Statewide Third Party Administrator Services

The Vendor is required to provide to establish a Statewide Contract with a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) for the regulated energy supply for State Agencies, State institutions of higher education, and properly registered Cooperative Purchasing Members
- The State is seeking a Contractor that possesses knowledge, expertise and experience in energy procurement and management to assist with the aggregated bidding process for natural gas and electricity, and to provide total program management for the State.
- Provide all services on a per-program, natural gas and/or electricity basis, to ensure flexibility and independence for the Agency. 
- Must separately aggregate natural gas and electricity Agency usage to leverage pricing opportunities and maximize overall cost savings for each program.
- Requirements:
o    Must expand the natural gas program and implement an electricity program including increasing supply volume usage and increasing the number of accounts in each program.
o    Must work closely with energy supply contractors, LDCS, and PUCO, acting as a liaison between all parties and the agencies.
o    Must manage the natural gas and electricity procurement processes, aggregate each energy use, leverage pricing, and maximize cost savings.
o    Must provide strategic planning to optimize price and ensure reliable energy supply.
o    Must develop and manage a supply strategy, including forecasting usage and scheduling.
o    Must prepare and file nominations for delivery.
o    Must solicit supply bids and make award recommendations.
o    Must handle volume and billing adjustments as necessary.
o    Must maintain storage records, when applicable.
o    Must evaluate interstate transportation options.
o    Must provide bill pay services, including auditing, payments and billing management, minimizing penalties and erroneous payments. 
o    Must maintain robust reporting and accurate record-keeping that is timely and transparent.
- Customer Service.
•    Must provide accurate and timely responses to Agency inquiries through designated communication channels (e.g., email, phone, web portal).
•    Must acknowledge receipt of inquiries within one business day of the inquiry and provide a complete response within two business days of the inquiry, unless both parties agree that more time is needed to provide a complete response.
•    Must maintain a log of all inquiries, including date received, nature of inquiry, action taken, and date of resolution.
•    Must escalate issues to the appropriate parties, including the Agencies and department, when inquiries cannot be resolved at the contractor level.