Making appliance energy efficiency the new global standard

On behalf of the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) is seeking a Contractor to conduct research and propose an organizational structure and approach for a dedicated multi-lateral technical management organization. This organization will promote the accelerated adoption of energy efficiency metrics, test protocols, and efficiency classes by standards-setting bodies for use in national appliance and equipment efficiency policy measures.

It is envisioned that this project will commence in July 2012 and be completed by April 2013. Further details about the project are provided below, along with instructions for proposal submission.

SEAD is a voluntary international government collaboration whose primary objective is to advance global market transformation for energy efficient products. Improvements in appliance and equipment energy efficiency offer enormous opportunity to reduce global energy consumption and carbon emissions, while simultaneously lowering energy costs for consumers, businesses, and institutions. The SEAD Initiative is making it easier for governments and the private sector to capitalize on this opportunity by fostering the sharing of technical information and program design insights and supporting market transformation efforts such as awards, incentives, and procurement. Measures taken by participating governments since the launch of the initiative in 2010 may save up to 170 terawatt-hours of electricity per year and 1,800 petajoules of natural gas and oil by 2030 [1].

CLASP is an international not-for-profit organization whose mission is to serve as the primary resource and voice for appliance, lighting, and equipment energy efficiency worldwide. CLASP serves as the Operating Agent for SEAD. As the Operating Agent, CLASP uses its extensive experience in energy efficiency standards and labeling (S&L) for appliances and equipment to support SEAD activities.

[1] As of March 2012, SEAD member governments are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. China is an observer to SEAD.

This project represents a first step towards the SEAD goal of improving the international comparability of appliance energy efficiency policies though use of comparable and transparent test procedures, metrics, and efficiency classes.  A technical management organization dedicated to this goal would potentially provide many benefits, including: accelerated energy efficiency policy adoption and updates, expanded policy breadth, increased international comparability and transparency, and reduced costs to manufacturers and governments for compliance testing and benchmarking.

This project will assess opportunities and provide recommendations to:

(1) Facilitate the technical development of internationally comparable energy efficiency metrics, test protocols, and common "menus" of energy efficiency classes for specific appliance product categories; and

(2) Enable the adoption of these metrics, test protocols and efficiency classes through the processes and structures of existing international standards bodies such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Standards Organization (ISO).

This project should accomplish the following core objectives, at a minimum

• Identify near-term opportunities for policy makers to work with established international standards organizations to encode and disseminate international energy efficiency standards.
• Engage key stakeholders in a dialogue about obstacles and opportunities to achieve project objectives.
• Define a process and estimate resource requirements to establish a sustainable long-term means of achieving project objectives.

The Contractor will be responsible for the following project activities:

• Analyze current international standards processes; include at least two case studies of effective techniques to promote the accelerated adoption of energy efficiency metrics, test protocols and/or efficiency classes by existing international standard-setting organizations. [1]
• Characterize the structure, composition, and processes of current national and international standards organizations (e.g., IEC, ISO) and their sub-committees, methods for acquiring and analyzing data, and decision-making protocols.
• Identify at least three product areas that offer promising near-term opportunities for SEAD governments to constructively promote the adoption of energy efficiency metrics, test protocols, and/or efficiency classes by standards-setting organizations.
• Engage stakeholders in a dialogue to improve the quality of findings from Task 1 and discuss opportunities to achieve SEAD program objectives. [2] Organize teleconferences, in-person meetings, webinars, and at least one public workshop (to be coordinated with support from CLASP) as necessary.
• Draft a proposal for the role and structure of a dedicated multi-lateral technical management organization to achieve project objectives. Address the need for this organization to (1) develop robust, globally-applicable efficiency metrics and test protocols that best accommodate the interests of all stakeholders; and (2) identify a limited set of efficiency thresholds for consideration by local and national policy makers for use in labeling, minimum energy performance standards, financial incentives, and public procurement programs.
• Given real-world constraints, suggest means to effectively accelerate the review and adoption of such metrics, protocols, and thresholds.
• Develop a work plan and cost estimate for follow-up activities. Identify key product-specific factors that influence the level of effort and costs required.

[1] An example of the activities that may be promoted by the proposed technical management organization is the IEA-4E Electric Motors Systems Annex (EMSA) ( www.motorsystems.org ). EMSA is a voluntary grouping of regulating governments that supports the IEC 60034 standard-setting process for motors. 

[2] Stakeholders include, but are not limited to: international standards organizations, regional standards organizations (e.g., ANSI, CENELEC, CNIS), international energy efficiency collaborations (e.g., IEA-4E, APEC EGEE&C) policy makers, test laboratories, technical experts, manufacturers, trade associations, non-profits/civil society, and efficiency advocates.

• Invitation lists, agendas, presentation materials, and detailed summary notes from all stakeholder meetings.
• A report of not more than 30 pages (exclusive of executive summary, graphics, and citations) on current standards-setting processes, key stakeholders, and near-term opportunities. The report should be informed by the research and the stakeholder consultations performed in this project, and should contain a concise executive summary and references to all original source materials.
• A draft organizational proposal for a Technical Management Organization for public review.
• A proposed work plan for required next steps, with estimates of resource requirements.

It is envisioned that this project will commence in July 2012 to be completed by April 2013. The timeline for the development and implementation of specific deliverables will be coordinated with the selected Contractor for this project.

A committee appointed by CLASP, consisting of CLASP staff and external advisors, will evaluate project and budget proposals received from respondents. The criteria used to determine the winning proposal will include: 

• Relevant qualifications of the project team, with knowledge of or experience working with international standards organizations on energy efficiency topics
• Understanding of energy efficiency test protocols and standards
• Expertise in project and organizational planning
• Quality of the proposed research design and project management and implementation approach.
• Understanding of the SEAD Initiative, its objectives and activities, and issues related to energy efficiency; and
• Total cost of plan.

Proposals will be evaluated using a Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method, with weights of 70 percent towards project proposal quality and team and organization experience, and 30 percent towards proposed costs. Additional information about CLASP’s selection process is available here.

All questions may be directed to Jenny Corry at jcorry@clasponline.org. We request all inquiries be made via e-mail and not by phone.

Companies and organizations that wish to bid on this project must first register as a CLASP Implementing Partner. Registration is easy, and must be completed via the CLASP website before final submittal.

Applicants are required to submit two separate proposals: a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal. The file should be named as per the following example:  "[Contractor Name]: RFP #6-12"

The Technical Proposal should not exceed 25 pages in length and must include the following elements:

• Background and introduction to the project [1 to 2 pages];
• Detailed approach and methodology for implementation and management of the project [2 to 4 pages];
• Detailed timeline of deliverables and milestones [1 to 2 pages];
• A summary of qualifications relevant to this assignment [1 to 2 pages];
• A description of the Contractor’s experience with energy efficiency or related issues [1 page];
• Three examples of project experience that best illustrate the team’s expertise in energy efficiency and international standards setting processes [5 to 6 pages]; and
• A summary of qualifications for key personnel that will be engaged in the project, along with a description of each person's role [6 to 8 pages].

The Financial Proposal must include the following elements:

• Cost breakdown (in days) of the level of effort and costs for each deliverable and project milestone, associated with each team member that will be engaged in the project;
• List of anticipated out-of-pocket expenses; and 
• Description of the Contractor’s policies, controls, and track record of accomplishing proposed results within budget.

All proposals must be submitted electronically by June 29, 2012 via the CLASP website using the "Submit Bid" button above and filling out all the requested information. Any proposal not addressing each of the previously mentioned requirements can be considered non-responsive and rejected without further review. Late proposals will be rejected without being considered. Revisions or additions to the proposal will not be accepted after the due date unless specifically invited by CLASP.

Applicants interested in learning more about the work of CLASP and the SEAD Initiative are encouraged to visit the following websites:

• CLASP: www.clasponline.org
• SEAD: www.superefficient.org

In keeping with CLASP's commitment to a fair and transparent evaluation of all bids, following is the basic rationale for the final selection of RFP#6-12 Technical Management Organization to Support Development and Promotion of Energy Efficiency Standards.

This was a competitive solicitation, and technical and financial proposals were received from two organizations. The submission from Waide Strategic Efficiency was considered superior due primarily to the extensive expertise in energy efficiency standards and labels and energy efficiency related projects, experience working with international standards organizations on energy efficiency topics, as well as familiarity with product-specific test procedures and efficiency standards, and the comprehensiveness of the proposed methodology based on an understanding of the project requirements as stated in the RFP.

Proposals were evaluated according to pre-defined criteria regarding the proposed approach, methodology, and project execution plan, extent of experience in the policy making process of energy efficiency standards and labels, and cost projections in accordance with the RFP. Proposals were scored based on a Quality and Cost Based System (QCBS) totaling 100 points, with 70 points allocated to the technical proposal evaluation and 30 points allocated to the financial proposal evaluation.