Opportunity Overview
The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) is seeking an energy education and workforce training provider to manage the professional-development and energy-workforce education component of the Rhode Island Clean Energy Internship Program, known as the STEPS Initiative. The solicitation is RFP27006985 and is currently open.
Deadline and Controlling Source
Current procurement listings consistently identify the response date as October 6, 2026. Ocean State Procures (OSP) is Rhode Island’s controlling eProcurement system for centralized state-agency solicitations, vendor registration, questions, bid responses, and awards. Secondary procurement indexes conflict on the exact closing clock time, so Atlas does not infer a time or timezone; bidders should rely on the live OSP solicitation immediately before submission.
Scope
The procurement is focused on clean-energy education and workforce development, including professional development, student recruitment and screening, internship matching and tracking, employer engagement, career-readiness support, workshops, and related program administration. Current procurement indexing identifies a professional-management-development training classification and indicates that the solicitation package includes an MBE participation acknowledgment and supplemental bidder attestation.
Vendor and Submission Controls
Rhode Island states that at least a soft OSP registration is required to submit a response, while full registration is required before an awarded vendor can receive a contract or payment. The live OSP solicitation and its attachments control all final qualifications, forms, certifications, pricing instructions, addenda, questions, and submission requirements. Atlas has not treated any secondary-site estimated contract value as an official funding ceiling.
Strategic Value
Atlas Opportunity Score: 60/100. School/Education Workforce Relevance: 75/100. The opportunity is a legitimate Rhode Island education/workforce procurement with a defined state clean-energy internship and professional-development mission. N9+ Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. No healthcare, telehealth, clinical, or remote-examination requirement has been verified, so Atlas does not force a Dr. Miltie or Nonagon fit.
Next Action
Qualified energy-workforce and professional-development providers should review the complete RFP27006985 packet in OSP, verify the exact closing time shown in the live solicitation, confirm all MBE/WBE/VBE and attestation requirements, complete the required OSP registration, and submit only through the method specified by the controlling solicitation.
Verified sources: Rhode Island Division of Purchases Ocean State Procures and Bidding Opportunities pages, plus current procurement indexing for RFP27006985, rechecked September 12, 2026.