Seamless Portfolio Integration
Operating independently, the newly formed company unified two legacy portfolios while adapting to evolving regulatory requirements.
Company & Industry Overview
A leading demand response provider, CPower, expanded its market presence through the merger of Comverge and Constellation’s C&I demand response business units. Operating independently, the newly formed company unified two legacy portfolios while adapting to evolving regulatory requirements. With a strong national footprint, it helps commercial and industrial customers optimize energy use and enhance grid reliability. As grid modernization, regulatory shifts, and sustainability initiatives reshape demand response strategies, the new company needed to be structured for efficiency, scalability, and compliance to ensure seamless enrollment, settlement, and payments while supporting continued growth.
Challenge
CPower faced a critical challenge in integrating its portfolio into a unified system while complying with new regulatory requirements. The success of this effort was essential for seamless enrollment, settlement, and payments. With a tight 120-day deadline from PJM, the regional transmission organization overseeing the electric grid in 13 states, failure to automate processes risked costly manual work, impacting efficiency and growth. Managing 500 projects within this compressed timeline further emphasized the need for a streamlined solution.
Pain Points
- Tight 120-day deadline from PJM created time constraints and high pressure.
- Limited IT resources and competing projects delayed progress and strained capacity.
- Manual processes risked costly temporary hires and inefficiencies.
- Regulatory requirements from multiple agencies added complexity to project execution.
Think’s Approach
Through our Rapid Control Process, we began by reviewing CPower’s technological goals and priorities, creating a list of key projects and completion standards. A detailed management strategy for merging the two portfolios was developed. We engaged the market development, operations, and IT teams to design a project plan aligned with the tight 120-day deadline. The plan was implemented to streamline workflows, with clear work estimates and requirements to ensure success. By collaborating closely with CPower, we focused on reducing manual processes and preventing the need for temporary hires, distinguishing our solution with precise planning and execution.
Results
In just three weeks, Think delivered a comprehensive project plan with clear timelines for development and integration tasks. A resource plan outlined individual responsibilities over the six-month project, while a strategic decision schedule mitigated risks related to internal resource limitations. As a result, CPower met its deadline, completing PJM enrollments on time. The project exceeded expectations by minimizing the need for manual work and temporary hires, enhancing long-term operational efficiency, and positioning CPower for future growth.
Outcomes
- Successful integration of portfolios, meeting all regulatory requirements and deadlines.
- Streamlined processes, reducing manual work and avoiding costly temporary hires.
- Delivered a clear path that enabled operational efficiency, positioning CPower for growth.