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Why WRAP Needed a Custom Solution and Why "Custom" is Not a Bad Word

The Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP) is an ambitious, first-of-its-kind effort to ensure reliable power across the Western U.S. It gives 22 utilities across 12 states a coordinated way to pool energy resources, address capacity shortfalls, and share surplus supply, all while maintaining operational independence. WRAP is built on trust, transparency, and technical precision. One of its most critical components is its settlement system: the process that determines who gave what, who received what, and what it cost. That’s where the challenge began—and where opportunity followed.
Off-the-Shelf Often Feels Safe, But Isn’t Always Practical
  • Off-the-shelf solutions are tempting. They're fast to deploy, widely used, and seem “safe” on the surface. But when Western Power Pool (WPP) needed to automate the settlement process, they quickly realized that purchasing and adapting an existing settlement platform wouldn’t cut it. Quite simply, there wasn’t a commercial solution available that could do what they needed done.

  • WPP needed more than software. They needed a solution designed around their program’s complexity including specific pricing rules, regulatory context, participant workflows, and the trust dynamics between load-serving entities. WPP partnered with Sage Utility Solutions to deliver software automation that met these needs.

  • Sage led the effort — from defining the business problem and identifying the right technical approach, to overseeing delivery of the finished platform. One of the reasons WPP selected Sage was our deep utility expertise. We understand utility operations, regulatory structures, and the nuances of inter-utility coordination. We conducted business analysis, provided the solution architecture, defined workflows and processes, specified detailed requirements, and directed the work of our offshore development partner, Codibly. Sage remained hands-on throughout development: testing the solution, documenting it for both end users and technical teams, and supporting WRAP participant training.

  • Sage provided the leadership and direction that shaped the overall vision and ensured successful execution, and Codibly provided the software development expertise.
Sometimes “Custom” Solutions Offer Better Future-Proofing than Generic Tools
That word "custom" can raise eyebrows. We get it. People worry about cost, maintainability, and vendor lock-in. But here’s the truth: a well-scoped, well-built custom solution can be more future-proof than a generic tool forced to do something it was never built to handle and supported by a vendor that has no interest in supporting a one-off product. Our role was to define the problem clearly, scope the solution pragmatically, and make the complex feel manageable. That meant translating regulatory language into enforceable logic. It meant balancing technical scale with operational clarity. And it meant designing with the end-user in mind: billing teams, operations staff, IT staff, and regulatory compliance departments. The WRAP settlement platform now delivers hourly pricing, enforces rules through automated validations, and outputs data in formats participants can actually use, whether through APIs or Excel. It’s not just a system; it’s a shared foundation for trust. So if you're modernizing grid operations, looking to make better use of your physical and data assets, or aiming to improve how you engage with customers, the WRAP story might sound familiar. And if "custom" has felt like a risk, we’d love to show you how it can sometimes be the safest path, when done right with proven professionals that you trust. Let’s talk about what right looks like -> Read the WRAP case study->