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SFPUC to open Clean Power SF RFP to all bidders after limited RFQ response; commissioners weigh outreach and flexibility
Summary
SFPUC staff told LAFCO that only two firms responded to the RFQ for Clean Power SF and that the planned October RFP will be opened to all bidders. Commissioners and consultants urged broader outreach and debated whether San Francisco's stricter requirements discouraged bidders compared with Marin's more flexible RFP.
Mike Campbell, director of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Clean Power SF program, told the Local Agency Formation Commission that the SFPUC remains "on schedule for issuing an RFP for a CCA supplier in October." He said only two firms responded to the program's RFQ (the Northern California Power Authority and Shell Energy), so the agency will open the RFP to any bidder rather than restrict it to prequalified respondents.
Campbell and LAFCO members contrasted San Francisco's RFQ with Marin County's RFP, which drew about a dozen responses. Campbell said Marin's solicitation was less constrained: it used a broader geographic definition of "local," treated resource mixes and demand‑side services (energy efficiency, demand response) as preferences rather than hard requirements, and allowed more flexibility on price and risk sharing. "We did get some useful market insight from the respondents," Campbell said, and staff reported follow‑up conversations with those who did and did not respond to refine outreach.
Commissioners and advisers urged expanded outreach and clearer RFP language to avoid discouraging potential bidders. Commissioner David Campos noted Marin contacted more than 130 firms and recommended similar outreach for San Francisco. Paul Fenn of Local Power Incorporated and staff emphasized clarifying procurement needs in the RFP so smaller firms can identify viable roles, including bidding on portions of the project.
SFPUC staff said it will conduct additional outreach before the October RFP and is scheduling a joint SFPUC–LAFCO meeting in September and a public "energy stewards" stakeholder meeting on Aug. 10 where related reports will be discussed. The commission did not take formal action on procurement strategy at the meeting and deferred further decisions to upcoming meetings.
