Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) on the extension of the current arrangements for the purchase of utilities.

The General Procurement Board recommendation to extend the agreement with LASER Energy to continue to purchase utilities (primarily gas and electricity and potentially water) on behalf of the Council for the period 1 April 2020 until 31 March 2024 was agreed.

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) on the extension of the current arrangements for the purchase of utilities.

(1)       The Decision Taken

RESOLVED:

That the General Procurement Board recommendation to extend the agreement with LASER Energy to continue to purchase utilities (primarily gas and electricity and potentially water) on behalf of the Council for the period 1 April 2020 until 31 March 2024 be agreed.

(2)        Reasons for the Decision

The Council spent about £800,000 on utilities (gas and electricity) per annum and for the last eight years had used LASER Energy to purchase on its behalf.

LASER energy were one of the largest procurement and energy management organisations in the Country, buying energy purely for the public sector, currently purchasing on behalf of 150 public bodies. LASER Energy was established in 1989 to manage Kent County Council’s energy purchasing and had grown to be one of the leading energy procurement and energy management service providers in the UK.  With 30 years’ experience it had both the expertise, systems and bulk purchasing power to negotiate better utilities pricing.