Big Rivers RFP for Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS)

Big Rivers Electric Corporation is seeking a comprehensive Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) platform capable of integrating, managing, and controlling distributed energy resources (DER) and demand response (DR) programs. The selected vendor will provide a system that enables monitoring, control, aggregation, forecasting, and market participation through a unified platform to enhance grid reliability, improve operational efficiency, and support long-term sustainability goals.

The DERMS solution must support a diverse range of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and device types with regular updates on active device counts. The platform should natively support two-second telemetry for aggregated devices, provide real-time visibility into individual and aggregated device performance, and enable flexible device grouping and dispatch by member, geographic area, device type, or other criteria. Multi-tenant capabilities are required to allow the same devices to be organized into multiple independently controllable groups. The system must integrate with Big Rivers' control platforms such as AspenTech for direct device control and support automated dispatch logic based on utility-defined triggers.

Key integration requirements include connectivity with National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) and Meridian customer information systems, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Meter Data Management Systems (MDMS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Power Costs Inc. (PCI), and meter data analysis platforms such as Itron, Amperon, or Oracle Utilities. The solution must support Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) capabilities and provide measurement and verification (M&V) functionality to support potential MISO market participation as a Demand Response Resource Type 1 (DRR Type 1) and Load-Modifying Resource (LMR).

Implementation must include comprehensive staff training, a detailed project timeline with major milestones, and migration of existing DR programs and devices into the new platform. The vendor must demonstrate experience with similar utility deployments and provide a minimum of three references from utility clients completed within the past three years. Critical dates include Intent to Submit Proposals deadline of December 12, 2025, vendor demonstrations on January 16, 2026, final RFP question submittal deadline of January 28, 2026, proposal submission deadline of February 13, 2026, with final selection targeted for May 1, 2026 and contract execution by May 4, 2026.