Published
By CPC Helpdesk
Members of CPC across the UK can energise their procurement of utilities this winter via our compliant Utilities Supplies & Services framework and Utilities Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), with a 2026 Renewable Energy solution also available...
As our schools, academies, colleges and universities look to facilitate important savings while reducing their energy usage and maximising energy efficiency on site, CPC can support by way of these resources, all accessible free of charge to our members.
Recently extended through to October 2028, the Utilities Supplies & Services framework is divided into two distinct lots, which cover energy consultancy services for gas, electricity and water procurement, plus sustainability consultancy services for carbon reporting, decarbonisation and energy efficiency.
Each of the two lots is supported by the framework's sole supplier, Sustainable Energy First, as established following successful completion of a fully regulated public procurement exercise, conducted over the relevant procurement threshold. SE First is the UK's largest privately owned sustainability consultancy and can offer a combined 50+ years' experience in energy procurement, utility management, carbon reduction and sustainability consultancy.
Looking to identify ways of improving on your existing utilities contracts? Conscious of any impending renewal obligations and keen to explore your options? Connecting with SE First via this CPC framework could be just the jumpstart that you're needing. With its own specific user guide and dedicated Contract Manager support, it's also quick and easy to put this resource to work, while embedded regulatory compliance and the recommendation (to schools and academies) of the Department for Education provide extra peace of mind. Find CPC's Utilities Supplies & Services framework with the DfE's 'Get Help Buying for Schools'.
Readers are advised that the Utilities Supplies & Services framework is also available to our Crescent Services customers from the wider public sector, opening it up to use by local government institutions, blue light services, housing associations, public museums and galleries, the National Health Service and various other contracting authorities.
CPC and Crescent Services customers meanwhile have the added option of our Utilities Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), a go-to resource that enables rapid access to a stream of different utilities suppliers, encompassing the procurement of energy, gas, water and metering services. Saving professionals invaluable time and effort, each of the suppliers on this DPS has been pre-assessed and approved, ensuring a capable and credible selection for contracting authorities to call upon. Moreover, its function for new suppliers to join across its lifespan allows for competition and innovation that users can duly benefit from.
The Utilities DPS was created via the partnership between CPC and Sustainable Energy First. Read about this partnership here. The SE First team manages the whole process when members engage this system, including procurement process and supplier communication, making life even easier for users with a busy schedule of obligations. With SE First's industry expertise helping form pre-determined, reviewed and agreed terms and conditions, institutions can benefit from economies of scale, competitive pricing, established relationships and quality criteria, making this partnership another winner for CPC members.
🪫 Need to procure energy? This Utilities DPS provides a compliant route to market, with flexible options for both aggregated and risk managed gas and electricity. There are likewise fixed price and portfolio offerings for electricity and gas and equivalent fixed price and portfolio options for water supply. Our metering services supply solution meanwhile offers a selection of meter operator services (MOP), data collection and aggregation (DC/DA), plus AMR/SMETS meter installation and data provision.
Finally, and a new addition during 2026, our Renewable Energy framework is another available to both CPC's education sector members and to non-education bodies through sister brand, Crescent Services. As one may gather, this framework is centred around the procurement of renewable energy solutions, with a pre-evaluated tetrad of suppliers on board. With SE First again on hand to manage things, from formative strategy and initial supplier engagement through to the awarding of contracts and final implementation, a package of end-to-end procurement support is at users' disposal, as delivered by experts in the field.
With environmental fears becoming somewhat commonplace during the 2020s and various sustainability initiatives emerging across the public sector, CPC's Renewable Energy agreement can connect establishments with non-expiring, natural resource provisions, enabling reduced emissions and facilitating greater health (not to mention the potential enduring savings in play).
Of additional note, CPC's solution for renewable energy procurement is aligned with Procurement Act 2023 regulations, enabling the achievement of best practice, as established through this decade's public procurement regulatory reforms.
Curious about our energy-based frameworks and how they could empower your procurement of gas, water, metering and more? Why not contact our relevant CPC Procurement Manager, Katherine Orme, for an informal discussion, or for further information? Our CPC Helpdesk can also support with questions or queries you might have. Also, watch out for an all-new episode of the CPC Podcast in the upcoming weeks, where Sustainable Energy First's own David Shuttleworth will be in the studio to discuss some of the ways SE First can assist Crescent Purchasing Consortium and Crescent Services customers. âš¡