Utilities
Buying Solutions is an Executive Agency of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the Treasury. As the leading national professional buying organisation for the UK public sector, all products are sourced through a rigorous, EU compliant procurement process, saving you both time and money. If you require any further guidance please call our Customer Service Desk on 0345 410 2222.
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Since the deregulation of the energy markets in the late 1990s, means that UK energy is traded on some of the world's most volatile markets and prices can potentially change minute by minute.
In recent months the volatile nature of the energy markets has resulted in everyone from the smallest domestic customer to the largest industrial conglomerates and public sector organisations facing substantial increases in prices.
Operating effectively in this highly complex environment calls for specialised experience, expertise and organisation. Last year, the Buying Solutions' Energy team managed the procurement of more than half a billion pounds of gas, electricity and liquid fuels for the public sector.
Increasing numbers of organisations are now choosing to use our Energy Managed Service for their energy needs - including renewables - and to protect themselves against the worst effects of an increasingly volatile marketplace.
Whether you need gas, electricity, heating oils, automotive and solid fuels or energy management and conservation services, we can work together to minimise your energy procurement risks.
What we do and how we do it
Our Energy Managed Service is founded on six core
principles:
- Procurement strength to secure competitive prices
- Productive relationships with suppliers offering access to proven industry expertise, innovation and continuity of service
- Conservation and management of energy
- An absolute commitment to quality
- Excellent customer service
- Keeping you informed through regular communication
Buying Solutions offers a managed service and we are very clear on what our roles should be in the delivery of this service. It is the team's job to proactively manage our suppliers to ensure that they deliver a consistently excellent service. We liaise with our customers to ensure that we understand in detail what their requirements are and that what is being provided is appropriate and fit for purpose.
We have taken a number of steps to achieve the improvements we are seeking. Our aim is to reduce to an absolute minimum the time it takes to resolve any customer issue. We utilise a range of measures to ensure our service is delivered effectively and to the highest standards.
In addition, a positive approach to customer feedback is an essential part of our managed service, and it is vital that we invite feedback from our customers in relation to the service they receive. We request that this is sent to us by emailing energy@ogcbs.gov.uk
Collaborative procurement
Buying Solutions is working closely with OGC, government departments, local authorities and others in support of a pan-government, collaborative approach to procurement.
Energy is one of a number of projects that is being used to drive best practice. Buying Solutions is at the forefront of these efforts to build on the success of its Energy Managed Service.
Collaboration can only be good news for the public sector as it will give us invaluable additional leverage to:
- achieve further savings
- seek future value-added enhancements to current offerings
- develop new services as part of our continuous improvement programme
Underpinning this new approach is the development of ever closer and more productive relationships with our customers and suppliers.
Buying Solutions has been changing and reshaping itself in recent months. We are fully embracing the principles of category management, which we believe will enable us to engage more successfully with the market and all of our stakeholders.
Our Energy Managed Service forms part of our new Utilities category, with a larger team comprising dedicated energy experts who will work closely with customers and suppliers to deliver added value solutions and procurement efficiencies.
Among the benefits that this approach will deliver for our customers are greater savings, a much more comprehensive service, enhanced in-house expertise, highly developed eProcurement systems, intensive customer consultation and increased and improved management information.
Market Place
The energy marketplace is extremely complex and volatile. Trading in energy is influenced by major international events such as wars, climate change and global economics and politics. These have a direct impact on demand, supply and prices and are largely out of our control.
We have created this area as part of our commitment to provide customers with information that helps explain the markets and updates them on the current situation.
Supplier strategy
A key advantage of the public sector's collective buying power is that it allows Buying Solutions to work with the suppliers that have the infrastructure, industry knowledge and expertise to provide a consistently top quality service over a period of years.
Customers have the confidence of knowing that suppliers have been selected following a rigorous, EU-compliant procurement process and that their performance is constantly monitored. Avoiding this potentially time-consuming and costly procurement exercise represents a considerable saving for customers.
The benefits of one continuous supplier include a shared understanding of service requirements and avoids the problems created by switching supplier. This includes any potential difficulty in administration time, cost and billing problems caused by a switch. It is important to note that every four years the long term partnership could potentially change provider, but the customer's service will never cease nor be affected, as a continual service will be ensured.
Longevity enables a supplier to understand a customer's business infrastructure and objectives more clearly and to develop services to help meet those objectives.
Customer Benefits
In summary, the benefits our customers enjoy include:
- Savings on price and reduction of administration costs
- Direct access to energy experts
- Dedicated customer service teams provided by suppliers bypassing mainstream call centres
- Correct and timely meter readings
- Rapid and accurate site registration
- Regular information about the marketplace and service enhancements
- Professional supplier and contract management
- Long term confidence from a leading edge, EU compliant process
- Access to energy from renewable sources
Energy conservation and management
Buying Solutions also helps organisations to conserve their use of energy by offering a Bureau Services framework, to save money and to bring in effective and efficient energy management systems by encouraging a focus on three key questions:
- How much energy are we using and how do we compare with other organisations?
- How could we use less and save money?
- What should our priorities be?
The Buying Solutions' Energy Managed Service provides:
- Half Hourly (HH) Electricity contracts - supplied by EDF Energy
- Non Half Hourly (NHH) Electricity contracts - supplied by British Gas
- Gas contracts - supplied by Corona Energy
- Liquid Fuels - supplied by the Defence Fuel Group within MoD
- Energy Bureau Service - supplied by TEAM
Contact Information
Buying Solutions: energy@ogcbs.gov.uk
Team: enquiries@teamenergy.com
Corona: ogcbs@coronaenergy.co.uk
British Gas: ogcbs@centrica.co.uk
EDF: ogcbs@edf.com