ISSUED BY
NEW MEXICO PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSION
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR THE PROVISION OF
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO REVIEW THE NEW MEXICO PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSION’S ENERGY EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANNING RULES AND TO RECOMMEND CHANGES TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESSES
RFP #: ______
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
1120 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1269
ISSUE DATE: ______
DUE DATE: ______
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.INTRODUCTION 4
A.Purpose Of This Request For Proposals 4
B.Summary Scope Of Work 4
C.Scope Of Procurement 6
D.Procurement Manager 6
E.Definition Of Terminology 7
F.Background Information 9
II.CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE PROCUREMENT 10
A.Sequence Of Events 10
B.Explanation Of Events 11
C.General Requirements 14
III.RESPONSE FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION 21
A.Number Of Responses 21
B.Number Of Copies 21
C. Proposal Format 21
IV. SPECIFICATIONS 24
A.Mandatory Specifications 24
B.Desirables 28
C.Other Information 29
V.EVALUATION 33
A.Evaluation Point Summary 33
B.Evaluation Factors 35
C.Evaluation Process 36
VI.APPENDICES 38
I. INTRODUCTION
A. PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The New Mexico's Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC or Commission) is requesting proposals for professional services (Contractor) to conduct a review of the NMPRC’s energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE), and integrated resource planning (IRP) rules, applicable New Mexico statutes, other selected states’ EE/RE/IRP processes and interviews with New Mexico stakeholders. After completing these tasks, the Contractor is to apply its expertise and experience to recommend and provide specific changes to the NMPRC’s rules to streamline the NMPRC’s related processes. The Contractor’s specific amending recommendations to the NMPRC’s rules are not to require any changes be made or be contingent on changes being made to New Mexico’s existing statutes in order to facilitate implementation by the Commission.
The NMPRC seeks recommendations to change its rules whereby:
1) the NMPRC’s EE, RE and IRP processes would become more streamlined by reducing application development, review and approval time and associated costs, regulatory costs incurred to determine the amounts to be recovered from ratepayers and related allocations; and
2) the timing of how the NMPRC administers EE, RE and/or IRP New Mexico statutory required application filings, reviews and/or hearings and associated compliance filings and related processes would become more coordinated and less duplicative, resulting in less activities needing to be undertaken by all stakeholders and in less costs being incurred by all stakeholders.
The Commission also seeks suggestions for possible statutory changes that would enable the Commission to further improve the processes if it had applicable legal authority to amend the EE, RE and/or IRP processes on its own or if it was mandated to do so by the legislature.
Relevant materials will be provided to the Contractor at commencement of the engagement and Commission staff will assist the Contractor in arranging for interviews and in other logistics as required.
B. SUMMARY SCOPE OF WORK
Scope
The Contractor will perform the following work:
Step 1 Review New Mexico EE, RE and IRP statutes and Commission rules and recent case docket material, and related process timing or reporting schedules. Review selected states’ public regulation commission rules related to EE, RE and IRP that are considered to have regulatory sufficient and streamlined processes.
Step 2 Disseminate information obtained in Step 1 to New Mexico EE, RE and IRP stakeholders, seek the input of the stakeholders and consider their input on the following topics:
· Process areas and process timing or reporting schedules whereby significant modifications or changes could be implemented to reduce redundancy, ambiguity, contentiousness and overall cost of processing the cases.
· Process areas where significant efficiency could be obtained by reducing the review and approval timeframes and administrative efforts. Among other ideas one topic area shall include the possibility of changing the plan approval process from a single plan-year approval process to an approval process encompassing a multi-year plan.
Step 3 Identify filing, review and approval processes and scheduling requirements that, in contractor’s view, represent best practices that could be adopted by the NMPRC to streamline its processes, obtain efficiencies and still achieve the stated goals of the Commission’s EE, RE and IRP rules and comports with New Mexico’s statutes. Develop tables comparing New Mexico’s current requirements with the identified best practices.
Step 4 Produce a preliminary report based on Steps 1-3 describing the desired end-state for the EE, RE and IRP filing, review and approval processes that would not require changes to New Mexico statutes for NMPRC implementation.
Step 5 Produce and provide a final report that:
a. specifies recommended process improvements, schedule or calendar date changes for the EE, RE and IRP filing, review and approval processes and changes to the NMPRC’s rules that would not require the amendment of any New Mexico statutes for NMPRC implementation; and
b. includes and suggests possible New Mexico statutory changes that would enable the Commission to further improve the processes if it had applicable legal authority to amend the process or if it was mandated to do so by the legislature.
Step 6 Contractor should anticipate attending one public meeting in Santa Fe where the final report can be presented to the Commission and to the public.
NMPRC staff will provide assistance if sought by the contractor to identify relevant New Mexico statutes and NMPRC rules for contractor to review.
Commission offices will be made available for Contractor use. Commission staff and Contractor shall jointly develop the list of other states’ programs that will be reviewed in Step 1. Commission staff will provide the stakeholder contact information for Step 2.
Contractor should anticipate attending one public meeting in Santa Fe where the final report can be presented to the Commission and to the public.
SCHEDULE
Step 2 of the SOW should be delivered no later than 4 weeks after the commencement of the project.
The preliminary report, described in Step 4, should be delivered no later than 10 weeks after the commencement of the project.
The final report, described in Step 5, should be delivered no later than 12 weeks after the commencement of the project.
A public meeting (Step 6) will be scheduled within 2 weeks of the delivery of the final report.
The entire project should be completed no later than November 15, 2012.
C. SCOPE OF PROCUREMENT
The scope of procurement shall encompass the defined Scope of Work, detailed in Sample Professional Services Contract, Appendix B and Scope of Work (Attachment 1) in this RFP. The contract is scheduled to begin on mmmm dd, 2012, or upon receiving all required approvals and authorizations and all aspects must be completed by December 31, 2012. This procurement will result in a single source award.
D. PROCUREMENT MANAGER
The Commission has designated a Study Manager and a Procurement Manager who are responsible for the conduct of this procurement whose name, address and telephone numbers are listed below.
Study Manager:
Mr. Marc Martinez
Economist
PERA Building – Room 335
1120 Paseo de Peralta
PO Box 1269
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1269
(505) 827-5858
Procurement Manager:
Mr. Matthew Lovato
Chief Financial Officer
Public Regulation Commission of New Mexico
PERA Building – Room 335
1120 Paseo de Peralta
PO Box 1269
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1269
(505) 827-4042
Fax (505) 827-4068
All reports should be delivered via express carrier should be addressed to the Study Manger. The proposal and all invoices and procurement questions of a financial nature shall be made in writing and shall be delivered via express courier (including postal delivery) to the Procurement Manager.
All changes in scope if the Commission so determines, shall be reduced in writing by the Procurement Manager and will not be effective until delivered by the Procurement Manager to the Consultant. Only the Procurement Manager has the authority to amend or otherwise modify this procurement.
E. DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGY
This section contains definitions and abbreviations that are used throughout this procurement document.
“Commission” “or NMPRC” means the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.
"Contract" means a written agreement for the procurement of items of tangible personal property or services.
"Contractor" or “Consultant” means a successful Offeror who enters into a binding contract.
"Determination" means the written documentation of a decision by the Procurement Manager including findings of fact supporting a decision. A determination becomes part of the procurement file.
"Desirable". The terms "may", "can", "should", "preferably", or "prefers" identify a desirable or discretionary item or factor (as opposed to "mandatory”).
"Evaluation Committee" means a body appointed by the Commission management to perform the evaluation of Offeror proposals.
"Evaluation Committee Report" means a document prepared by the Procurement Manager and the Evaluation Committee for submission to the NMPRC for contract award. It contains all written determinations resulting from the procurement.
"Finalist" is defined as an Offeror who meets all the mandatory specifications of this Request for Proposals and whose score on evaluation factors is sufficiently high to merit further consideration by the Evaluation Committee.
"Mandatory". The terms "must", "shall", "will", "is required", or "are required", identify a mandatory item or factor (as opposed to “desirable”). Failure to meet a mandatory item or factor will result in the rejection of the Offeror's proposal.
"Offeror" is any person, corporation, or partnership who chooses to submit a proposal.
"Procurement Manager" means the person or designee authorized by the Commission to manage or administer a procurement requiring the evaluation of competitive sealed proposals.
"Request for Proposals" or "RFP" means all documents, including those attached or incorporated by reference, used for soliciting proposals.
"Responsible Offeror" means an Offeror who submits a responsive proposal and who has furnished, when required, information and data to prove that his financial resources, production or service facilities, personnel, service reputation and experience are adequate to make satisfactory delivery of the services or items of tangible personal property described in the proposal.
"Responsive Offer" or "Responsive Proposal" means an offer or proposal which conforms in all material respects to the requirements set forth in the request for proposals. Material respects of a request for proposals include, but are not limited to, price, quality, quantity or delivery requirements.
“Study Manager” means the technical lead for the Commission.
F. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
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II. CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE PROCUREMENT
This section of the RFP contains the schedule for the procurement, describes the major procurement events and the conditions governing the procurement.
The Procurement Manager will make every effort to adhere the following schedule:
A. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Action Responsibility Date
1. Issue RFP Commission 5/16/2012
2. Distribution List Response Potential Offerors 5/22/2012
3. Deadline to Submit Potential Offerors 5/24/2012
Written Questions
4. Response to Written Commission 5/31/2010
Questions/RFP Amendments
5. Submission of Proposal Offeror 6/11/2012
6. Proposal Evaluation Evaluation Committee 6/18/2012
7. Selection of Finalists Evaluation Committee 6/21/2012
8. Oral Presentation by Finalists Offeror 6/28/2012
9. Finalize Contract Commission, Offeror 7/11/2012
10. Contract Award Commission 7/19/2012
11. Protest Deadline Offeror 8/1/2012
B. EXPLANATION OF EVENTS
The following paragraphs describe the activities listed in the sequence of events shown in Section II, Paragraph A.
o Issue RFP
This RFP is being issued by the NMPRC.
o Distribution List Response Due
Potential Offerors should send via email, hand deliver or return by facsimile or by registered or certified mail the "Acknowledgement of Receipt of Request For Proposals Form" that accompanies this document (See Appendix A) to have their organization placed on the procurement distribution list. The form should be signed by an authorized representative of the organization, dated and returned by close of business on May 22, 2012.
The procurement distribution list will be used for the distribution of written responses to questions and any RFP amendments.
Failure to return this form shall constitute a presumption of receipt and rejection of the RFP, and the potential Offeror's organization name shall not appear on the distribution list.
o Deadline to Submit Written Questions
Potential Offerors may submit written questions as to the intent or clarity of this RFP until close of business on May 24, 2012. All written questions must be submitted via e-mail to the Procurement Manager (See Section I, Paragraph D).
o Response to Written Questions/RFP Amendments
Written responses to written questions and any RFP amendments will be distributed on May 31, 2012 via email to all potential Offerors whose organization name appears on the procurement distribution list. An Acknowledgement of Receipt Form will accompany the distribution package. The form should be signed by the Offeror's representative, dated, and hand-delivered or returned by facsimile or by registered or certified mail by the date indicated thereon. Failure to return this form shall constitute a presumption of receipt and withdrawal from the procurement process. Therefore, the Offeror's organization name shall be deleted from the procurement distribution list.
Additional written requests for clarification of distributed answers and/or amendments must be received by the Procurement Manager no later than two (2) days after the answers and/or amendments were issued.
o Submission of Proposal
ALL OFFEROR PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED FOR REVIEW AND EVALUATION BY THE PROCUREMENT MANAGER OR DESIGNEE NO LATER THAN 3:00 PM MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME ON JUNE 11, 2012. Proposals received after this deadline will not be accepted. The date and time of receipt will be recorded on each proposal. Proposals must be addressed and delivered to the Procurement Manager at the address listed in Section I, Paragraph D, which is as follows:
Mr. Matthew Lovato
Chief Financial Officer
Public Regulation Commission of New Mexico
PERA Building – Room 335
1120 Paseo de Peralta
PO Box 1269
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1269
(505) 827-4042
Fax (505) 827-4068
Proposals must be sealed and labeled on the outside of the package to clearly indicate your firm’s name(s) and that they are in response to the AUDIT AND PRUDENCE REVIEW PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Request for Proposals. Proposals submitted by facsimile or other electronic means will not be accepted. The sealed cost proposal must be sent in a separate envelope sealed and marked AUDIT AND PRUDENCE REVIEW SEALED COST PROPOSAL.
A public log will be kept of the names of all Offeror organizations that submitted proposals. Pursuant to Section 131116 NMSA 1978, the contents of any proposal shall not be disclosed to competing Offerors prior to contract award.