Information Technology Consultant

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) is a 501(c)3 organization that has assisted energy efficiency programs in the U.S. and Canada for almost twenty years. These programs, run by ratepayer funded public and private entities, benefit the public by lowering energy costs to consumers and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As we have reached the tipping point in public understanding of global climate change, energy efficiency has come to be understood as a first choice resource for addressing energy demand. We expect that we will grow rapidly from thirty states and four provinces to fifty states and eleven Canadian provinces over the next five years.

CEE recognizes that as part of growth, we need to upgrade and develop new information technology capabilities. We also recognize that we do not have the capacity in-house to evaluate technical proposals or manage the process. CEE seeks an objective and experienced advisor who would be willing to guide us through the process of developing our information technology resources. We estimate that this process will take several months.

Information Technology Needs at CEE:

As discussed above, CEE is a virtual industry trade association with corporate members. CEE believes the IT needs of the organization fall into following areas:

• Trade organization software to support a membership database, membership attributes, working committees, meetings, reporting, financial administration, and the extranet described below.
• Web site—create a Web site that is a more sophisticated marketing tool. The revised site will aid in recruiting new members, perform a marketing identity function, and guide various audiences to the information they’re seeking.
• Extranet—create a collaborative workspace for our committees. As we expand our efforts and the numbers of people working on each one, we need to offer tools that streamline and enhance collaboration, provide some social networking, and store work resources.
• Intranet—support move to an extranet by transferring key documents and resources to an intranet for staff.
• Hardware and network—determine appropriate technology platform that will address future needs, determine internal or external hosting
• Office tools and equipment—determine standard platforms and software for teleconference, Web, analysis, and communication needs. Technology to support committee work should be state of the art.

Scope of Consulting Work:

We foresee the following information technology consulting work:

1. Gather requirements and write requirements document or documents as appropriate.
2. Identify the types of firms who would be appropriate for the various kinds of work outlined above. Based on your best assessment, write an RFP.
3. Help us understand proposals. Our main concerns are that we not reinvent the wheel, and that we choose technology that will not limit us.
4. Lead us through a hardware infrastructure assessment.
5. Help us to understand maintenance and operation issues and options, including cost. In order to gain CEE Board approval for expenditures, a cost-effective plan and budget must be in place for this piece.

If at all possible, we would like to have an initial proposal comprising an internal plan with cost estimates, timeframe, and budget request to submit for approval at our January 16, 2009 Board of Directors meeting.