Posting Language
Title
Authorize a contract for Strategic Partnership of Utilities and Retailers program administration for Austin Energy with CLEAResult Consulting, Inc., for an initial term of two years with up to three one-year extension options in an amount not to exceed $11,000,000. Funding: $1,250,000 is available in Operating Budget of Austin Energy.
Body
Lead Department
Financial Services Department.
Client Department(s)
Austin Energy.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $1,250,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Austin Energy.
Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets.
Purchasing Language:
Austin Energy is designating this purchase as a Critical Business Need in accordance with Senate Bill 7, as adopted by the City as Resolution No. 040610-02.
MBE/WBE:
Critical Business Need contracts are exempt from the City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established.
For More Information:
Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department - Central Procurement at FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500.
Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action:
May 12, 2025 - Recommended by the Electric Utility Commission on a 9-0 vote with Commissioners Blackburn and Rhodes absent.
May 20, 2025 - Recommended by the Resource Management Commission on a 7-0-2 vote, with Commissioners Gary and Zigon abstaining, Commissioner Luecke absent, and one vacancy.
Additional Backup Information:
The contract is to support the Strategic Partnership of Utilities and Retailers (SPUR) program for Austin Energy. The SPUR program includes a product called Instant Savings which provides price discounts to customers at point of purchase for high efficiency products, such as ENERGY STAR® clothes dryers and smart thermostats. The program also includes the recently launched Retail Coupon, which provides digital coupons that can be used for equipment such as heat pump water heaters. Instant Savings and the addition of the Retail Coupon allow participation in Austin Energy’s demand response programs, which is critical to meeting the goals set in the Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2035.
CLEAResult Consulting Inc. provides Austin Energy with a turnkey, cost-effective solution for managing the SPUR program across various retailers and manufacturers. The contractor also works with Austin Energy in the development of future program expansion, which will offer additional products and more opportunities for customers to participate in demand response programs.
The customer validation feature for the Retail Coupon requires an interface to Austin Energy’s Energy Efficiency Collaborative Platform. Austin Energy declared a Critical Business Need to keep the current provider during migration of the Energy Efficiency Collaborative Platform to a new hosting provider and avoid program disruption.
Without this contract, Austin Energy could experience a gap in service which could impact customer enrollment and ultimately demand response goals.