For many schools, energy procurement begins with an email.

The current contract is approaching its end date. Renewal quotes are available. Someone needs to make a decision. The school compares the options, selects a contract and moves on. On the surface, it is a perfectly logical procurement process. But energy specialists argue that starting the conversation when a contract is close to expiry can mean schools are allowing the renewal date, rather than a considered procurement strategy, to dictate when they buy. The Department for Education itself describes energy as a challenging category for schools to buy, with prices moving regularly and contracts sometimes difficult to compare. For schools considering their procurement route, the fundamental question remains: When should the energy buying conversation actually begin?

The Renewal Date Should Be a Deadline, Not a Strategy

Better Connected, an advisory led energy and carbon consultancy working with school estates, believes energy procurement should start with understanding the school’s position rather than immediately requesting supplier quotes. That means looking at existing contracts, renewal windows, consumption and the shape of demand across the estate. A school might know its annual electricity consumption. But when is that electricity actually being used? A boarding school with accommodation operating seven days a week has a very different consumption profile from a term time day school. Swimming pools, commercial kitchens, sports halls, older heating systems and multiple buildings can all influence demand. For multi academy trusts, the picture becomes even more complicated. Individual academies may have different contract end dates and separate supply arrangements. Treating the entire estate as one blanket renewal may be administratively convenient, but it can obscure important differences between sites. Better Connected’s approach is to assess individual supplies and compare tender options across ten or more suppliers and multiple contract lengths. The objective is not simply to identify the lowest headline quote. It is to understand which contract structure best fits the estate.

Cheapest Does Not Always Mean Best Value

The unit rate is naturally the number that attracts attention during an energy tender. But contracts with similar headline prices can contain materially different terms. Schools should consider whether costs are all inclusive or passed through, what happens when the contract expires and whether volume tolerance clauses could affect the organisation. Deemed rate exposure is another area that should not be ignored. If an organisation continues consuming energy without an appropriate contracted arrangement in place, it may be charged under deemed or out of contract terms. For Better Connected, contract review is therefore part of the procurement process before a recommendation is made. The consultancy’s position is that schools should understand not only the price they are accepting, but the commercial consequences of the terms surrounding it.

What Does Market Timing Actually Mean?

Trying to predict the absolute bottom of the wholesale energy market is unrealistic. Market timing should not be confused with gambling on the perfect day to buy. Instead, it is about understanding the school’s current position against market conditions and making a reasoned decision. Better Connected uses a structured market intelligence process that tracks wholesale movements, policy changes and supplier behaviour against the client’s contracts and renewal windows. The output, the consultancy says, should be a clear recommendation. Crucially, the reasoning should also be visible. This matters in education, where procurement decisions may need to be explained to senior leadership teams, trustees or governors. A recommendation of “this is the cheapest quote” is relatively limited. A recommendation that explains the market position, contract term, risk exposure and rationale gives decision makers a stronger basis for scrutiny.

Who Is Advising the School, and How Are They Paid?

There is another question that schools should include in their energy procurement review. How is the intermediary recommending the contract being paid? Better Connected publishes its own commission model openly. The consultancy is not paid through a one off finder’s fee. Its advisory function is funded through a commission built into the unit rate for the full duration of the contract. Better Connected says the value of the commission and whether the rates available from suppliers differ are disclosed to the client in writing before anything is signed. The company describes the structure as an ongoing advisory retainer rather than a transaction fee. In practical terms, Better Connected says its commission structure funds support throughout the contract, including market intelligence, billing audits, supplier dispute management, non commodity cost management and access to a named portfolio manager. The model itself is less important than the transparency principle it highlights. Schools should understand who is being paid, how much they are expected to earn and whether the commercial arrangement could influence the options being presented. If those questions are difficult to answer, school leaders should ask why.

Start the Energy Conversation Earlier

Energy procurement should not be a panic triggered by a contract expiry reminder. Schools and trusts need time to understand their consumption, examine their existing contractual position and consider the available procurement routes. The right route will depend on the organisation. What should remain consistent is the quality of the decision making. Because the best time to start thinking about the next energy contract is rarely the week the current one runs out.