Business Water Procurement was introduced in April 2017, when commercial customers in England became able to choose the best water retailer for their needs. Introducing this competition to the market has enabled businesses to switch and reduce costs.
Prior to this deregulation of the water market, businesses were assigned a water retailer based on their region. Having the option to switch suppliers means there are millions of pounds in potential water savings across the UK. With the current surge in energy prices, coupled with spikes in inflation, reducing running costs should be at the forefront of any business’ financial planning.
However, millions of UK businesses still haven’t switched water supplier. If you are one of those businesses, you will be on a deemed tariff, with rates rising 11% per annum on average. Businesses based in England can save up to 30% when switching supplier and in Scotland up to a whopping 70%.
As well as the economic benefits, businesses with more than one site will benefit from housing water supply for all premises under one retailer. You’ll also get the protection of a fixed contract.
So, how do I switch supplier?
Simply put, we’ll do all the hard work for you. Using your SPID (Supply Point ID) unique reference number, we can access all data held regarding your water supply.
We’ll then use this data to request a quote from a board of trusted suppliers and identify the best deal for your business. We’ve hand picked the best retailers for bespoke pricing and customer requirements.
We’ll share the most appropriate contract with you and highlight potential savings. Then you simply decide if you’d like to save your business money.
Contract duration options include 12, 24, and 36 months.
Where does the saving come from?
The national wholesaler charges the same amount per unit of water. Each water retailer then adds their own fee, which is where a saving can be made.
Will my water supply be interrupted during the switch?
Once the contract is signed, the transfer is seamless and usually takes two to three weeks. Your business will never be left without water supply as it’s the same wholesaler providing your business water.
What if I have multiple sites?
We can offer consolidated billing for multiple sites to be collated on one statement per month, with the same start and end dates.
How can Procure Smart help?
Are you looking to switch water suppliers? That’s where we help businesses work smarter.
With just a few bits of basic information, including your property address and SPID number, we can analyse your current spending and approach suppliers on your behalf to procure the best water contracts for your business.
Our dedicated account management team will oversee the whole process and deal with any queries from suppliers.
Find out more about our business water solutions and read our team’s answers to some of our customers most frequently asked questions.
