Diverse Vendor Procurement (DVP) Program

Artwork by Chantell Marlow, member of the Peoria Guild of Black Artists.

Diverse Vendor Procurement Overview

The Diverse Vendor Procurement (DVP) Program, offered through the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program, has a dedicated team excited to connect with you and your business! The DVP team is paving the way for equity in the energy efficiency field by identifying, vetting and recommending diverse vendors whose business match procurement needs for Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program subcontractors, otherwise known as Portfolio Partners.

The DVP Program assists Ameren Illinois and Portfolio Partners in identifying diverse-owned businesses throughout the Ameren Illinois territory by maintaining a secure DVP database, allowing users to search for diverse vendors that meet capability and capacity requirements. Additionally, the DVP team works one-on-one with Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) to match individual vendors with opportunities, including facilitating formal introductions between vendors and Ameren Illinois and Portfolio Partners.

The DVP Process

Select each phase below to learn more.

Phase 1: Opportunity

Opportunity Identified.

Phase 2: Search

Search existing database of diverse businesses.

Phase 3: Locate & Vet

Locate and vet multiple diverse vendors or suppliers.

Phase 4: Recommend

Informal recommendation of vendor to client.

Phase 5: Introductions

Formal Introductory meeting between vendor and client. 

Phase 6: Requirements

Verification of contract requirements.

Phase 7: Awarded

Contract/PO Awarded.

By switching to heat supplied through electricity, not only will you save every month on energy costs, but you also have the convenience and reliability of the Ameren Illinois electric delivery system.

Advantage of Switching From Propane to Electric:

• Affordable: Unlike propane and oil heating, electric heating costs remain stable over the years. Electricity is currently a cheaper option for heating and is predicted to remain so for many years.

• Safe and Reliable: With no burning materials, combustible gases or noxious fumes, electric heating is the safest possible heating solution for your home. Efficient electric appliances typically involve heat pumps or induction technology which have become increasingly more reliable versus early versions of those technologies.

• Convenient: The Ameren Illinois electric system is already connected to your home to deliver electricity in a reliable manner. You never need to worry about running low on fuel, scheduling tank refills or maintaining storage tanks.

Improve the heating and cooling efficiency of your home by switching from propane to electric heating options like an air source heat pump. Air source heat pumps offer highly efficient heating and cooling in one integrated system. In the summer, air source heat pumps are air conditioners that pump heat out of your home. In the winter, they reverse, becoming heaters that pump heat into your home.

Benefits of Air Source Heat Pumps:

• Reduced Heating Costs: An ENERGY STAR® certified air source heat pump provides heating for approximately one third the cost of traditional electric baseboard heating, depending on where you live, and approximately half the cost of oil or propane heat. An air source heat pump is so efficient that it can deliver up to three times more heat energy to a home than the electrical energy it consumes.

• Reduced Cooling Costs: During the summer months, a central air source heat pump automatically becomes a central air conditioner. With ENERGY STAR products, you’ll also have reduced cooling bills due to highly efficient operation.

• Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: An air source heat pump is good for your home and good for the planet. On average, ENERGY STAR certified models avoid more than 4,500 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions over the course of their lifespan compared to standard systems.

• Less Infrastructure: Air source heat pumps offer highly efficient heating and cooling in one integrated system.

Through the Home Efficiency Income Qualified (HEIQ) Initiative, eligible Ameren Illinois customers receive a FREE Home Energy Assessment to learn where your home is losing energy and discover ways to incorporate energy-efficient home improvements like LED lightbulbs, advanced power strips and heat pumps, all at no cost to you!

Benefits of a FREE Home Energy Assessment:

• Energy Usage: Understand how much energy your home is using and what appliances and products are using the most energy.

• Health and Safety: Uncover hidden problems that could be wasting energy and making your home unsafe, like poorly insulated walls and improper ventilation.

• Savings: Identify incentives to help determine budgeting for projects.

• Free Energy-Saving Products: During the Home Energy Assessment, receive FREE installation of energy-efficient products in your home. Propane appliances (furnaces, water heaters, stoves and clothes dryers) may be eligible for free replacement with electric appliances (heat pump water heaters, induction stoves, or heat pump clothes dryers).

Diverse business owners are invited to review current and upcoming RFPs as well as other procurement opportunities by clicking the button below. To be added to the DVP Database, please first complete the Intake Form linked through the request button below. Additionally, if you would like to connect and meet one-on-one with a member of the DVP team to discuss upcoming opportunities within the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program, please click the button below or email at DEIOutreach@wmenergy.com.