What is commercial energy procurement? Why would a business make the switch? And who’s in charge of doing so?
This section addresses these energy procurement basics, including what organizations should expect when seeking wholesale energy vendors, what contracts exist and who’s involved in every energy procurement step along the way.
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Commercial energy procurement is the process of sourcing the fuel or electricity a business needs to power its operations. This can be done by purchasing fuel from retail suppliers or from a utility company.
Many states are rolling back restrictions and allowing businesses to source energy from private retailers. These changes present an alternative to utility company-monopolized contracts — trading traditional gas, oil, and electricity models for deregulated, competitive, and transparent retail partnerships.
Managed proactively, energy procurement with a retail vendor can bring businesses a list of advantages, including:
Utility procurement is another term for energy procurement. This is the process by which businesses look for the most favorable energy contracts providing the services they need. Energy procurement involves finding an energy supplier that has lower pricing and, often, a solution that meets your needs specifically. Many businesses have special requirements for their energy. Pairing with the right supplier delivers greater efficiency.
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Given that energy procurement acquires energy from suppliers or utility’s to be used by businesses, procurement services are those that aid businesses in tha process. Setting up and maintaining an effective procurement department within a business can be costly.
Using a procurement service can be far less expensive than setting up an internal team, and it will be more effective at ensuring a business’s energy plan is cost-efficient. These providers take steps to obtain materials, supplies, goods, services, and contracts at the best price for the businesses they work with.
Procurement service providers aid businesses on multiple levels. To start, they work with businesses to develop a plan for their energy usage. They’ll analyze the company’s energy needs and the practices currently being used to meet them, looking for where the company can increase energy efficiency and cut costs from suppliers.
Beyond internal analysis, procurement providers also use their knowledge of the industry to determine the best supplier for a business’s energy, sometimes even collaborating with suppliers to find the best deal. By using an energy procurement service, customers are more prepared to make the most of their energy usage and are ensured excellent energy coverage at a reduced cost.
Energy management and procurement plans have several benefits that directly impact your operations.
As a business, having energy procurement services gives you peace of mind by lowering the risk of unforeseen charges. These costs come from the utility company that sources energy for your area fluctuating costs to reflect demand, the price of fuel, and your area’s regulations. Energy procurement services ensure you receive the energy you need at an agreed-upon price without hidden fees so that you have a reliable, affordable supply.
Your third-party energy procurement service will also help you responsibly forecast the amount of energy you need and supply you with enough fuel for your business’s energy usage. This way, you know that the price you pay is intended to cover exactly what you need to keep your business operational.
Additionally, these forecasts give your business better control over its fuel costs and what types of energy you choose to purchase, without any excess or unnecessary fuels. You will have the final say in the energy you buy, allowing you to streamline your energy purchasing process.
Doing the necessary research ensures that the energy procurement service you sign a contract with is the best solution for your company’s needs. This step also enables you to maintain control over your operations for an extra layer of predictability and a consistent expectation for what you will receive from the procurement service you choose to partner with.
Furthermore, your team can feel more confident about receiving a reliable supply of energy at expected times, even when your local utility suppliers experience higher demand or unexpected issues. Regular service keeps your business operating as normal with the fuel you need to prevent interruptions and maximize uptime.
Energy procurement service providers use their knowledge of the industry in conjunction with their understanding of best energy-use practices to develop plans for businesses looking to save money and increase their energy efficiency. There are a few standard approaches that procurement service providers will implement when working with customers. These processes range from internal and market analysis to setting up an actual relationship between the customer and the energy vendor.
In order for a procurement service provider to connect a business with the best possible energy supplier for its needs, procurement companies will conduct an analysis of the customer’s energy usage.
This process is quick and easy with Energy Objective through Shipley Energy. Customers will send us a recent bill copy and a current contract end date. Then, our experienced professionals will do all they can to learn about the customer and develop a natural gas procurement and delivery plan catered to their short-term and long-term plans.
Given an understanding of a customer’s energy usage, procurement providers will consider all available options for natural gas suppliers. With a list of potential suppliers, providers will narrow the selection to favor those that offer the best prices for the goods and services needed. They may also implement quality and safety control strategies to ensure an energy supplier’s offerings are safe for employees.
Shipley Energy will coordinate and negotiate with the best suppliers to gather pricing options for our customers. We’ll then evaluate the offers to compare important metrics, including:
With all of the necessary information at hand to make an informed decision, procurement service providers will mediate a deal between the optimal natural gas supplier and the customer. After the sale, procurement teams can provide further services such as bill auditing, market updates, utility assistance, and renewal pricing.
It’s common practice for businesses across industries to shop around for the vendors best suited to their unique needs. But many don’t shop for energy in the same way.
In deregulated states, businesses can now vet regional energy retailers to find the right fit. In these states, finding the right energy provider is no different than shopping for the right raw material or service provider.
So, if businesses can shop for energy, who does that shopping? That process typically involves the following players:
Many people don’t realize they have a choice in where to buy natural gas and electricity. Shopping for the right vendor can be a powerful way to achieve savings and increase the amount of support your company receives.
Who is typically involved in this process? You don’t need to have the word chief or senior at the beginning of your title to start the energy procurement conversation.
However, there are five roles in most of today’s business hierarchies with particular stock in energy management. These five energy stakeholders are referred to in this guide as energy procurement managers. They include the following:
While energy procurement managers may have different titles and overall responsibilities, one business objective remains consistent — achieving greater cost savings for the organization through effective energy purchasing plans.
Suppliers are the private, wholesale, retail energy companies providing energy to customers. An alternative to utility company contracts, suppliers procure energy from a variety of power plants and sources. They can then turn around and offer competitively-priced, individually-tailored energy packages to commercial businesses seeking more energy control and better pricing than off-the-shelf offerings from the utility company.
As a third-party participant, energy brokers play a similar role to that of a real estate broker in the property buying process. Energy brokers bring buyers and sellers together, namely working with energy procurement managers to understand their organization’s needs and then reaching out to suppliers who can best meet them.
Energy procurement managers can choose to work with a broker or not. Depending on their industry or the nature of their business processes and operations, brokers can answer questions and provide additional support while a business vets potential sellers.
Utility companies still play a role in commercial energy procurement, namely in generating and delivering power. While deregulation allows other companies to sell energy, utility companies can continue to sell it, yet they also remain responsible for the infrastructure delivering power.
Utility procurement can assist you in finding better pricing while still using your utility company. Your business’s bills will continue to come from the same place. The distributor’s name remains on them. Energy procurement means shopping around for a supplier that will provide more favorable pricing than your utility company or another supplier you may have been using. You can benefit from the competitive energy products on the market.
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Energy procurement services are beneficial to nearly every type of business. All companies have overhead energy costs. When you use utility procurement companies, you stand to reduce those costs and may also even find more favorable packages that include other perks as well. You can also get easy access to green energy, which delivers on your company’s desire to use more environmentally friendly sources.
It’s difficult to think of a business that couldn’t benefit from energy procurement strategies. Some of the types of businesses that employ this service include:
Your company can benefit, too. Any company with a focus in any area can enjoy savings when you switch your supplier, and energy procurement services make the process easier. You can feel confident you’re getting the most favorable deal when you have analysis and research behind your decision.
Having the right energy procurement strategy in place can save you money. Such a strategy puts you in control of your company’s approach to energy. That power allows you to tailor your plan to your needs, not the needs of another business.
You can decide on a pricing structure that matches your unique requirements, for instance. You may prefer fixed pricing or market pricing. Perhaps you want to try blended pricing for the opportunity to receive more potential savings. Since every business is different, not all will benefit from these strategies. You can pick and choose what suits your individual needs.
Commercial energy procurement can also simplify things for your company. For instance, you might receive just one bill for your gas services instead of getting a bunch of bills for different facets of your operation. This makes it easy for accounting and bookkeeping. Taking the strain off those in your organization and making things flow better is one major benefit of using energy procurement.
You can also delve into questions that could save you more money in the long run when you have an individualized plan. Some things you may want to consider include:
Energy procurement managers should take a deep look at which fuel types and amounts their operations use. Compiling this information creates your energy portfolio. Brokers can step in to help customers navigate potential vendor offers and market prices in these early auditing stages based on their portfolio.
Alternatively, commercial customers can work directly with energy retailers to get quotes and tailor contracts serving their complete commercial fueling needs.
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A fundamental to the process of business energy procurement is understanding the fuel types that are available to you. Tailored retailer plans can include all, a few or just one of the following fuels:
There are many ways to structure today’s energy purchasing contracts. However, several primary contract types exist for customers to adopt through their chosen energy vendors:
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There are many benefits to better controlling and sourcing your fuel. Some businesses fixate on energy as a commodity — an untouchable overhead expense that should only be purchased based on the lowest price. The right procurement strategy turns this energy into a competitive advantage.
How can retail energy providers better serve your business? A customized procurement plan allows your business to experience benefits it simply couldn’t from a conventional utility contract, including:
A well-planned energy procurement strategy can add certainty and dependability to operations including the following components:
Customized energy procurement plans give your business greater autonomy, letting you:
An energy procurement plan can consolidate your vendors, providing you with:
Introduction: What Is Energy Procurement and Why Does It Matter?
