Act now, save now, on next year's energy spend

Energy forms a major portion of non-staff costs in schools and a big part of schools impact on the environment.  Recent volatile market conditions have meant winners and losers, depending on contract type.

   

Coupled with some Local Authorities removing themselves from the procurement process, leaving schools to enter in to complex negotiation with little experience or market knowledge, these are challenging times.

Some Local Authorities want to tie schools into four year flex agreements, without any knowledge of the price. Our view is that this does not present best practice. Usually only an indicative price is provided as the energy may not have been purchased. This makes it very difficult to budget as the markets can go up as well as down. This contract is then reconciled at various points through the four years, often with little consistency around billing. Short fixed term pricing has proven to outperform flexible purchasing.

   

The Schools' Buying Club is here to help, and, even with September just weeks away, it is not too late to make significant changes to your spend for the next school year. You can then put savings to work to enhance teaching and learning across your school.

There are now a number of competing gas suppliers, attempting to gain competitive advantage by introducing new and amended contractual arrangements, terms and tariffs, which need careful comparison to ensure you make the best choice to get the best deal.

   

Detailed consideration of alternatives, using specially developed software together with skilled negotiation, enables us to advise on the right choice of supplier, contract and risk assessment. We are also here for ongoing advice to keep you ahead of future changes in the market, all at no charge to your school.

So, whether you are an individual school, in a cluster or federation of schools, being a member of the Schools' Buying Club will maximise your buying power and let your pupils reap the benefits. Read our real life case studies, or email robbie.odriscoll@schoolsbuyingclub.com to find out how your school can start saving money today.