R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-31-12: Bid fees.

Bidders submitting project proposals responsive to any competitive procurements issued pursuant to this chapter may be charged bid fees by the electric distribution company to pay for all reasonable costs of consultants and counsel that may be hired by the Rhode Island office of energy resources, the division of public utilities and carriers, the commerce corporation, and/or the department of environmental management to meet the requirements of this chapter, up to a cap of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) per agency. Any bid fees collected by the electric distribution company for purposes of implementing this section must be specified in procurement documents. The electric distribution company shall be required to transfer to each agency any invoiced funds within thirty (30) days of invoice receipt.