During the procurement process, buyers will need to make at least three pitches for the aggregated deal (see Exhibit 6). Before joining a procurement group, individual buyers should prepare and deliver a pitch on aggregated renewable procurement to key decision makers within their organization. Click to skip ahead and read more about pitch #2 and pitch #3.
Note: A buyer’s pitch schedule will depend on a procurement group’s decision-making model and chosen procurement process.
The primary goal of the initial pitch is to secure permission from local government leadership or other organization decision makers to move forward with a procurement group. As this decision can be impacted by multiple departments, it can be helpful to meet individually with representatives from legal, accounting, or operations to ensure alignment and then include them in the pitch session. Local governments may also choose to invite representatives from partner organizations to provide their expertise, credibility, or insights to the discussion.
A secondary goal of this pitch should be to educate decision makers and start to prepare them to approve the ultimate transaction that the group develops. This is especially true for local governments pursuing virtual PPAs, which will be unfamiliar to most local government staff.
The initial pitch should explain the following:
- The need for a large-scale renewable procurement to meet local goals, including climate and energy goals
- The benefits of aggregation, supported by case studies of successful examples
- The potential aggregation partners
- The types of contracts under consideration and any prerequisite actions that the local government will need to take (e.g., an ordinance or resolution).
The video below provides guidance on how to pitch your aggregated project as well as an overview of tools and resources to support making a successful pitch.