Request for Proposals: Northeast Climate & Energy Program

Background & Objectives:

Dedicated to protecting the land and water on which all life depends, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world.

Our planet faces the interconnected crises of rapid climate change and biodiversity loss. We have years, not decades, to address these existential threats. Across North America, we have a goal to mitigate 1,840 million metric tons of CO2e by 2030 as part of our efforts to address the climate crisis.

TNC’s Northeast Division includes the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. 

Across all 11 states, we have seen steady increases in energy prices – with many experiencing sharp spikes in energy prices and energy bills during the winter of 2024-2025. These states span both the ISO-NE and PJM markets. They have varying climate and clean energy policies, different regulatory schemes for their utilities and varying resource mixes. However, in many of these states, TNC is seeing legislation targeting clean energy and energy efficiency as a primary driver of these recent price spikes – with some labeling clean energy procurement as a “public policy charge” on the utility bill. At the same time, the region has seen increased investments in both gas and electric infrastructure at the local distribution and regional transmission levels – all included in cost-recovery from ratepayers.

The Nature Conservancy is committed to a science and evidence-based approach to mitigating climate change.  We are looking to dig into and better understand the actual cost-drivers behind increasing prices in TNC's Northeast Division states to help us work toward the most cost-effective clean energy future to meet our climate mitigation goals.

At the same time, TNC is looking to better understand how offshore wind will be a necessary component of reliably meeting new energy demand at the lowest cost to ratepayers, with or without renewable energy policies in place.

We are looking for two separate but related sets of analyses. Potential bidders are welcome to bid on either or both of the Tasks listed below. Please include cost breakdowns by Task.:

Task One: Regional Energy Price Cost Driver Analysis: Key Tasks and Deliverables:

TNC’s Northeast Division is looking to partner with a firm with energy markets expertise to:

• Provide an analysis of the key drivers of increased electricity prices across both PJM and ISO-NE states. This would include a deeper look into the key elements of utility bills – transmission costs, distribution-level investments, supply price changes and drivers, etc.
• Analysis of any particular conditions driving spikes in the winter spanning November 2024 – April 2025. (e.g. unusual weather patterns, outside factors affecting the cost of fuel).
• Deeper dive analysis specific to two states representative of the PJM and ISO-NE Market  - we suggest Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Deep dive into the specific bill elements in these two states, what drives these changes in the line-item costs, and where/how clean energy investment (renewables, energy efficiency) versus infrastructure investments are treated on the bill.
• Analysis can be presented as a slide deck intended for internal TNC audiences that we would use to create communications materials for use with policymakers.
• Include reference list of resources and studies that bolster the analysis.

Task Two: Offshore Wind Analytics and Messaging:

TNC is seeking an experienced energy economics consultant to generate an analysis and related messaging specifically for Connecticut and broader New England that demonstrates how offshore wind will be a necessary component of reliably meeting new energy demand at the lowest cost to ratepayers, with or without renewable energy policies in place. The analysis should include:

• Comparative scenarios of various energy mix pathways for meeting rising energy demand that show the price advantages of offshore wind.
• How much of each energy resource will be needed to achieve reliability at the lowest costs to ratepayers. 
• Key price drivers for each energy resource that enables a fair, apples to apples comparison, including a consideration of the capital costs, the lead time for in-service dates (including supply chain availability, interconnection/transmission, etc.) local service agreement tariff costs, internal rate of return (IRR) to the companies involved in fuel delivery, extraction, construction, and operation and where relevant consider the IRR relative to contributions to local economic benefit (infrastructure, workforce, supply chain investments).
• Recommended energy resource additions should be based on the increase in energy demand/baseload forecasts for Connecticut and New England respectively, must be adequate to maintain and improve reliability of energy to meet demand, achievable with prudent planning, constructive regulatory oversight, efficient execution, and include consideration of interconnection limitations. 
• Consider how to further refine and simplify elements from the Synapse Report entitled Charting the Wind: Quantifying the Ratepayer, Climate and Public Health Benefits of Offshore Wind in New England.
• Also, consider the modelling that supported Duke’s procurement of up to 2400MW of offshore wind to meet increased peak capacity and energy requirements in North Carolina. See the State of North Carolina’s Utility Commission Docket No. E-100, Sub 190: “Order Accepting Stipulation, Granting Partial Waiver of Commission Rule R8-60A(d)(4), and Providing Further Direction for Future Planning.”
• Support TNC’s ability to shape the Connecticut Integrated Resource Plan in 2025 by influencing the modelling assumptions and conclusions and defending the value of offshore wind in terms of price suppression and reliability in the recommended scenarios.

The consultant should also prepare messaging around the take home results associated with the analytics to make those results as understandable and usable as possible for a broad audience. The messaging should be either a) sufficient in and of itself or b) serve as base materials to provide to a separate marketing/communications firm to develop compelling messaging, talking points, and/or communication assets that can be used to build a new public narrative that supports development of OSW at pace and scale.

The initial concepts and scope of work outlined in this RFP are preliminary. TNC would like to utilize the energy systems expertise of a consultant to inform and shape the analysis, provide advice and guidance about adjustments and assumptions, while keeping the goals front and center.

Key Qualifications & Selection Process & Timeline

TNC expects to select a consultant for this assignment through the following steps: 

• Proposals due to Northeast Director of Climate and Energy Sue AnderBois no later than August 6, 2025 at 5 pm. Proposals can be emailed to Susan.AnderBois@tnc.org
• Consultants may be interviewed by TNC staff during first two weeks of August 2025 before moving into contracting.
• Expectation for weekly or biweekly check-ins with TNC project managers
• Early versions of analysis due by October 30, 2025.
• Final versions due by December 15, 2025.

Expectations for Applicants:

• Expectation that they can share experience working across multiple RTO’s and energy policy landscapes (specifically PJM and ISO-NE)
• Explanation of methodology and proposed process for regional and state-specific analyses.
• Description of qualifications from key personnel included in proposal
• TNC conducts its procurement activities in a nondiscriminatory manner with fair treatment given to all submissions. TNC reserves the right to reject any and all offers for any reason whatsoever, to waive technicalities, and to pursue purchasing in a manner that is in the best interest of the organization.  
• It is the policy of TNC to identify actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest in any situation in which TNC has a significant business interest. To assist TNC in complying with this policy, we request that all individuals and/or organizations that submit proposals for this engagement complete our Conflict Disclosure Form.  This relates to people who will be working, directly or indirectly, to respond to this RFP as well as people who may be doing the resulting work if selected as the preferred partner or consultant.