Utilities Management Service

Essex County Council (ECC) is conducting a market engagement exercise to assess the capability and capacity of suppliers to deliver a comprehensive Utilities Management (UM) service. ECC currently contract with Mitie to provide Bureau Services for electricity, gas and water, alongside a Trading Desk and Risk Management Service for the flexible purchasing of electricity and gas. Mitie also serves as ECC's Total Facilities Management (TFM) provider, a contract which is currently out for tender. The future Utilities Management service will need to work closely with the appointed TFM provider, who will be responsible for implementing any energy efficiency recommendations made by the UM provider. ECCs current approx annual consumption volume is: Electricity: 27,000 MwH Gas: 506,000 therms ECC have 43 HH meters (39 COP5 and 4 COP3) and circa 275 Non HH meters in the portfolio. The proposed scope includes the following services: Utilities Bureau Service - a comprehensive set of services that can enable ECC to effectively manage its utility accounts, costs and data; o Bill Validation o Detecting billing errors and ensuring accurate charges o Customer support o Tennant billing where applicable o Supplier management and query resolution o Budgeting and forecasting including assistance to client in creating accurate budgets and forecasts for upcoming utilities costs o Support to client in supplier procurement Utilities Trading Desk - managing the purchasing of electricity and gas on wholesale markets in accordance with an agreed risk management policy; o Market access and forward purchase recommendations o Risk Management and Hedging o Risk Analysis o Market intelligence and real-time market data o Regulatory compliance o Forecasting consumption Data Collection and Analysis - collection, processing and data management of consumption data including the use of analytical tools to provide insight into usage patterns, forecast future demand and identify areas for potential savings. Ability for client to access data online and track data in real-time; o Data collation and reporting o Benchmarking o Consumption tracking o Identifying inefficiencies and anomalies in usage o Recommendations to achieve efficiencies based on data o Real-time online access to usage and performance data Your feedback will help us: • Validate the feasibility of our requirements • Understand market capability and innovation • Identify potential opportunities and challenges The purpose of this questionnaire is to: • Confirm whether suppliers can deliver the required services • Gather information on delivery models, technology and innovation • Understand commercial approaches • Identify any gaps or recommendations for improvement It is important to note that this market engagement exercise is not a call for competition and as such you will to express your interest in any future tender opportunity once the tender notice is published on Find a Tender. It should also be noted that this exercise invites organisations to express an interest in this exercise only, and it is not a pre-qualification questionnaire, and is not part of any section process. The market engagement is intended as an awareness, communication, and information gathering exercise. An expression of interest is no indication of a commitment to participate in any future tendering process nor does it infer any preferential or special status on those individuals and organisations who participate.