2026 RFP – Bond/Tax Counsel and/or Prepay/Disclosure Counsel

Clean Energy Alliance (CEA), a California community choice aggregator serving over 256,000 customers across seven member agencies (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, Solana Beach, and Vista), is seeking external legal counsel to support an energy prepayment transaction. CEA recorded $352.4 million in net operating revenues with $39.3 million in net operating income in FY 2024-25 and maintains total available liquidity of $105.9 million as of December 31, 2025. The organization is exploring prepayment of existing Voluntary Allocation and Market Offer (VAMO) volumes and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to support its goal of achieving 100% renewable, carbon-free electricity by 2035.

Counsels are needed to provide legal assistance in federal securities law compliance, disclosure document preparation, tax law guidance, and general legal responsibilities related to the prepayment transaction. Responding firms should clearly identify qualifications for supporting CEA's primary objective of prepaying existing PPAs. Firms may respond in Word, PowerPoint, or combined formats, with responses limited to 10 pages.

Key submission requirements include: overview of contemplated services and any conflicts of interest; identification of dedicated team members with California legal practice capability; discussion of prepay transaction experience (number of completed transactions, energy/electricity prepay work, and current engagements); specific experience with community choice aggregators; and proposed fee structure (fixed fee, deliverables-based, time and materials, or contingent basis).

Evaluation will be based 80% on proposer qualifications and experience meeting requirements, and 20% on pricing. CEA intends to develop a short list for potential interviews. After selection, CEA staff will negotiate contract terms for Board approval. Important dates include RFP issuance on May 28, 2026, proposal deadline of June 17, 2026 at 3:00 PM PT, evaluation week of June 22, 2026, potential interviews week of June 29, 2026, notification of intended award July 8, 2026, and Board approval July 30, 2026.