Request for Proposals (RFP) — Microgrid Study, 2026
RFP Information Portal for Architectural & Engineering (A&E) Services
1. PURPOSE OF THIS PORTAL
This portal serves as the information clearinghouse for the Pueblo of Picuris Microgrid Study Request for Proposals. All materials related to this solicitation — including the RFP document, addenda, questions and answers, and schedule updates — will be posted here so that identical information is made available to every interested party in a timely and consistent manner.
Prospective respondents are responsible for monitoring this portal throughout the solicitation period. No information conveyed through any other channel should be relied upon unless it is subsequently confirmed in writing and posted here.
2. PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Pueblo of Picuris is seeking qualified Architectural and Engineering (A&E) firms to provide engineering design and technical specifications for a hybrid microgrid. The microgrid is anticipated to serve approximately 100 homes, together with administrative and community buildings on Pueblo lands.
The system will be interconnected with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC), the host utility serving the Pueblo and the surrounding region. KCEC has been, and continues to be, a partner in the Picuris energy vision and will help guide the design so that the microgrid primarily serves the needs of the Pueblo while providing grid support to KCEC when it is available to do so.
Sandia National Laboratories has historically conducted energy studies for the Pueblo and will continue in an advisory capacity as the microgrid development moves forward.
3. FUNDING AND OVERSIGHT
The study is funded in its entirety by the State of New Mexico through the Energy Conservation and Management Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (ECMD/EMNRD) under the Grid Modernization Grant Program, November 2025 funding round. The program was established by the Electric Grid Modernization Roadmap Act of 2025 to support grid modernization projects across New Mexico.
Study activities and results will be monitored and reported jointly by ECMD/EMNRD and the Pueblo of Picuris.
4. SOLICITATION STATUS AND SCHEDULE
A Request for Information (RFI) was previously released, and responses were received in April and May of 2026. The RFP was released on August 14, 2026, and is available for download at the link on this page. See the table below for key dates and submittal requirements.
The following schedule applies to this solicitation. Any revision will be posted to this portal.
5. INSTRUCTIONS TO INTERESTED FIRMS
6. POINT OF CONTACT
All inquiries related to this solicitation should be submitted in writing to:
Abbas Akhil
Project Manager, Pueblo of Picuris
Email: solar@picurispueblo.org
The Pueblo of Picuris is hosting guided site tours on Tuesday September 15 and Wednesday September 16 for persons who are considering responding to the microgrid study RFP.
The guided tour(s) will be an opportunity for all parties to familiarize themselves with the Pueblo layout and site conditions. Tour participants will see the existing solar arrays, location of the planned energy storage system and location of the point of interconnection with Kit Carson Electric Co-op. There will be a Q&A session at the conclusion of the tour. Those questions and answers will also be posted at the Picuris Microgrid Portal soon after the conclusion of the tours.
Tour participants can attend either the 15th or 16th or can attend both days at will. The tour will begin at the Picuris Pueblo Administration Building at 10:30am on both days and conclude by 12:30pm, including the Q&A time.
The intended site of the energy storage system and proposed point of interconnection are close to the admin building. The solar array is 2.5 miles from the Administration building on NM 75 and tour attendees must provide their own transportation. Access roads to the admin building and the solar array are paved.
Registration for the guided tours is mandatory. Tour attendees must provide full name, title, company affiliation, phone number, email and attendance date(s) by COB September 11, 2026, to solar@picurispueblo.org
Tour attendance requests will be acknowledged and confirmed.
The Administration building is located at:
201 Pueblo View Road, Penasco, NM 87553
Note: Access to the Pueblo is by Indian Service Rte 201 off of NM 75. The turnoff to Rte 201 is approximately 0.5 miles west of the intersection of NM 75 and NM 76
Question 1:
What is the target survivability duration of the microgrid when operatedcontinuously in island-mode?
Response:
The microgrid must be designed tosupport the entire Pueblo in island mode for four consecutive days. In islandmode, the microgrid controller must maximize the PV and BESS and minimizegenerator runtime for both summer and winter conditions.
This is a critical designrequirement that was omitted in the RFP. Picuris has issued Amendment #1 to theRFP addressing this requirement. Thank you for raising this question.
Question 2:
What’s the targeted microgrid completion date? Do weneed to address lead times for hardware that is specified in theRFP?
Response:
Theonly target date at present is to complete the microgrid study in 8 months.
Thefull microgrid implementation will be a future design effort during whichhardware specifications and corresponding lead times will be considered.
Question3:
Whatis the budget?
Response:
The budget for the reduced scope study is $100,000 to $150,000.
Question 4:
Are there specific modelingplatforms or file formats the selected A&E will be expected to provide atproject completion?
Response:
No. That choice is entirely at thediscretion of the selected A&E.
Question5:
Is the reference architecture of 2 gensets meant to afford full n+1 redundancy (~2* 750 kW), or something of a load share between the two gensets?
Response:
Thetwo gensets are meant to provide firm base power to the microgrid as neededduring normal operation and during an islanding event.
Thegensets are for load sharing only. The microgrid modeling should derive gensetsizing, run times and locations within the pueblo distribution grid.
Theselected gensets’ detailed specifications, cost and lead times are notnecessary to be included at this time, but can be discussed at a high level fora future study.
Question 6:
Is the study expected to includedynamic/transient modeling in addition to steady-state power flow, energymodeling, and optimization?
Response:
Amendment #1 to the RFP simplifiesthe original scope of the RFP and defines the required duration of themicrogrid in an island mode. Thus, dynamic modeling is not a requirement giventhe simplified scope and budget. However, energy modeling and optimization is emphasized,and the level of detail should be commensurate with the study budget and isleft to the discretion of the proposer.
Question 7:
Which operating modes should thedesign address, such as islanding, seamless transfer, black start, peakshaving, grid support, or other modes?
Response:
Amendment #1 to the RFP has revisedthe functional requirements of the microgrid to support the Pueblo loads in anisland mode for four consecutive days.
Islanding is an essential mode andseamless transfer would be desirable but will involve more detail and modelingthat may not be possible within the budget for this study. Seamless transferwhen there is a KCEC outage can be discussed at a high level with input fromKCEC during the study and included in the final report.
Question8:
Isthe Tribe interested in exporting surplus electricity subject to prevailingeconomic conditions or being remunerated for other forms of bulk power systemsupport?
Response:
There is an existing power purchase agreement with Kit Carson Electric Co-op (KCEC)for exporting excess energy from the BESS when it is commissioned and commencescommercial operation by early 2027. This agreement will remain in force for acouple of years until Picuris completes a functional microgrid.
Thereare no plans to provide grid support or ancillary services to the KCEC grideven with a fully operational microgrid due it's limited size.
Question9:
Isthe RFP process seeking optionality to add more battery storage andphotovoltaic capacity?
Response:
Optionalityis desirable but not a requirement in this RFP. Responders can propose futuremicrogrid modeling, microgrid configurations and technology options at theirdiscretion as stated in Section 3 Reference and Optional Configuration.
Question 10:
Is a New Mexico-licensed ElectricalPE required at the time of proposal submission, or only prior to issuance ofthe final stamped design package?
May the prime A&E includespecialized microgrid, protection, or controls subcontractors, and will theexperience of those team members be considered as part of the project-teamexperience evaluation?
Response:
A design package for the fullmicrogrid is no longer within the scope of the amended RFP and a PE licensed inNew Mexico is no longer necessary.
Additionally,the scope of the amended RFP does not need specialized subcontractors in theareas noted in the question.
Question 11:
Is there interest in using generator waste heat during generator dominant wintermonths?
Response:
No. The buildings where waste heat could be utilized are dispersed within thePueblo. It is expected that the run time of the generator(s) will beintermittent and variable to make the extra expense of utilizing the waste heatuneconomic.
