Strategic Energy Management Services

City of Austin is requesting proposals for Strategic Energy Management Services to support large institutional and commercial property portfolios under RFP 1100 DCM3050, with proposals due October 15, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and a mandatory pre-offer conference on October 1, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Local Business Preference and Small Business Preference are available for qualifying vendors; combined small business subcontracting values must meet or exceed five percent of the total contract amount for partial preference eligibility.

The scope targets properties with 150,000 or more aggregate square footage—approximately 100 eligible facilities within Austin's jurisdiction. The contractor will implement statistical- and behavioral-focused energy management services including customer recruitment and outreach, site energy audits, facility assessments, improvement training, and quarterly and annual program reporting. Primary target industries are hospital/healthcare, educational campuses, nonprofits, and government non-municipal facilities; secondary targets include hospitality, commercial office/retail campuses, and industrial/manufacturing. The contractor must maintain a dedicated Project Manager, conduct on-site visits within 48 hours, and hold Certified Energy Manager and ASHRAE Building Energy Assessment Professional credentials (may be satisfied by different team members or qualified subcontractors). Austin Energy will provide customer energy use data while maintaining no responsibility for personally identifiable information disclosed to third parties.

Maximum contract value is $250,000 per contract year (up to $200,000 for baseline program costs plus a results-based bonus of up to $50,000 annually). The initial term is two years with options for up to three additional one-year extensions, extending the potential value to $1.25 million over a full five-year contract period. The contractor must propose expected customer volume, fee structure, program milestones, and bonus measurement criteria based on industry best practices. The City strongly prefers performance-based and results-based compensation structures, particularly for Years 2–5. Documented cost reduction milestones target 3–10% reduction in total energy consumption and approximately 5% reduction in peak energy use.

Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: five-year implementation plan (15 points), case studies and team experience (20 points), scenario responses (15 points), cost proposal (20 points), and sample program documentation (10 points). Proposals must not exceed eight pages in 12-point minimum font. Questions are due October 2, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. All offerors must acknowledge receipt of five addenda (most recently Addendum 5, posted September 24) by returning signed copies with their proposals. Compliance requirements include wage theft training within 30 days of award, Texas Local Government Code Chapter 252 and 271 compliance, comprehensive insurance (professional liability minimum $2 million, commercial general liability $1 million per occurrence), and adherence to City data handling controls with 48-hour incident reporting and seven-day remediation timelines.