Five West Monroe Partners Energy & Utilities Clients Receive ARRA Grants

November 3, 2009

Consultancy Supported Applicants from Vision to Grant Application.

CHICAGO, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- West Monroe Partners, a full-service business and technology consultancy, today announced that five of the seven utilities for which it provided comprehensive Smart Grid Investment Grant application support have been awarded federal funding to pursue their proposed initiatives.

With a success rate of over 70 percent, compared to the average grant acceptance rate of 23 percent, West Monroe Partners is pleased to see that many of its clients will be able to accelerate deployment of smart grid solutions with the help of these awards. The funding is part of $3.4 billion in Smart Grid Investment Grant awards announced by President Obama on behalf of the United States Department of Energy on October 27, 2009, in conjunction with the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

West Monroe Partners worked with each of the utilities from project development through grant application, applying its rigorous S-GAP (Smart Grid Assessment Profile) approach--an iterative process that tunes the smart grid solution and implementation plan to meet a utility's objectives and maximize its business case. West Monroe Partners used this approach to help each utility develop a compelling smart grid vision, business case, and project implementation plan prior to completing the grant application. Ultimately these grants will benefit the utilities' customers, who will gain the reliability and flexibility that come with a 'smarter' grid.

"Our S-GAP approach delivers an optimal smart grid plan with full stakeholder engagement that meets the utility's objectives and maximizes its business case. We are pleased that the Department of Energy also found our clients' projects to be compelling," said Tom Hulsebosch, managing director of West Monroe Partners' Energy & Utilities practice. "Not only are the Smart Grid Investment Grants a great success for the companies that receive them; they provide a solid economic boost for service companies like West Monroe Partners that will assist the utilities in deploying these smart grid projects. We look forward to supporting utilities by leveraging our experience in the areas of program management, strategy, vendor procurement, cyber security, system architecture, and system integration, and by helping them execute the mandatory quarterly reporting to the Department of Energy."

Overall, the Department of Energy awarded 100 Smart Grid Investment Grants to private companies, utilities, manufacturers, municipalities, and universities.

About West Monroe Partners

West Monroe Partners is a full-service provider of business and technology solutions with offices in Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Montreal, New York, Seattle, and Toronto. Our more than 200 consulting professionals partner with clients across a range of industries, harnessing our collective experience to produce better business results. Named one of Consulting Magazine's "Small Jewels" and one of its 2007 "Best Firms to Work For," West Monroe Partners offers a refreshing, flexible approach tailored to our clients' priorities, budgets, capabilities, and environment. Visit our website at www.westmonroepartners.com.

    Contact:
    Michelle Ryckman
    mryckman@westmonroepartners.com
    312-602-4000

SOURCE West Monroe Partners