Request for Information/Sources Sought Notice
Renewable Energy Certificates Registry
Southwestern Power Administration


1. This is a sources sought notice. This is not a request for proposal, a request for quote nor a request for full qualifications packages. This information is for market research and planning purposes only.

The purpose of this sources sought is to conduct market research to identify if responsible sources exist, and to assist in determining if this effort should be set-aside for small business concerns. The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 221122. The Government will use this information to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. The Government is interested in all small businesses to include 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, HUBZone, and Women-Owned Small Business concerns with the capability to perform this service.
2. Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI shall be limited to five (5) pages in a single PDF document and should include the following information (item numbers (1) through (4) below). Additional pages, cover letters, and extraneous materials are NOT desired. Materials, documents, web links, etc. incorporated by reference in responses will not be accessed by the Government for inclusion; all responses must be self-contained, to address the following items.

(1) Firm name, address, point of contact, phone number, and e-mail address.

(2) Firm Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE Code. In order to receive a federal contract, you must have an active registration in SAM.

(3) Firm business size in relation to NAICS code 221122, which has a small business size standard of 1100 Employees in annual average gross receipts over the past five (5) years. Identify whether your firm is a Large/Small business. If small, identify small business type(s) (HUBZone, SDVOSB, 8(a), WOSB, etc.)

(4) Experience. Demonstration of the firm’s experience as a prime contractor executing the work below in section 3. Identify if your product meets the requirements outlined in “REC Registry Requirements”.
3. Requirement
Background:
As one of four Power Marketing Administrations in the United States, Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) markets renewable hydroelectric power from Corps-owned multipurpose water resource projects located in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The power is marketed to 78 municipal utilities, 21 rural electric cooperatives, and 3 military installations in those four states as well as in Kansas and Louisiana. Those customers distribute the power to approximately 10 million end users in the six-state area. The estimated average annual energy of all 19 projects is 4,757 gigawatt-hours.
For SWPA to implement a renewable energy certificate (REC) program for its customers, SWPA will require an account with a REC tracking system or registry. SWPA’s key objective in implementing a REC program is subscribing to a REC tracking system or registry to enable the creation of RECs and facilitate the management and retirement of RECs.
Overview:
Concerns about climate change have driven a nationwide push toward clean, renewable energy production such as hydropower. Many states have adopted renewable portfolio standards which require companies to provide a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources by a specified year. Kansas, Missouri, and Texas in SWPA’s marketing area have adopted renewable portfolio standards. Other states have adopted non-binding renewable energy goals.
RECs are tradable, non-physical commodities in the energy market that represent the benefits associated with 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of generated renewable energy. RECs enable the REC owner to claim the environmental benefits – the reduced carbon footprint – of that clean energy.
There are two main markets for renewable energy certificates in the United States – compliance markets and voluntary markets. Compliance markets are created in states with renewable portfolio standards. Electric utilities in these states demonstrate compliance with their requirements by purchasing RECs. Voluntary markets are ones in which customers choose to buy renewable power out of a desire to use renewable energy. Renewable energy generators located in states that do not have a renewable portfolio standard can sell their RECs to voluntary buyers.
A tracking system (or registry) is a database, in this case a web or cloud based electronic service, with basic information about each MWh generated from generation facilities registered in the database. Electronic tracking systems allow RECs to be transferred among account holders much as in online banking. The database tracks certain information for each MWh, including facility location, generation technology, facility owner, fuel type, capacity, the year the facility began operating, and the month/yea