on a per-Pricing Group basis (ie, cumulatively to all accounts contained within each of the three (3) Pricing Groups).

PRICING PRODUCTS

The State will consider the following pricing product:

Firm, Fixed Price with 100% Swing: The supply of electricity to be provided to all accounts shall be inclusive of one hundred percent (100%) usage swing, full requirements, firm fixed price option with no guaranteed usage/volumes to the selected bidder and no usage restrictions to the State or any eligible entities participating in the procurement. The State or any eligible entities shall be invoiced monthly on actual usage at the awarded contract price.

Refer to Exhibit 2 for detailed Pricing Requirements.

CHANGE IN LAW

If any Change in Law event occurs after this Contract has been initiated, the selected bidder may potentially pass through to the State any incremental charges or discounts that are a result of a Change in Law, as long as such charges/discounts are directly related to supplying electricity under this Contract. The selected bidder is required to submit written notice of such change accompanied by an explanation and documentation of how the change is directly related to supplying electricity to the State. This notice must be provided to the State sixty

(60) days prior to the implementation of the change. If the Supplier demonstrates that change in law was not reasonably foreseeable at the time of the execution of the Agreement, and that the change materially affects Supplier’s ability to perform at the Contract Price, the State will not unreasonably withhold its acceptance of a reasonable incremental increase for the balance of the Term. Calculations and documentation associated with any change will be required from the serving supplier.

Change in Law may result in either an incremental charge or an incremental decrease in charges.

Note: Costs related to Capacity [including any periodic changes in utility-assigned Capacity Peak Load Contribution PLC (kW) values, or “utility tags”] and costs related to ISO-NE’s Day Ahead Ancillary Services Initiative (“DASI”) are not eligible for any change in customer contract rate due to Change in Law.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The selected bidder is required to provide the following reports to the State of Rhode Island:

• Monthly Summary Report: The selected bidder shall provide the State and NORESCO with a monthly, digital electricity consumption summary containing the following information by account number: service start date, service end date, total consumption, and total charges. The summary will be in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template and accompany or precede payment of monthly fees.

• Enrollment Report: The selected bidder shall provide the State and NORESCO with an enrollment report detailing the status of each account to be enrolled. The enrollment report is due at least 60 days prior to the Service Start month of this contract.

NOTES AND INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS REGARDING PRICING AND USAGE DATA

Since it is impossible to determine the precise quantities that will be needed during the contract term, each selected bidder shall be obligated to furnish the State’s electricity requirements in full during the term of this contract.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SOLICITATION

In addition, the solicitation document will include several Exhibits. For supplier reference, some historical consumption may be made available as part of Exhibit 1 which contains a Master Account List and includes relevant account information, such as: Entity Name, RI Energy Account Number, Key Code (Name Key) where available, Service Address, Rate Class, etc.

CONTRACT AWARD

The solicitation is issued for the State of Rhode Island by the Rhode Island Purchasing Agent, Division of Purchases that is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Administration (DOA) for the State of Rhode Island. Neither the prior submission of a Technical Proposal nor approval to bid in the pricing event(s) by the State shall constitute a binding contract. All non-executive entities participating in this procurement have signed a binding Participation Agreement (Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)) committing themselves to any contract award by DOA. A Purchase Order will be issued for these requirements after a notice of award is sent by email to the winning bidder. The State will issue a notice of award by electronic mail to the selected bidder(s) on behalf of all agencies listed in Exhibit 1 no later than the date and time indicated in the Procurement Schedule. Notice of award is official and binding. The official award document (i.e., the Purchase Order) will be issued and distributed a few days after the pricing event. Other eligible entities participating in this procurement will issue a release (e.g., purchase order) to the winning bidder based on the State’s contract. Other eligible entities participating in this procurement are responsible for all costs associated with their accounts. A MPA is one form of a State Purchasing Contract issued by the Division of Purchases. MPAs cover requirements for broad categories of items for a period of time on a State-wide basis - State and Quasi-Public Agencies order their requirements for these items individually, as the need arises. State law permits municipalities and school districts to "piggy-back" the state's pricing contracts, at the vendor's discretion. Please go to https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources for additional information.

Bidders can review active MPAs at https://ridop.ri.gov/ocean-state-procures-osp/contract-board.

The purchase order for this procurement will only be issued after the pricing event.

The official contract consists of the Master Price Agreement, the Purchase Order awarded to the winning supplier(s), the requirements and specifications contained in this solicitation, which can be found at https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources/all-solicitations, and the State’s General https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources https://ridop.ri.gov/ocean-state-procures-osp/contract-board https://the/ https://the/ https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources/all-solicitations https://ridop.ri.gov/vendor-resources/all-solicitations

Conditions of Purchase, which can be found at https://ridop.ri.gov/about-us/procurement-statutes-and-regulations.

PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

COMMUNICATIONS

Bidders are advised that once the solicitation has been issued, there shall be no contact with any governmental employees, except for the Official Contact (max.righter@purchasing.ri.gov), regarding issues pertaining to this solicitation. Instructions for participating in this bidding process, and information regarding this project, will be provided only through this solicitation and written addenda.

COMMUNICATIONS PROCESS

All inquiries and questions regarding this solicitation should be directed through email to Max Righter (max.righter@purchasing.ri.gov). No interpretations, revisions, or other communications regarding this solicitation are valid unless received in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the State.

PROPOSAL CLARIFICATION

The State at their sole discretion, may request additional information to verify the information contained in the proposal, or seek clarification of any item in the proposal.

SECTION 5: EVALUATION AND SELECTION

Those bidders that have been qualified will be invited to participate in the pricing event(s).

Bidders are not required to offer pricing for every tranche offered; however, pricing submitted for a tranche must apply to all accounts contained in that group. Bidders must hold the prices submitted in the pricing event firm until the time and date specified in the Pricing Event Schedule.

The solicitation does not commit the State to select any bidder, award any work, pay any costs in preparing a response or procure or contract for any services. The State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all submittals received and cancel or modify the solicitation in part or its entirety when it is in the State’s best interest to do so.

https://ridop.ri.gov/about-us/procurement-statutes-and-regulations