Electric Operations Outage Management and Electronic Logging Software

The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is soliciting proposals under RFP197646 for a fully cloud-hosted Outage Management System (OMS), electronic operational logging platform, and switching order management suite. This project aims to replace manual, document-based procedures with a modern digital platform to improve situational awareness, ensure field crew safety through automated interlocking switching steps, and maintain compliance with NERC and WECC reliability standards. Key technical requirements include native, out-of-the-box API connectivity with CAISO and RC West systems to avoid third-party middleware, a guaranteed minimum system availability of 99.9 percent uptime, and adherence to SOC 2 Type II or FedRAMP cybersecurity frameworks. The resulting five-year, fixed-fee contract will include turnkey professional services estimated at 800 hours for implementation, asset ingestion, and configuration, as well as 24/7/365 emergency support for critical incidents. Proposals will be evaluated on a points-based system, with the highest weight placed on the proposed solution's technical capabilities and the firm's experience with municipal or regional electric utilities. Awarded contractors must meet comprehensive insurance requirements, including minimum limits of 1 million dollars for general, professional, and automobile liability, and comply with the City's environmentally preferred purchasing and zero waste requirements. Proposals are due by October 28, 2026.