Request for Information Purpose and Objective

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to acquire information from consultants / consulting firms interested in evaluating information and providing recommendations to the New York State Department of Public Service (the Department) regarding IT investments and operating expenditures proposed in utility rate case filings.

The Department will use the information received from this RFI to determine how best to proceed to obtain the desired consulting services, which may include a future procurement. The results of this RFI may be used to develop a formal solicitation should the Department determine sufficient interest exists in providing the desired services. Consultants and consulting firms interested in participating in a possible future procurement opportunity are encouraged to respond to this RFI and are also encouraged to sign up for the NYS Contract Reporter (http://www.nyscr.org/Public/Index.aspx), New York’s official publication of State procurement activity.

It is the objective of this RFI to:

• Seek general information about the availability and level of experience of consultants and consulting firms that may be well-qualified to provide these services to the Department in utility rate case filings;

• Solicit vendor perspectives on the level of complexity of evaluating IT investments / expenditures in utility rate case filings;

• Develop a general understanding of current vendor demographics and capabilities; and

• Obtain vendor feedback regarding the extent of both the financial and time commitment needed for these services.

Scope of Request

The consultant would assist Department staff in producing timely and thorough evaluations of and recommendations for IT investments and operating expenditures proposed in utility rate case filings. The consultant would help the Department determine whether each investment / expenditure is sufficiently beneficial and planned in a manner that implements the right capabilities, at the right time, in the right way, and at the right cost.

Task 1:

Review IT investments and operating expenditures proposed in utility rate case filings. Working closely with Department Staff, the consultant shall:

• define the criteria for completely and properly evaluating IT investments and operating expenditures;
• specify the information needed for effective evaluation of proposed utility IT investments and operating expenditures;
• evaluate the information initially filed for each proposed IT investment and operating expenditure;
• determine whether the utility has provided all the information needed for proper investment / expenditure evaluation;
• where necessary, prepare detailed written requests to the utility for additional information;
• where necessary, participate in meetings and phone conversations with the utility representatives to understand the utility’s proposals at the level needed for proper evaluation;
• evaluate the proposed solutions (build versus buy, configuration versus customization, cloud versus hosted, etc.), capabilities sought, costs, approach to implementation, and utilization of each investment / expenditure proposed;
• evaluate the anticipated costs and benefits of each investment / expenditure proposed;
• prepare a written summary, evaluation, and recommendation(s) for each proposed IT investment/expenditure; and
• prepare a written summary, evaluation, and recommendations for the utility’s overall IT portfolio.

Task 2:

Develop and document detailed requirements for the information that a utility must provide for each IT investment and operating expenditure that is proposed in a rate case filing. It is expected that the consultant’s execution of Task 1 will enhance its ability to identify, characterize, and refine most of those requirements.

Content of Response

Vendors are encouraged to respond to describe ways in which they believe that their service capability is uniquely suited or distinctive. A response does not bind or obligate the responder or the Department to any agreement of provision or procurement of services. No contract can or will be awarded based on submissions.

Since this RFI is designed as a tool to collect information and will not directly result in a procurement contract for consulting services, it does not fall under the requirements of State Finance Law §§139-j and 139-k (the Procurement Lobbying Law) and there is no restricted period. However, questions and responses must be directed in writing to the email address listed below. No phone calls will be accepted.

In order to facilitate review of the responses, please provide the information in the exact order as listed below. Vendors must answer within this document directly below each question, maintaining the original formatting of this document. Please rename this document with the following naming convention: NYSDPS Consulting Services RFI_VENDOR NAME.doc (.docx format is also acceptable). If there is additional or supplemental documentation vendors can provide to augment their responses to the questions in this RFI, please refer to such in the corresponding question(s) and attach separately. New York State requests that vendors refrain from providing sales literature.

If any of the information in the vendor response is considered confidential, proprietary, or trade secret, it must be clearly indicated on the appropriate page of the vendor response. Release of such materials is governed by the NYS Freedom of Information Law, which, in pertinent part, requires the requester of protection from disclosure to provide a specific justification as to why disclosure of particular information in the response would cause substantial competitive injury to the competitive position of the vendor.

Vendor Demographics

Company Name

• Location
• Headquarters location

Contact Name

• Title
• Email Address
• Phone Number

Vendor Questions

In responding to this RFI, please provide information about the following:

Qualifications, Experience, Complexity of Task

1. Indicate your firm’s qualifications and experience in evaluating IT investments and operating expenditures, both generally and as it relates to utilities.
2. Provide an assessment of the anticipated level of complexity of evaluating IT investments and operating expenditures proposed in utility rate case filings.

Cost

1. Indicate whether your firm typically performs work on an hourly basis or for a flat fee. Describe any non–traditional fee arrangements that your firm has offered, or is willing to consider.
2. Please include current fees or hourly billing rates charged by the consultants in your firm.
3. Indicate the fees that your firm charges on items separate from consulting services, including fees for word processing, copying, and computerized research.
4. Indicate the anticipated overall time and financial commitment required to provide this service. Note that for a typical utility rate filing, the majority of the consultant firm’s work would need to occur over an approximately 3.5 month timeframe, with additional potential support for an additional 1.5 months.

General

1. Indicate what information about the services to be provided you would need to see in a potential Request for Proposal (RFP) to help you effectively prepare a competitive response.