Many organisations use third party intermediaries (TPI’s) to help manage their energy and carbon costs.
Key reasons tend to be;
- Organisations do not have the internal expertise to manage energy procurement, risk management, bill validation, budget reporting, market intelligence, compliance and technology challenges
- Energy isn’t a significant line item on the balance sheet, so they would rather someone else dealt with it
- The market continuously changes, and good energy consultants keep their clients informed
- Internal governance policies require an independent external opinion or review
There are lots of energy consultants and brokers out there. So, whatever your drivers, you will need to do the due diligence to ensure you choose the right partner that will help you and your organisation achieve your ambitions. Here are some questions to ask yourself when assessing a potential energy partner;
- Do you trust this consultant to look after you, your company in your best interests?
- Will you sign a contract with the consultant specifying service levels and costs?
- Does this contract detail a transparent fee or agree a transparent commission to be received from the supplier?
- Will you receive a detailed report of your competitive tender results including what is fixed and not fixed?
- Is the consultant truly independent, or do they have preferred supplier relations?
- Will the recommended supplier be chosen based on benefit to you only, not how much commission they can earn?
- Will you sign a direct individual contract with the supplier?
- Are there any share-of-savings or transaction fees hidden in the small-print?
- Are there notice periods or restrictions at/near the end of the contract stopping you from changing consultant or supplier?
- If the consultant is delivering wider services, can they provide case studies, references of similar organisations that you can speak to?
- Could they provide a reference for a recent client that no longer works with them?
I am sure there are more questions depending on your organisations own particular circumstances and requirements. However, the above will give you a great start in ensuring you find the right partner for you.
To find out more about Beond to assess whether are an appropriate energy consultancy partner for your organisation, please do call us on +44 20 8634 7533, email us at info@beondgroup.com or visit https://beondgroup.com/about-us/.
Group
