San Diego Community Power picks PlanetBids for procurement overhaul

By AI, Created 4:24 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – San Diego Community Power has adopted PlanetBids to manage non-energy solicitations, vendor records, project evaluations and insurance tracking as the agency scales up. The move puts the utility inside a dense regional network of public agencies already using the platform and is meant to improve transparency, compliance and access for vendors.

Why it matters: - San Diego Community Power is increasing non-energy procurement as it serves nearly 1 million customers across the San Diego region. - The switch to a centralized platform is meant to improve consistency, visibility and compliance across the full solicitation lifecycle. - Better vendor access could broaden competition and help deliver more value for customers.

What happened: - San Diego Community Power selected PlanetBids to manage solicitations, contracts, vendors, insurance certifications and project evaluations. - The agency joins 15 other San Diego-area organizations already using PlanetBids, including the Port of San Diego, San Diego Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego Convention Center, SANDAG and the City of San Diego. - PlanetBids said it welcomed the fast-growing agency into its regional customer base.

The details: - San Diego Community Power is California’s second-largest community choice aggregator. - The agency expects 15 or more major solicitations a year, plus 20 to 25 smaller solicitations and quote requests. - PlanetBids will replace a manual email-and-spreadsheet workflow for solicitation management. - The platform includes built-in Q&A management, addendum acknowledgment, prospective bidder tracking and a complete audit trail. - Community Power will use a centralized vendor database and can target outreach by commodity code, vendor classification and geography. - The agency will also tap PlanetBids’ vendor network across the San Diego region. - For larger RFPs, evaluators can score submissions, collaborate across multiple rounds and produce award documentation in one auditable workspace. - The platform can automate insurance requests, track certificates by vendor and coverage type, monitor expiration dates and trigger renewal notices. - The Request module allows unlimited requesters to submit non-energy procurement needs, with AI-assisted scope writing and approval routing. - The platform’s modular structure allows additional capabilities to be added over time. - Vendors can register, view open opportunities and sign up for notifications in the new PlanetBids vendor portal.

Between the lines: - The procurement upgrade tracks with a young agency that is adding volume and complexity as it grows. - A centralized system reduces scattered coordination and creates a clearer paper trail for audits and oversight. - The regional concentration of PlanetBids customers may make it easier for vendors that already work with public agencies in San Diego.

What’s next: - San Diego Community Power will use PlanetBids to run future solicitations and vendor outreach through the new portal. - The agency can layer in more platform modules as its procurement function expands. - Vendors interested in the agency’s work can register and track new postings through the portal.

The bottom line: - San Diego Community Power is using PlanetBids to turn a growing procurement workload into a more centralized, transparent and scalable process.