The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (“MassCEC”) seeks a qualified consultant or consultant team to lead an initiative focused on increasing equitable access to dispatchable distributed energy resources (“DERs”) and participation in grid services. This work builds on MassCEC’s Grid Services Study and the current Massachusetts’ electric distribution companies (“EDC”) pilot phase enabled by the Grid Services Compensation Fund (“GSCF”). The work also supports the Commonwealth’s energy access and affordability goals, including the Healey‑Driscoll Administration’s target of 3.5 GW of new load management strategies outlined in the March 2026 Executive Order. The selected consultant will collaborate closely with MassCEC and a partner team which includes Massachusetts EDCs, state entities, and community-based organizations (“CBOs”) (collectively, the “Project Partners”) to:
- Design and implement two community-centered pilots that expand access to dispatchable DERs and ConnectedSolutions+ for renters and low- and moderate-income residents in historically underserved, burdened, or environmental justice communities, launching by Spring/Summer 2027 with a one-year operation.
- Translate learnings into actionable recommendations, best practices, and next steps to inform future programs, pilots, and policy in Massachusetts.
- Advance shared learnings about increasing equitable access to dispatchable DERs and grid services participation across the grid services ecosystem.
The anticipated total budget for this work is approximately $600,000, of which at least $150,000 should be reserved for acquiring and installing the selected dispatchable DERs.
Estimated Timeline
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Application Process
To respond to this Request for Proposals, submit a completed Proposal, not including recommendation letters. The submission must be in electronic form (one PDF file), including all relevant attachments, submitted via email to grid@masscec.com. “Equity in Grid Services” must appear in the e-mail subject line.
Application Materials
Frequently Asked Questions
We received many questions in response to the Equity in Grid Services Initiative RFP. Thank you for your interest in this work. To provide guidance as quickly as possible, we are sharing the following preliminary responses for common themes we received. We expect to release a complete Q&A with responses to submitted questions on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
We are primarily seeking Consultant support for project management of the two pilot sites, stakeholder coordination, and to design and facilitate approaches to community outreach and engagement. The Consultant or Consultant team will also translate the pilots' approaches and findings into practical guidance that can inform future grid services programs, ESMPs, and related policies to help ensure that grid services deliver system value, customer benefits, and equitable outcomes as they scale over time.
For clarity, decisions regarding pilot location selection, technology selection, and incentive delivery will be led by the utilities.
We recognize that as applicants are creating their proposals, there are some uncertainties such as final selection of location and technologies. Given these uncertainties, we expect proposals to present a high-level approach that demonstrates the applicant's methodology, relevant experience, and anticipated scope of work rather than a fully detailed implementation plan. The proposal should be viewed as an initial work plan that will be further refined after consultant onboarding. Task 2 of the Scope of Work includes development of a final project work plan, which will provide an opportunity for the selected Consultant or Consultant Team to work with MassCEC, utility partners, and other project partners to clarify assumptions, incorporate pilot-specific information, and finalize project activities, timelines, roles, and budget allocations. We do not expect applicants to have all project details resolved at the proposal stage and anticipate that the work plan will evolve as pilot locations, community partners, and implementation pathways are finalized.
1. Location and community selection
Many questions focused on how pilot communities and community partners will be selected, whether pilots will occur in existing ConnectedSolutions+ areas, and the Consultant's role in the location selection process.
Response:
- Pilot location selection roles: Pilot location selection will be led by the utilities based on their systems' constraints and needs. MassCEC and other project partners (such as the Department of Energy Resources, the Office of Environmental Justice and Equity (within MA's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs), and the Barr Foundation) will work with the utilities to apply additional criteria for location selection including engagement with local community-based organizations and municipalities that have the interest and capacity to participate in the pilots. The Consultant or Consultant Team does not play a role in location selection.
- Pilot locations: Pilot locations will be within current or future ConnectedSolutions+ areas.
- Community partner and CBO selection: Community partner/CBO selection will be led by MassCEC and project partners through a collaborative process. If the community partners are not already selected by the time the contract is executed, the selected Consultant or Consultant Team may participate in discussions and provide input once on board.
- Timing: National Grid is currently evaluating candidate locations and expects the location selection process to continue through fall 2026. Eversource's location selection process is expected to continue through the end of 2026.
2. Technology selection and pilot scope
Many questions focused on which technologies may be deployed, whether technologies may vary between pilots, and how technology selection decisions will be made.
Response:
- Technology selection: At this time, National Grid anticipates focusing its pilot on permissionless battery storage technologies, though vendor selection has not yet been finalized. Eversource has not yet determined the technology to be deployed for the pilot, or whether the pilot will use a single technology or multiple technologies. The Company is particularly interested in technologies that meet the needs of low-income renters, are effective at load reduction, can be easily deployed, are capable of connecting to an edge DERMS or system that allows for remote dispatch and performance verification, and operate safely with no backfeed. Software locked solutions to prevent backfeed are not viable for participation. While technology selection is still being finalized, we anticipate that the technologies deployed in the two pilots will differ. National Grid and Eversource are leading the technology and vendor selection process for their respective pilots, with support from MassCEC. Technology decisions are guided by the initiative's goals of expanding access to dispatchable DERs and increasing participation in grid services among renters, low- and moderate-income households, and other underserved populations. The Consultant or Consultant Team will not play a role in technology selection.
- Pilot scope: As noted in the RFP, MassCEC recommends reserving $150,000 for DER acquisition split between the two pilot locations. The ultimate size and scale of each pilot will depend on the selected technology, but the budget for DER acquisition points to a relatively limited scope. Pilot participation may include both single-family and multifamily residential customers, depending on the final pilot design and selected technologies. Based on the selected technologies, the project team will consider whether there are any building types or metering configurations that are not viable.
3. Pilot incentives
Response: Incentives for grid services participation are distributed by the utilities through the ConnectedSolutions+ program, which is funded by the Grid Services Compensation Fund, as approved in the utilities' Electric Sector Modernization Plans (ESMPs). MassCEC does not anticipate any additional incentives for grid services' participation will be part of this pilot. As referenced in the RFP, MassCEC recommends reserving a minimum amount of $150,000 to cover the costs of the selected DER technologies for pilot participants. The funding is separate from ConnectedSolutions+ incentives, which are determined by the utilities and out of the scope of this pilot. See Task 3 under Section 6 for more details on the Consultant's scope for procurement and installation of the selected DERs.
4. Eligibility with other MassCEC grants
Response: Organizations that have applied to other MassCEC grants or funding opportunities are also eligible to apply for this opportunity. Applicants can indicate if they have the capacity to execute both efforts simultaneously. If there are any questions about the applicant's capacity to execute both initiatives, MassCEC may ask follow-up questions.
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