2026 Demand Response Request for Proposals
Puget Sound Energy (PSE or the company) is seeking Suppliers to help us deliver turn-key demand response (DR) programs at scale to our customers. This Demand Response Request for Proposal (DR RFP) intends to procure technically and commercially feasible DR resources located within PSE’s electric service area. PSE currently has 129 MW of DR capacity in its portfolio and seeks to acquire net-new demand response resources to reduce both winter and summer system peak.
What We’re Looking For - We’re accepting proposals for these key areas:
- Load flexibility
- Summer and/or winter capacity
- Must address specific customer segments or technology gaps not currently served explicitly by PSE’s existing DR portfolio
- Must provide a scalable capacity plan that demonstrates incremental growth without duplicating customer participation in existing PSE programs
- Must demonstrate reliable and measurable system peak capacity and energy savings delivery and consistent event performance
- Must demonstrate a pathway to deliver at least 50 MW of capacity by 2030 (preferred capacity to start availability in 2027)
- Multi-aggregator proposals must identify a single primary contract owner responsible for coordinating sub-aggregator performance and maintaining overall capacity commitments
- Must provide integration solutions to PSE’s enterprise systems
- Must meet customer experience expectations and PSE standards
How to Participate
- Submit an Intent to Bid form by April 30, 2026 and signed Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement (MNDA) by May 15, 2026.
- Submit questions by April 30, 2026.
- Submit final proposal by June 1, 2026.
All documents must be submitted electronically to DemandResponse@pse.com (files <25MB) or SFTP (email DemandResponse@pse.com for access)
-
2026 Demand Response RFP Schedule
The following represents PSE’s initial projected timeline.
Activity Dates* RFP release April 17, 2026 Intent to Bid Form due to PSE April 30, 2026 Bidder questions due to PSE April 30, 2026 Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement Forms due to PSE May 15, 2026 Requested proposal due to PSE June 1, 2026* Notification of short-list vendors identified for interview June 19, 2026 Comprehensive due diligence on selected proposals June 26, 2026 Scope, pricing and contract marketing, sales and/or promotional plans August 2026 Negotiation finalization September 2026 Contract terms due to PSE purchasing department October 2026 Contract execution/service launch December 15, 2026 *All submissions must be received by PSE no later than 5 p.m. Pacific Time on the due date. This timetable is provided for planning purposes only and may be modified by PSE as required.
-
Updates and Notifications
PSE will update this section as the RFP process progresses and new information becomes available.
Q&A from Bidders
Questions about the RFP may be submitted to the DemandResponse@pse.com.
PSE will tabulate and post Q&A for the benefit of all interested parties. PSE will not include company names, project names, contact information or other identifying descriptors in the Q&A.
RFP Updates and Notifications
PSE will post general updates about the RFP, including process updates and press releases, as it makes sense. Updates to the schedule will be posted in the RFP Schedule section.
-
2026 DR RFP Documents and Submission
2026 Demand Response RFP Materials:
RFP Main Document (4/17/2026)
Exhibit B: RFP Proposal Form (4/17/2026)
Exhibit C: Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement (4/17/2026)
Exhibit E: Intent to Bid Form (4/17/2026)
