The Procurement Administrator will endeavor to answer all submitted questions in a timely and professional manner in accord with the goals of the RFP process. Questions will be answered by the Procurement Administrator in the order they are received, except in those cases where a specific question requires additional consideration, thereby extending the response period.

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General
#G30: Can you advise on the ratings for Illinois Power Company?
Moody's: Ba1 issuer rating (no notching)
S&P: BB issuer rating (receives a one-notch discount, so rating is BB-)
Fitch: BBB- senior unsecured debt
Applicable rating for Illinois Power is the lower of the highest two, which is the Ba1 from Moody's.
(Posted 4/11/08)
#G29: If the entity does not have a senior unsecured long-term debt rating, the issuer rating is used. For
S&P and Fitch the credit rating is discounted one notch. How does notching affect a rating from Moody's?
As indicated in the proposed contract, the issuer rating from Moody's is not subject to a one-notch discount. This
is because Moody's defines its issuer rating as follows: "Issuer Ratings are opinions of the ability of entities to
honor senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts." Since the Moody's issuer rating is essentially the
equivalent of a senior unsecured debt rating, there is no need to notch.
(Posted 4/11/08)
#G28: What are the Docket Nos. in "'Procurement' shall mean (i) the solicitation and evaluation of bids
and (ii) the execution of contracts for standard wholesale energy products pursuant to the Procurement
Plan for the period June 2008 - May 2009, as proposed by the Ameren Illinois Utilities and approved by the
Commission in Docket Nos. XXX."?
The ICC docket number for the AIU Procurement Plan is 07-0527.
(Posted 3/7/08)
#G27: With the Ameren Illinois Utilities rated below investment grade, what performance assurance is
available to the winning bidder?
The Ameren Illinois Utilities have the option to either (i) provide a letter of credit or other acceptable security to
the seller or (ii) provide a corporate guarantee from a credit-worthy parent Guarantor.
(Posted 3/3/08)
#G26: If a qualified bidder wins a bid, how long must the letter of credit remain in effect?
The pre-bid letter of credit will be returned to winning bidders as soon as a binding contract is executed and any
required performance assurance is provided.
(Posted 3/3/08)
#G25: What happens to the letter of credit provided by a pre-qualified bidder that does not win a bid? Is the
letter of credit returned? When?
The pre-bid letter of credit will be returned to losing bidders soon after the winning bidders are notified, but in no
case later than March 26th for energy swaps or April 11th for capacity.
(Posted 3/3/08)
#G24: What are the dates when the retail generation rates will be made public?
The Ameren Illinois Utilities will file rates 2 business days after the ICC approves the results of the procurement
event. The REC’s RFP is scheduled as the last of the products to be procured and ICC approval of the REC results
will finalize the procurement event. Based on the current schedule the filing should be made during the week of
April 21st.
(Posted 3/3/08)
#G23: Please explain the purpose of the Pre-Bid Letter of Credit.
The purpose of the pre-bid letter of credit is to assure that winning bidders will execute a binding agreement to
provide the offered product.
(Posted 3/3/08)
#G22: How will credit be established with unrated entities?
An unrated entity has two choices:
(i) A Guarantor with investment grade ratings will have a Threshold amount (for energy swaps) or Collateral
Threshold (for capacity) amount established for the purpose of providing a corporate guarantee for theentity. If
the credit requirement exceeds the corporate guarantee, theremainder would have to be met by an irrevocable
letter of credit or other acceptable security.
(ii) The unrated entity can provide an irrevocable letter of credit or other acceptable security for the entire
credit requirement.
(Posted 3/3/08)
#G21: Can the $500 Bidder Fee be submitted by credit card?
No, the Bidder Fee can only be submitted by certified check or wire transfer.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G20: Who should the check for the $500 Bidder Fee be made out to?
Checks for the $500 Bidder Fee should be made out to "Levitan & Associates, Inc.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G19: What is the fax number for submitting Pre-Qualification Applications and other
procurement documents?
The fax number for submitting all procurement-related documents is 617-531-2826.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G18: Will prospective bidders be notified of changes to the procurement schedule?
Yes. Changes to the schedule will be posted to the procurement web site and a notification email will be sent to
mailing list subscribers and parties who have submitted pre-qualification documents.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G17: Is the presentation from the Energy & Capacity Bidder Information Session available for download?
Yes. The Bidder Information Session presentation can be downloaded here.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G16: If a bidder is not able to submit the Bidder Fee by 5:00 pm CPT on February 29th, does that exclude
them from participating?
No. Bidder fees will be accepted through 5:00 pm CPT on Monday, March 3rd. If additional time beyond Monday is
needed please contact Sara Pierce at 617-531-2818 ext. 15.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G15: Is there any benefit to bidders to submitting comments to the contract in advance of the deadline?
All comments will be reviewed together after the submission deadline for each RFP's contract documents.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G14: Section 5.3.3 of the Energy RFP asks for a certification that the bidder is not part of a JV or
participating with another bidder. How/Where can the bidder certify this?
The Non-Collusion form will be distributed to pre-qualified bidders as part of the Bidder Registration package. It
does not need to be submitted with the Pre-Qualification Application.
(Posted 2/28/08)
#G13: Acrobat Reader does not allow form entries to be saved. Is it possible to post another version of the
Pre-Qualification Application that will permit saved entries?
An Excel version of the Pre-Qualification Application has been posted to the Procurement Information page.
This file can be used for both electronic and hard copy submissions if the PDF version of the form does not work
for you. Also, if more room is needed for an answer than is provided, a note can be made on the form: "See
insert/exhibit #[]" and a second file with additional material can be submitted along with the Pre-Qualification
Application, either electronically or as a hard copy.
(Posted 2/27/08)
#G12: Are the ISDA and EEI negotiable or "As Is"?
Comments which are submitted by the deadlines will be considered when finalizing the contract documents, but
the final documents as distributed on March 7th (Energy) and March 17th (Capacity) will be
non-negotiable.
(Posted 2/27/08)
#G11: Can bidders post cash in place of the Pre-Bid Letter of Credit?
Section 5.6, Bidder Registration, of the Energy RFP requires pre-qualified bidders to provide to the Ameren Illinois
Utilities a pre-bid irrevocable letter of credit (ILOC) in the amount of $250,000. The RFP also specifies the form,
date, and validity period for the ILOC. Ameren has not established a procedure or rules for accepting cash or other
collateral in place of the pre-bid ILOC. The Procurement Administrator does not consider the ILOC requirement
unduly burdensome for bidders. Therefore cash or other collateral cannot be provided as a substitute for the
pre-bid ILOC. Please note that the credit and security requirements for any winning bidder, described in section
5.8, Notification and Award, of the Energy RFP, remain unchanged. .
(Posted 2/27/08)
#G10: How should the $500 Bidder Fee be submitted?
The Bidder Fee can be submitted to Levitan & Associates, Inc. via certified check (to Levitan & Associates, Inc.,
Attn: John Bitler, 100 Summer Street, Suite 3200, Boston, MA 02110) or wire transfer. Wire transfer
instructions can be requested by emailing aiurfp@levitan.com.
(Posted 2/27/08)
#G9: If a bidder is submitting a Pre-Qualification Application for both the Energy and Capacity RFPs, do
they need to pay only one Bidder Fee, or two?
A single Bidder Fee is required per Pre-QUalification Application, therefore only one $500 Bidder Fee is required.
(Posted 2/27/08)
#G8: If a bidder is interested in responding to both the Energy and Capacity RFPs, how many
Pre-Qualification Applications are required?
The same Pre-Qualification Application can be used for both the Energy and Capacity RFPs, therefore only one
Application is needed even if a bidder plans to respond to both RFPs.
(Posted 2/27/08)
#G7: In the schedule I see that the "Credit Application" is due 2/29. I see a "Bidder Pre-Qualification
Application" in the documents. Are these the same document?
Yes. The "Credit Application" and the "Bidder Pre-Qualification Application are the same document, which is due on
2/29 for the Energy and Capacity RFPs.
(Posted 2/25/08)
#G6: How should Pre-Qualification Applications be submitted?
Pre-Qualifications can be submitted via e-mail (aiurfp@levitan.com), fax (617-531-2816), courier
(Levitan & Associates, Inc., Attn: John Bitler, 100 Summer Street, Suite 3200, Boston, MA, 02110) or through the
website here.
(Posted 2/25/08)
#G5: How will bids that contain prices for multiple blocks be evaluated? Will any contingent bids be
accepted?
Since no contingent bids are permitted, each 25 MW block bid (energy) or 10 MW block bid (capacity) will be
treated as a separate bid and evaluated accordingly. If multiple blocks are bid at the same price, these bids will be
treated as divisible, each block will be evaluated as a separate bid which can be accepted or rejected
independently.
(Posted 2/21/08)
#G4: If a Bidder operated under an agency arrangement with several principals, will the credit evaluation
be based on all of the principals or just the lowest rated entity?
The credit evaluation will be based on the lowest rated entity.
(Posted 2/21/08)
#G3: Where can I find the Bidder Pre-Qualification Application? Is there a separate application for the
Energy RFP vs. the Capacity RFP?
The Bidder Pre-Qualification Application has been posted to the Procurement Information page, and can be
downloaded here. This form is to be used for each of the RFPs. If a bidder intends to bid on more than one
product, and the same information applies to all bids, only one copy of this application need be submitted. Bidders
should check the appropriate box(es) on the Authorized Signature worksheet.
(Posted 2/18/08)
#G2: In order to process the Bidder Fee an IRS Form W-9 may be needed, how can this form be obtained?
W-9 Forms are available to bidders here.
(Posted 2/15/08)
#G1: Can a broker represent a party on this RFP for purposes of anonymity without applying under the
broker's credit?
No. Prospective bidders must be identified for the purposes of submitting pre-qualitication application materials.
(Posted 2/15/08)