The Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) seeks competitive proposals from qualified law firms to provide transactional counsel services for renewable and conventional energy resource procurement, transmission rights, energy storage resources, real property rights, and asset acquisition matters. The selected firm or firms will develop, draft, and negotiate energy contracts and related agreements, including power purchase agreements, Engineer-Procure-Construct agreements, Build-Transfer Agreements, pre-pay arrangements, purchase options, and energy exchange agreements.
Proposing counsel must possess extensive background and experience representing municipalities and other public agencies in large projects, with established expertise in municipal law, joint powers authority law, contracts, real property, land use, electricity law, and renewable energy finance. The firm should demonstrate substantial experience with complex legal structures and contractual devices associated with renewable and conventional energy generation and transmission, including interconnection agreements, facilities agreements, easements, ground leases, transmission arrangements, CEQA and NEPA compliance, renewable energy certificates, federal Inflation Reduction Act provisions, and FERC and NERC requirements. Experience with balancing authorities including CAISO, LADWP, and IID, as well as knowledge of emerging market structures such as EIM and EDAM, is highly desirable.
SCPPA intends to enter into a legal services agreement with the selected firm or firms for an initial three-year term with the option to extend by mutual agreement for up to three additional years. The agreement will be subject to termination without cause by either party upon thirty days' written notice. SCPPA may award the contract to more than one firm depending on capability to handle specified tasks. Key dates include a clarification questions deadline of February 21, 2024, responses to clarification questions due February 28, 2024, and proposal deadline of March 6, 2024. Interviews are scheduled for the week of March 25, 2024, with preliminary selection targeted for April 1, 2024, and anticipated contract award on April 18, 2024.