SEED Quarterly fall 2023

As your community-owned, not-for-profit electric service, we invest in the success of all of our communities, including small businesses. We offer an array of programs and services designed to save energy and money and support our 2030 Zero Carbon Vision to benefit our region.

Learn how you can benefit from:

Contracting opportunities. Find out how to do business with SMUD! Visit our Solicitation Portal to learn more.
Commercial energy savings tips. As we transition from summer to fall, learn about opportunities to save energy and money. Find tips to take control of your energy usage
Business rebates. Find a wide variety of incentives and rebates to save you money and energy.

We're here to help! Contact our team for assistance any time at SEED.Mgr@smud.org

Register now! This year's in-person event from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM will offer valuable networking opportunities and resources for businesses Learn about how to do business with us, meet SMUD buyers and explore SMUD programs and rebates for your business.

Visit smud.org/BizExpo Register now

Virtual workshop: How to do business with SMUD

Save the date: October 12, 8:30 AM

This FREE workshop is hosted by our SEED team and will provide you with the opportunity to learn about:

SMUD's contracting process
Small business bid incentives
Open and upcoming contract opportunities
How to connect with our buying team
Networking with other potential vendors

Clean Energy Success Story: WellSpace Health

WellSpace Health Office Building Going all-electric is better for your business, your safety and our environment. We’re helping commercial customers make the switch with incentives and energy-efficient solutions that drive energy savings to their bottom lines and promote electrification.

Learn how non-profit organization WellSpace Health worked with our Complete Energy Solutions (CES) program and qualified for incentives that offset LED lighting costs at multiple locations, improving their efficiency and their bottom line. Read the success story

CES supports site assessments, energy efficient upgrades, gas-to-electric conversions, EV charger installations and more. Get started by submitting an interest form at smud.org/CES.

Supplier Success Story: Stanfield Systems, Inc.

Since January 2000, Stanfield Systems, Inc. (SSI) has provided information technology services across government, commercial and non-profit organizations throughout the United States. Through the benefit of our SEED program, SSI successfully teamed with several prime contractors in pursuit of SMUD contracting opportunities prior to winning their most recent Distribution Planning Software contract, with Integral Analytics listed as the prime contractor.

SSI has also successfully participated in numerous contracting opportunities over the past 23 years with over 35 satisfied clients and some engagements spanning over 12 years.

Carlos Costa, VP Business Development and Strategic Alliances from SSI, understands that processes, requirements and regulations in organizations change constantly and years of experience have helped them hone and highlight the way their services meet the industry’s needs.

Carlos’ advice to future vendors is to have patience and perseverance, and “a win will present itself when you least expect it.”

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB)

At SMUD, we’re committed to connecting and engaging with the community in many ways, including business walks, educational workshops and mixers. Our SEED team appreciates our strong business community partnerships and the opportunities they provide to share programs and services such as the SEED program. During the first two quarters of the year, our team supported over 100104 events and engaged with an estimated 15,000+ community members to provide resources and information about how they can do business with SMUD. These events included the Franklin Boulevard Business District Business Walk, celebrating the first electric food trailer at the Fountainhead Brewery, the Florin Square 2nd Annual Small Business Summit, the monthly mixer with the Greater Arden Chamber of Commerce and a joint mixer with the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber and Natomas Chamber.

Group of people at Franklin Blvd Business District event

Franklin Blvd Business District Business Walk

Electric food trailer at Fountainhead Brewery

Franklin Blvd Business District - first electric food trailer

SMUD event table set up at Florin Square Annual Small Business Summit

Florin Square 2nd Annual Small Business Summit

3 people standing in front of Richard T. Conzelmann Community Park sign

The Greater Arden Chamber of Commerce hosted SMUD Board President Heidi Sanborn, who presented SMUD's Road to Zero Carbon Plan.

SMUD event table at Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber and Natomas Chamber hosted a joint mixer at Algo Bueno restaurant in North Sacramento. SMUD participated as a sponsor and SEED team member Alexia Hughes engaged with our business community.

Substation construction: Meet the Primes event

Franklin Burris of SMUD presenting information to attendees of Meet the Primes. Our Gaspachos catered food cups. procurement team recently released a Substation Construction solicitation valued at over $120M over a 5-year period. Bids for this contract, which include significant subcontracting opportunities, will be evaluated from 12 pre-qualified prime contractors. To support SMUD’s SEED subcontracting goal of at least 20% certified small business participation in final proposals, our team hosted a Meet the Primes event. This event, held at our Customer Service Center in July, provided an opportunity for over 30 subcontractors to meet and network with the 12 pre-qualified prime contractors bidding on the Substation Construction project. We look forward to the results of this solicitation and the potential economic impact it presents for our local small businesses!