Peninsula Clean Energy Seeks Marketing Strategy RFP
Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) programs include advancing the adoption of electric vehicles and transitioning building fossil fuel uses to low-carbon electricity. With this request for proposals (RFP), PCE requests proposals to assist in developing a 3 year marketing strategy plan.
Background:
Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), a community choice energy (CCE) aggregator, is San Mateo County’s official electricity provider. Formed in February 2016, PCE is a joint powers authority, consisting of the County of San Mateo and all twenty of its towns and cities. PCE provides cleaner and greener electricity, and at lower rates, than the incumbent investorowned utility (IOU), Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). PCE plans for and secures commitments from a diverse portfolio of energy-generating resources to reliably serve the electric energy requirements of its customers over the near-, mid-, and long-term planning horizons. PCE’s programs include advancing the adoption of electric vehicles and transitioning building fossil fuel uses to low-carbon electricity. For more information on PCE, please go to www.peninsulacleanenergy.com.
As part of its mission-driven, collaborative, not-for-profit, locally-focused roots, PCE is committed to the following set of strategic goals:
1. Design a diverse power portfolio that is greenhouse gas free.
- 100% GHG free by 2021.
- Sourced by 100% CA RPS eligible renewable energy by 2025 on a time coincident basis, provided it is economically viable.
- Create a minimum of 20 MWs of new local power by 2025.
2. Continually strive to offer ECOPlus at rates that are lower than PG&E rates provided it is economically viable.
3. Stimulate development of new renewable energy generation and storage projects in San Mateo County and California through PCE’s procurement activities.
4. Demonstrate quantifiable economic and environmental justice benefits to the County/region including by placing a priority on local hiring and inclusionary workforce development practices with a goal of increasing diversity.
5. Implement programs to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the county’s community-wide efforts to be completely GHG-free by 2045 by investing in electric transportation, energy efficiency and demand response, and partnering effectively with municipalities, business, schools, and nonprofit/faith organizations.
6. Maximize and maintain customer participation in PCE.
- Provide a superior customer experience.
- Develop PCE brand awareness and loyalty throughout the County.
- Actively encourage voluntary participation in its ECO100 renewable energy product.
- Actively encourage participation in other programs PCE develops.
- Achieve recognition as an EPA Green Power Community for all cities and towns in San Mateo County and EPA Green Power Partnership for all cities with municipal accounts enrolled in ECO100 by 2018.
7. Build a financially sustainable organization.
- Build sufficient reserves in a rate stabilization fund.
- Achieve an investment grade credit rating by 2021.
8. Foster a work environment that espouses sustainable business practices and cultivates a culture of innovation, diversity, transparency, integrity, and commitment to the organization’s mission and the communities it serves.
9. Leverage Peninsula Clean Energy/Silicon Valley expertise and relationships to support innovation across all of PCE’s programs and activities.
10. Assist in setting up CCAs in other areas of the state, including where PCE has utility scale generation.
Scope of Work:
Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) has grown significantly and evolved since its initial customer launch in October 2016. The PCE audience/customer base, totaling nearly 300,000 residential and commercial electricity customers within the 20 cities and towns of San Mateo County, is comprised of a broad, multi-cultural, very diverse demographic constituents. While its overall mission and strategic goals remain the same (i.e. to provide clean, renewable, greenhouse gas-free electricity to the residents of San Mateo County), PCE is now entering the next phase of company evolution.
The initial launch was focused on introduction of PCE’s primary product, ECOplus (50% renewable), to residents/businesses and encouraging them to stay with PCE. That launch was highly successful having only 2.4% of the enrolled customers opting out of PCE’s service offering. Now, we would like to develop a robust marketing strategy and determine what key objectives make sense as we expand our offerings.
PCE seeks a Consultant with experience and success in developing a marketing strategy for organizations like PCE that incorporates plans and actions as we evolve from a start-up organization to a more established organization. In collaboration with PCE’s staff, the successful Consultant will help to develop a comprehensive 3-year marketing strategy and implementation plan targeted at:
- Electricity Product Mix:
o Evaluating the value of working to boost voluntary participation in ECO100 product offering.
o Determining a strategy to transition our ECOplus product offering to an eventual 100% renewable offering no later than 2025.
o Determining a product differentiation strategy, if appropriate, for ECO100 as the transition of ECOplus to 100% renewable takes place.
- Maximizing and maintaining customer participation with PCE, including maintaining low opt-out rates by new/existing customers.
- Evaluating the value and possible approaches to increasing PCE brand awareness and customer loyalty.
- New Program Offerings: Encouraging significant participation in multiple, far-reaching programs.
o Targeted for residential customers (e.g. EV rebates, building electrification PCE 2019 Request for Proposals.
o Targeted for commercial customers (e.g. installing workplace EV infrastructure, energy storage).
o Targeted for municipal and non-profit customers (e.g. installing workplace EV infrastructure, energy storage, microgrids, resilience).
• Implementing a robust PR strategy to inform stakeholders of PCE’s activities, and to enhance local, regional, state, and national exposure.
• Evaluation of existing community outreach/communication strategies and activities to determine needs for expansion or changes to meet the changing landscape of customer needs.
Due Date:
March 8th, 2019.
Address:
Marketing@peninsulacleanenergy.com
Agencies with relevant experience includes KCSA PR and W2O group.
