Independent Evaluator Review Rules and Processes
Information on the Independent Evaluator program
Purpose of the Independent Evaluator
The role of the Independent Evaluator (IE) is to provide third-party oversight of an Investor-Owned Utility’s (IOU) procurement process. The objective of the IE role is to ensure that the solicitation process is undertaken in a fair, consistent, unbiased and objective manner and that the best offers are selected and acquired consistent with the solicitation's requirements.
At the conclusion of an IOU’s RPS solicitation, the IE writes a report which is submitted via the IOU to the CPUC providing a critical assessment of the robustness of the solicitation, the effectiveness of the least-cost best-fit methodology, and a determination of whether that methodology was fairly administered. The IE also completes a contract-specific report whenever an offer from a solicitation is submitted as a contract to the Commission. For non-RPS solicitations, a single report is submitted to the Commission via the procuring IOU.
The IE Report was last updated by Energy Division on August 2026. IEs are expected to utilize this template for its reporting on an IOU’s solicitation, along with contracts that are submitted to the Commission for review and approval from that solicitation as well as those that originate outside of a solicitation process.
Independent Evaluator Report Template, last updated August 2026.
Regulatory Background on Independent Evaluators
| CPUC Decision |
Role of independent evaluator at-a-glance |
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First decision to require an Independent Evaluator for competitive procurements involving IOU affiliates, utility-built projects, or utility-turnkey projects. The IE was intended to safeguard against preferential treatment. |
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Expanded the IE requirement beyond affiliate transactions. Required each investor-owned utility to use an IE for the 2006 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) solicitation and all future competitive solicitations, with the IE evaluating and reporting on the entire solicitation, evaluation, and selection process. |
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Extended the IE framework to long-term solicitations that may involve affiliate transactions or utility-owned bids, and required IEs for competitive solicitations seeking products longer than three months. It also required utilities to maintain a pool of qualified IEs and involve the Energy Division in selecting and managing them. |
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Continued the IE framework in the context of PG&E's Renewable Portfolio Standard procurement plan and reaffirmed IE participation in contract review. |
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Frequently cited alongside D.06-05-039 as authority requiring IE oversight of renewable procurement negotiations and bilateral contracts. |
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Modified IE administration by extending the required review cycle for each IOU's pool of Independent Evaluators from every two years to every three years. |
Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (RPS) Staff Contacts
For questions about IE processes and evaluations on utility-scale RPS-eligible procurement, please see the RPS Contacts Page