What are the major differences between the Standard Offer process and the current selection procedure?
The current California system already uses a Standard Offer procedure for most large commercial/industrial programs. For small commercial and residential programs however, applicants must submit complex proposals that are selected or rejected by CPUC staff in a secret process where subjective judgments appear to carry more weight than stated criteria. There is only one opportunity to apply every two years, and the selection process takes several months. The CA Standard Offer provides a “rolling” selection, where applicants may apply at any time, as long as there is still money available, and there is a quick turnaround of about two weeks between submitting an application and getting a contract. Applicants may only hold one contract at a time, and are allowed to reserve no more than 20% of the funds in each category (such as residential, small business, non-profit institutions or commercial) under each administrator. The pot is replenished every year.
