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What does the Ministry of Defence have in common with Marks & Spencer, BMW with BT and the Corporation of London with the Co-op? What links Smurfit Kappa and South West Water with Kent County Council and Kodak? Answer: they, with other leading UK organisations like Tesco, NHS, Rolls-Royce and B&Q, are all current members of a group which has helped hundreds of UK businesses secure lower electricity, gas, water and telecoms prices as well as obtain vastly superior contract terms and discover ways of using less.

Twenty years ago former Coal Board boss Lord Ezra, noting that the UK’s former monopolies were being replaced by competing utility suppliers, proposed that leading UK customers should consider working together, learning together and saving substantial sums through shrewd purchasing and efficiency measures. Thus was born the Major Energy Users’ Council. Later, when other utilities were privatised, its activities extended to water and telecoms and it became known simply as meuc.

As a lobbying voice with the Government, able to influence policy changes, meuc is extremely useful. The feed through of undistorted information enables members to keep abreast of what is happening in all areas of the marketplace. The opportunity to network and be in close contact with people in similar positions allows for problems, solutions and experiences to be shared. Thank you for your willing help, camaraderie, friendship and team spirit. Keep up the good work.

Gerry Goldner, Energy Manager, The British Library

Getting the best deal currently available:

It provides professional guidance and support to utility buyers and energy managers. It holds regular, lively utility-specific meetings where professional managers share problems, experiences and solutions. Minutes of these meetings are sent as a reminder and presentations are available on disk.

Bulletins and publications aim to provide unbiased and accurate news and views on what is really happening in the UK energy, water and telecoms markets, enabling members to keep abreast of events and developments affecting their organisations. Market intelligence on procurement and management, information on training and education and a “help-line” which responds quickly and effectively to members’ queries are all part of the service.

Influencing future policies of Government, Regulators and Suppliers

The meuc’s mission is to be the leading voice in influencing Government, Regulators and utility suppliers to ensure that members obtain the fairest trading terms and conditions for all utility products and services. The organisation presents the views of members when it meets formally with Government and other decision-makers.

Northern Rock’s Environmental Co-ordinator Beryl Keegan says that "The professional guidance and support of the meuc has proved invaluable in focusing the energy purchase and management strategy of our organisation. Substantial cost savings have been made by implementing the recommendations of the Energy Groups."

Jonathan Hughes, Engineering Services and Energy Manager, Midlands Co-op says “Joining meuc is the best thing we have ever done. We have been able to secure contracts with much more confidence. A major advantage has been that I can share information with like-minded individuals and benchmark our prices against other members’ achievements. Often the only information that ever seems to be available is from suppliers. Without an in-depth knowledge of the market we don’t know how well we are doing. We needed an unbiased opinion. The MEUC’s knack of attracting some major speakers to meetings is a great help.”

Turmoil in the energy supply industry has led to an acute shortage of companies able to provide electricity and gas for business and private sector users.

Many customers are finding that most of their requests to quote for their business are refused or ignored. Careful preparation of tenders is therefore becoming increasingly essential to ensure your type of business is one which the supplier wants.

If the customer is using new or inexperienced buyers, vital information may be missing from the tender document and the supplier may be too busy to ask for it. This is where meuc’s specialist consultants can help out by providing an extra pair of hands when they are most needed.

Green energy is now highly favoured by shareholders and key decision-makers but it’s in short supply. Part of meuc’s job is to ensure that members find sources to meet their requirements.

Says Director General Andrew Bainbridge: “Energy is not regarded as a sexy subject in the average Boardroom as finance and marketing are. So not enough attention is paid to buying wisely, using wisely and protecting the environment. Those organisations which understand they will have a huge utility expenditure in the next five years and employ skilled people to monitor and control the costs will reap big rewards.”

Further information is available from ab@meuc.co.uk. Fax 020 8566 7073 or Telephone 020 8997 2561.