3:00 PM (PDT) September 6, 2022

NOTICE OF RFP AND PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE
THE CITY OF SEATTLE
SEATTLE CITY LIGHT DEPARTMENT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL# SCL- 20324
Direct Load Control Demand Response (DR) Pilot Program

City Light aims to eliminate racial disparities and inequities in the provision of programs and services under the framework of the Race and Social Justice initiative. Therefore, we are seeking to implement a program design that will enroll and learn from customers who may have participation barriers.

City Light’s goals for the pilot are:

• Exercise DR seasonally (summer/winter events) and/or during peak times (e.g., 5 – 9 pm) to understand and test inputs and make decision to scale program in late 2024
• Increase customers’ awareness and understanding of DR and trust of the utility
• Create a program experience that leads to high retention rates & customer satisfaction
• Test ways to remove racial, language, housing type, and income-based participation barriers
• Prioritize enrollment opportunities for residents living in the Duwamish Valley
• Leverage learning from this program to successfully implement other DR programs for other types of customer technology (e.g., EV chargers, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), etc.).

City Light is initiating this pilot as part of our Clean Energy Implementation Plan commitments, and to confirm if demand response can fulfill resource adequacy needs in the Integrated Resource Plan and build a more an adaptable and resilient grid. At this time, there is no specific MW target or cost-effectiveness requirement for the pilot, but we anticipate the pilot to enroll 2,000 customers and thereby enable >1 MW in potential capacity savings. The pilot is essential to rapidly scale the program to meet the target of 2.5 MW by the end of 2024 and nearly 10 MW (Winter) and 7 MW (Summer) by 2026.

This RFP also supports City Light’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan “Improve the Customer Experience” and is also a project of the Grid Modernization Roadmap identified in strategy of “Create Our Energy Future.”

OBTAINING THE RFP DOCUMENTS: Documents will be available online July 28, 2022, 4pm (PDT), at https://cityofseattle.bonfirehub.com. Consultants must complete a free registration prior to viewing, printing, and saving to their own equipment at no cost or ordering full or partial document sets and/or CDs through the Web site. For help using this site, please contact Bonfire at Support@GoBonfire.com for technical questions. You can also visit their help forum at https://bonfirehub.zendesk.com/hc.Free internet access to obtain these documents is available at Seattle Neighborhood Service Centers and most public libraries.

SCL will be hosting a Virtual Pre-Submittal Conference on August 4th from 10:00am-11:00am (PDT)

Details are provided in the RFP.

The City’s proposed schedule is outlined in the RFP.

The contract awarded as a result of this RFP will be awarded in a manner that will comply with all applicable laws of the United States, State of Washington, the City Charter, and Ordinances of the City of Seattle.

“WOMEN AND MINORITY AFFIRMATIVE EFFORTS REQUIREMENTS: All proposals are required to meet the Affirmative Efforts requirements as specified in the RFP.  An Outreach Plan will be required for the top-rated consultant(s).”  

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