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Why attend a CCS briefing?

By Focus | Posted April 12, 2016

When the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) selects a supplier, price isn’t its only consideration; it’s looking for the best overall deal.

So when choosing EDF Energy as its half-hourly electricity supplier for the public sector, CCS negotiated a total service package including:

  • this dedicated CCS members’ website

  • specialised customer service contacts

  • an education programme, offering webinars and briefing events


Rebecca Ritchie – Energy Manager for the British Transport Police – was at the latest briefing event, on 17 March at 15 Hatfields in London.

“We are a very large national organisation with over 170 properties,” said Rebecca. “It’s a very complex estate; each building is different and has different needs in terms of energy use. It’s pretty challenging.

“I was hoping to learn a bit more about non-energy costs and how those would affect our bills and pricing – and just a bit more about the market and what we can do to reduce our energy spend.”

EDF Energy’s CCS team explained all this and more.

They presented the latest forecasts from the EDF Energy Market Insight team, which suggest that non-energy costs could make up 70 per cent of bills within a few years. What this means for CCS members is that controlling non-energy costs – for instance, reducing TNUoS charges by responding quickly to Triad warnings – could end up having a bigger effect on final bill amounts than reducing energy consumption.

Of course, the team talked about Transmission Network Use of Service charges, not TNUoS. The briefing events have a strict ‘no alphabet soup’ policy.

They also told members what to expect from the switchover to the new 2016–2020 CCS half-hourly electricity framework. Members have new model contracts to review and sign – and upcoming invoices may include new line items, representing non-energy costs that can’t be reconciled before the switch.

The team said they anticipated members’ colleagues questioning these unfamiliar-looking charges, and wanted them to be able to respond confidently.

“That was very clearly explained,” said Rebecca Ritchie.

The EDF Energy team is always available to support members, whether with a phone call or a site visit. But briefing events give members the chance to discuss their energy challenges not just with EDF Energy, but with representatives of CCS – and perhaps most importantly, with fellow members.

“It’s good to be able to sit down with colleagues in different organisations, find out their challenges and feel like you’re not alone,” said Rebecca. “Everyone’s facing similar challenges, so it’s good to share your experiences, find out what worked for other people and what didn’t.”

Would Rebecca recommend the briefings to other CCS members? “Definitely. I’ve been to the last two, and will definitely come to the next one. I’ve written down a lot of things I need to take back and action tomorrow.”

That’s the benefit of CCS briefings in a nutshell. Both the programmed talks from EDF Energy and the informal networking with colleagues provide ready-to-apply insights that can make an immediate difference.

The next event is on 29 September at Castlefields, Manchester. Register for your interest in attending.

Contact the EDF Energy CCS team with your queries on 0845 300 4904 or email ccscustomerservices@edfenergy.com

 

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