public sector communityenergy policyincentive designpuc docketsrenewable energy
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Outcomes that landed
30% weight
Ask which policies they helped move: an RPS increase, a state PUC docket comment, an IRA tax credit guidance response, or interconnection queue reform. Get dates and outcomes.
Evidence to listen for
Names programmes or initiatives that were adopted, funded, or delivered
States their own role rather than the department's
Gives measured reach or impact
Distinguishes work that landed from work that stalled, and explains why
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No delivered work; describes intent and process only.
2
Needs Improvement
Involved in initiatives but cannot say what resulted or what they owned.
3
Satisfactory
Real delivery with adequate ownership; impact described loosely.
4
Very Good
Named outcomes with clear personal scope and some measures.
5
Excellent
Names specific dockets, bills, or rulemakings they drafted or commented on, and what changed in the final order or statute.
02
Evaluation factor
Stakeholder facilitation
25% weight
Probe how they ran comment processes with utilities, IPPs, ratepayer advocates, and county siting boards when positions clashed on transmission or land use.
Evidence to listen for
Brings a real contested case, not a philosophy of engagement
Names the competing interests and the resolution method
Uses concrete engagement formats and can point to input that changed a decision
Treats every group as legitimate
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Diplomacy-speak with no case attached, or contempt for one group.
2
Needs Improvement
Recalls conflict but no method; engagement is a box to check.
3
Satisfactory
Real case and workable approach; resolution thin on specifics.
4
Very Good
Names the tension and method; cites engagement that shaped the outcome.
5
Excellent
Describes convening opposed parties, tracking each position, and reaching workable compromise language without conceding the core policy goal.
03
Evaluation factor
Regulatory and policy command
25% weight
Test command of FERC Orders 2222 and 1920, PURPA, state RPS and net metering rules, ITC and PTC domestic content provisions, plus relevant regional market tariffs.
Evidence to listen for
Names the statutes, funding rules, and processes they have worked under
Explains how those requirements sequenced their work
Owns the compliance thinking rather than deferring it entirely
Knows where the discretion sits
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Outsources all regulatory thinking; cannot name a framework.
2
Needs Improvement
Generalities about compliance; no sequencing or named rules.
3
Satisfactory
Knows the main frameworks; sequencing described loosely.
4
Very Good
Names relevant frameworks and how they shaped a timeline.
5
Excellent
Explains how a specific rule interacts with state programs and cites the provision, effective date, and open compliance ambiguities.
04
Evaluation factor
Evidence and reporting
20% weight
Check their analytical toolkit: EIA Form 860 and 923 data, NREL SAM or ReEDS runs, LCOE and capacity expansion modelling, and how findings became briefs or testimony.
Evidence to listen for
Uses data to choose between options, not to justify a decision already made
Names the sources and methods behind their numbers
Reports to funders, councils, or the public in terms those audiences can use
Tracks whether the intervention worked
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No use of evidence; decisions are assertion.
2
Needs Improvement
Cites data but cannot explain its source or limits.
3
Satisfactory
Uses evidence competently; evaluation after the fact is thin.
4
Very Good
Evidence drives choices and is reported clearly to lay audiences.
5
Excellent
Shows published analysis with stated assumptions and sensitivities, translated into a short memo decision-makers actually used.
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