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SFPUC staff briefs LAFCO: contractors chosen, but RFP and implementation could take months to a year
Summary
SFPUC told LAFCO it had recommended contracting with GES and Local Power for CCA evaluation and implementation study work; staff emphasized an evaluation‑first approach and said preparing the full program basis report and a community choice RFP could take many months or up to a year depending on scope.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) informed LAFCO that its June 24 meeting produced a recommendation to award evaluation and implementation study contracts for the city’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program and that staff would focus first on evaluation and outreach rather than immediate implementation.
Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager for Power, told the commission the SFPUC recommended awarding contracts to GES and Local Power and that the commission specifically directed staff to concentrate on an early evaluation phase and outreach to large customers while the department engages with the California Public Utilities Commission on bonding requirements. "We are now preparing those contracts and preparing for final negotiation," she said.
Commissioners repeatedly asked about timing and whether the PUC resolution required staff to withhold producing a request for proposals (RFP). Hale said the adopted resolution was amended at the June 24 meeting and that staff would return with a program basis report, a working draft implementation plan and then prepare any RFP. On timing, she cautioned an RFP that presumes an extensive program basis report — including city‑led site identification for on‑site renewables — could take a year; a narrower approach where the contractor performs more of the program basis work could shorten that timeline.
LAFCO staff proposed and the commission approved contracting with Local Power for portions of Task 5 and Task 8 from the RFQ at a bid "not to exceed $75,000" to advance targeted evaluation work that will feed into the RFP and implementation plan. Commissioners stressed that the contract award and task authorization are incremental steps toward a fuller implementation package, not final program authorization.
Public commenters urged the agencies to move quickly and to treat the program as an integrated package. Eric Brooks (San Francisco Green Party/Community Choice Energy Alliance) said he worried the commission was "looking to see if purchasers were interested before they fleshed out the program itself," and Don Eichelberger of Abalone Alliance encouraged faster regional coordination.
Next steps: staff will negotiate and finalize contracts with the awarded firms and return to LAFCO with clarified scopes, timing and any reimbursement agreements related to joint work with SFPUC.
