Cheshire East Council awards £50.5m managed energy service to West Mercia Energy

Tender information last checkedLast checked 9 Oct 2026, 11:01.

Opportunity overview

The Council seeks to make provision for its electricity and gas requirements from 1st April 2027 for a period of three years with the option to extend for 2 x 12 months. The Council intends to procure a fully managed service whereby the Managed Service Provider (MSP) will purchase energy for and on behalf of the Council via an established framework or dynamic purchasing system that is compliant with either the previous or current Procurement Regulations, which amounts to approximately £12,000,000 per annum within its Corporate, Unmetered Supply (UMS) and Schools portfolio including Academies. It will provide a flexible purchasing method of procuring energy and will provide an end-to-end billing and management service. It will take the form of a single contract with the MSP negating the need to have a separate contract with the energy suppliers. Deliveries of services included are as follows: • Account Management including customer service; • Billing; • Management of Sites and Metering; • Data Management; • Purchase of green electricity; • Complaints Handling; • Online Management Portal; • Portfolio Reviews; • Performance Requirements and Service Levels The contract provides for the possibility that the contract value may be modified by an increase or decrease during the contract term, in line with one or more of the following parameters: energy tariffs; energy volume consumption changes; applicable VAT rates; adjustments to school and academy participation; and/or upon exercise of the option to take up green gas supply. As that potential for modification to contract value has been specifically provided for in the contract, and as such a modification would not change the overall nature of the contract, it shall be considered by the contracting authority to be a permitted modification under section 74 and Schedule 8(1) of the Procurement Act 2023, without the need for a new procurement. The values given in this notice are only estimations and take into account the extension option - the Council gives no guarantee or warranty or makes any representation as to the accuracy of any indicative volumes.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

West Mercia Energy

Match pending…

Published award value: £50.5m
Awarded: 22 Apr 2026
Award ID: 1
Status: active
Identifier: GB-PPON PPZB-5578-MWQH
Location: Shrewsbury, UKG22, SY2 5DE, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Contract details notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
ContractOpen source ↗

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id: C4382
Status: complete
Procurement Method: open
Procurement Method Details: Open procedure

Legal basis

Id: 2023/54
Scheme: UKPGA
Uri: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ↗

Covered By

GPA

Lots and requirements

Entry 1

Id: 1
Status: complete

Published documents

Entry 1

Id: conflictOfInterest
Document Type: conflictOfInterest
Description: Not published

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1

Name: Cheshire East Council
Id: GB-PPON-PTWR-7124-XZXQ

Identifier

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PTWR-7124-XZXQ

Address

Street Address: Delamere House, Delamere Street
Locality: Crewe
Postal Code: CW12JZ
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKD62

Contact

Email: procurementeast@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: UK_CA_TYPE
Id: publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description: Public authority - sub-central government

Organisation 2

Name: West Mercia Energy
Id: GB-PPON-PPZB-5578-MWQH

Identifier

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PPZB-5578-MWQH

Address

Street Address: Chapter House South, Abbey Lawn
Locality: Shrewsbury
Postal Code: SY2 5DE
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKG22

Contact

Email: Customerservices@westmerciaenergy.co.uk

Roles

supplier

Details

Url: http://www.westmerciaenergy.co.uk ↗
Scale: large
Vcse: No
Public Service Mission Organization: No
Sheltered Workshop: No

Award information

Award 1

Id: 1
Status: active
Main Procurement Category: services

Items

Item 1

Id: 1
Related Lot: 1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: CPV
Id: 09000000
Description: Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy

Entry 2

Scheme: CPV
Id: 65200000
Description: Gas distribution and related services

Entry 3

Scheme: CPV
Id: 65300000
Description: Electricity distribution and related services

Entry 4

Scheme: CPV
Id: 65400000
Description: Other sources of energy supplies and distribution

Entry 5

Scheme: CPV
Id: 65500000
Description: Meter reading service

Entry 6

Scheme: CPV
Id: 71314300
Description: Energy-efficiency consultancy services

Delivery locations

Entry 1

Region: UKD62
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom

Suppliers

Supplier 1

Id: GB-PPON-PPZB-5578-MWQH
Name: West Mercia Energy

Related lots

Contracts and changes

Entry 1

Id: 1
Award ID: 1
Title: Contract for Fully Managed Service for Energy Supply (gas and electric)
Status: active
Has Renewal: Yes
Above Threshold: Yes
Date Signed: 22 Sept 2026, 00:00

Period

Starts: 1 Apr 2027, 00:00
Ends: 31 Mar 2030, 23:59
Max Extent Date: 31 Mar 2032, 23:59

Renewal

Description: 2 x 12 months

Value

Including VAT: 60,600,000
Amount: 50,500,000
Currency: GBP

Documents

Entry 1

Id: A-23823
Document Type: contractSigned
Description: Contract
Url: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-23823 ↗
Format: application/pdf

Entry 2

Id: 095468-2026
Document Type: contractNotice
Notice Type: UK7
Description: Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Url: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095468-2026 ↗
Published: 9 Oct 2026, 09:22
Format: text/html

Agreed Metrics

Entry 1

Id: 1
Title: Timely Billing
Description: Percentage of monthly bills issued first time - 90% Number of monthly bills issued first time / number of bills due x 100

Observations

Entry 1

Id: frequency

Period

Duration In Months: 12

Entry 2

Id: 2
Title: Electricity billing accuracy
Description: Percentage of bills issued using actual electric consumption 80% Number of bills issued using actual electric consumption / number of electricity bills due

Observations

Entry 1

Id: frequency

Period

Duration In Months: 1

Entry 3

Id: 3
Title: Gas billing accuracy
Description: Percentage of bills issued using actual gas consumption 95% Number of bills issued using actual gas consumption / number of gas bills due

Observations

Entry 1

Id: frequency

Period

Duration In Months: 1

Entry 4

Id: 4
Title: Customer Support
Description: Percentage of support enquiries acknowledged within 1 working day 100% Number of enquiries acknowledged within 1 working day / number of enquiries received x 100

Observations

Entry 1

Id: frequency

Period

Duration In Months: 3

Entry 5

Id: 5
Title: AMR Metering
Description: Percentage of sites with AMR metering installed and functioning 90% Number of sites with AMR metering installed and functioning / number of sites x 100

Observations

Entry 1

Id: frequency

Period

Duration In Months: 12

Recorded locations

Buyer location · Crewe · UKD62 · CW12JZ · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

3 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

3 VERSIONS

013694-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender · 16 Feb 2026, 09:33
051294-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender · 1 Jun 2026, 11:37
095468-2026Contract details notice on Find a Tender · 9 Oct 2026, 09:22

PROCURAAXIS AWARD ANALYSIS

Award outcome intelligence

Evidence-bound analysis of the published award appears below the official tender and award information.

ANALYSIS PREVIEW

Award intelligence at a glance

Cheshire East Council has awarded West Mercia Energy a fully managed gas and electricity supply service. The contract is explicitly recorded as signed on 22 September 2026, starts on 1 April 2027 and has a three-year initial term with up to two further 12-month extensions.

Published outcome signals

Tender notice published16 February 2026Evidence: Release history records a tender notice dated 2026-02-16.
Award decision23 April 2026Evidence: Award record 1 has award_date 2026-04-23 and status active.
Contract award notice published1 June 2026Evidence: Release history records a contract award notice dated 2026-06-01.

96% approved-analysis confidence1 supplier record analysed5 source limitations

SOURCE AND FRESHNESS

Traceable procurement data

Source: Find a Tender
Notice reference: 095468-2026
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0513d9
First published: 1 Jun 2026
Last checked: 9 Oct 2026, 11:01
Notice versions reviewed: 3

View Find a Tender notice ↗

HOW THIS WAS PREPARED

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.

Analysis status: Approved for publication
Analysed: 9 Oct 2026

Read the analysis methodology →

AWARD OUTCOME

What happened

Published outcome

One active award and one active contract were recorded for West Mercia Energy under lot 1.

Market significance

The published contract value is £50.5m excluding VAT (£60.6m including VAT) across the maximum possible term. The service combines energy purchasing with billing, metering, portfolio management and customer-support functions for the council, unmetered supply and schools portfolio.

AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS

1 supplier record analysed

West Mercia Energy

98% confidence

Award 1 · Lots 1 · 50500000 GBP · active

View supporting evidence

Award 1 is active, names West Mercia Energy as its sole supplier and is linked to lot 1. The £50.5m value is recorded at award and contract level for this single-supplier award.

LIFECYCLE

Award or contract stage

Tender notice published

96% confidence

16 February 2026

View supporting evidence

Release history records a tender notice dated 2026-02-16.

Award decision

95% confidence

23 April 2026

View supporting evidence

Award record 1 has award_date 2026-04-23 and status active.

Contract award notice published

96% confidence

1 June 2026

View supporting evidence

Release history records a contract award notice dated 2026-06-01.

Contract signed

99% confidence

22 September 2026

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 gives dateSigned as 2026-09-22 and includes a document typed contractSigned.

Contract details notice published

99% confidence

9 October 2026

View supporting evidence

Contract document 095468-2026 is a Contract details notice dated 2026-10-09.

Contract start

99% confidence

1 April 2027

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period.startDate is 2027-04-01.

Initial contract end

99% confidence

31 March 2030

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period.endDate is 2030-03-31.

Maximum possible end

99% confidence

31 March 2032

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period.maxExtentDate is 2032-03-31 and renewal is described as 2 x 12 months.

VALUES

Published values explained

Contract value excluding VAT

99% confidence

£50,500,000

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 value.amount is 50500000 GBP; award 1 also records £50,500,000.

Contract value including VAT

99% confidence

£60,600,000

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 value.amountGross is 60600000 GBP.

Indicative annual energy portfolio amount

82% confidence

Approximately £12,000,000 per annum

View supporting evidence

Tender description states that the council portfolio amounts to approximately £12m per annum.

Value basis

98% confidence

Estimated values, including the extension option

View supporting evidence

Tender description says values are estimates, include the extension option, and are not guaranteed.

TIMELINE

Procurement timeline

Award date

95% confidence

23 April 2026

View supporting evidence

Award 1 award_date.

Signed date

99% confidence

22 September 2026

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 dateSigned.

Service commencement

99% confidence

1 April 2027

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period.startDate.

Initial term

99% confidence

1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period startDate and endDate.

Extension structure

99% confidence

Up to 2 x 12 months

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 renewal description.

Maximum term end

99% confidence

31 March 2032

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 period.maxExtentDate.

SCOPE

What was awarded

Service model

97% confidence

Fully managed energy supply service

View supporting evidence

The description states the council will use a managed service provider to purchase energy on its behalf through a compliant framework or dynamic purchasing system.

Energy coverage

99% confidence

Gas and electricity

View supporting evidence

Procurement and contract titles specify gas and electric/ electricity.

Portfolio coverage

96% confidence

Corporate, unmetered supply and schools portfolio, including academies

View supporting evidence

Tender description identifies these portfolio areas.

Core services

97% confidence

Energy purchasing, billing, site and metering management, data management, account management, complaints handling, online portal and portfolio reviews

View supporting evidence

These services are listed in the tender description.

Environmental option

94% confidence

Green electricity is included; green gas may be taken up as an option

View supporting evidence

The description includes purchase of green electricity and identifies exercise of an option for green gas supply as a potential value-modification parameter.

Delivery location

86% confidence

UKD62, United Kingdom

View supporting evidence

Award item delivery address is UKD62; this is also the buyer's region.

PROCEDURE

Procedure and competition

Procedure

99% confidence

Open procedure

View supporting evidence

Process procurementMethodDetails is Open procedure.

Legal basis

99% confidence

Procurement Act 2023

View supporting evidence

Tender legalBasis is UKPGA 2023/54.

Lot structure

98% confidence

One lot

View supporting evidence

Tender lists lot 1 only; award 1 is linked to that lot.

Number of bids

99% confidence

Unknown

View supporting evidence

Information not supplied in the published notice data.

Evaluation scores and award rationale

99% confidence

Unknown

View supporting evidence

Information not supplied in the published notice data.

CONTRACT TERMS

Published contract terms

Contract status

99% confidence

Active

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 status is active.

Award status

99% confidence

Active

View supporting evidence

Award 1 status is active.

Initial duration

99% confidence

Three years

View supporting evidence

The stated period runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030.

Extension option

99% confidence

2 x 12 months

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 hasRenewal is true and its renewal description is 2 x 12 months.

Permitted value changes

96% confidence

Potential increases or decreases linked to tariffs, consumption, VAT, school and academy participation, or the green-gas option

View supporting evidence

Tender description sets out these contract modification parameters.

Performance measures

98% confidence

Billing timeliness and accuracy, customer-support acknowledgement, and AMR metering performance

View supporting evidence

Contract 1 contains five agreed metrics covering these measures.

COMMERCIAL VIEW

Commercial observations

Managed-service role

96% confidence

The supplier is contracted as a managed service provider rather than simply as a direct energy supplier.

View supporting evidence

The description says the MSP will purchase energy for and on behalf of the council and that the arrangement avoids separate contracts with energy suppliers.

Demand and price exposure

96% confidence

Published contract value may vary because tariffs, consumption, VAT, participating schools/academies and green-gas selection may change.

View supporting evidence

These are the express modification parameters in the tender description.

Operational emphasis

98% confidence

The agreed metrics place measurable focus on billing quality, response handling and automated meter reading coverage.

View supporting evidence

Contract metrics specify targets for timely billing, electricity and gas billing accuracy, support acknowledgements and AMR metering.

ANALYSIS QUALITY

96%overall confidence

Confidence reflects the completeness and consistency of the published award data.

Reference: ocds-h6vhtk-0513d9
Analysed: 9 Oct 2026

APPROVED AWARD ANALYSIS

BUYER CONTEXT

Buyer context

Buyer

99% confidence

Cheshire East Council

View supporting evidence

Buyer party is named Cheshire East Council.

Buyer type

99% confidence

Sub-central government public authority

View supporting evidence

Buyer classification is publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment.

Buyer location

98% confidence

Crewe, United Kingdom

View supporting evidence

Buyer address states Crewe, CW1 2JZ, United Kingdom.

SUPPLIER CONTEXT

Supplier context

Supplier

99% confidence

West Mercia Energy

View supporting evidence

Supplier party and award 1 identify West Mercia Energy.

Supplier identifier

99% confidence

GB-PPON-PPZB-5578-MWQH

View supporting evidence

Supplier party identifier is GB-PPON PPZB-5578-MWQH.

Supplier scale

94% confidence

Large

View supporting evidence

Supplier party details record scale as large.

Supplier location

98% confidence

Shrewsbury, United Kingdom

View supporting evidence

Supplier address states Shrewsbury, SY2 5DE, United Kingdom.

Identity verification

90% confidence

Not applicable in the supplied supplier-verification record

View supporting evidence

Supplier identity status is not_applicable; no verified company name or company number is supplied.

RENEWAL OUTLOOK

Renewal outlook

Extension decision window

89% confidence

By 31 March 2030, if the council exercises the first extension

View supporting evidence

Initial term ends 31 March 2030 and the contract provides two 12-month extensions. This is an estimate based on the published end date, not a procurement forecast.

Maximum-term endpoint

99% confidence

31 March 2032

View supporting evidence

Contract maximum extent date is 31 March 2032, subject to extension exercise.

DATA QUALITY

Gaps and source limitations

Notice and contract evidence

98% confidence

Strong

View supporting evidence

The data includes an active award, an active contract, an explicit signed date and a contractSigned document.

Value interpretation

98% confidence

Estimated, not guaranteed

View supporting evidence

The buyer states that values are estimates, include extension options and are not warranted as accurate indicative volumes.

Lot detail

99% confidence

Lot 1 has no published title, description or standalone value

View supporting evidence

Lot 1 title, description and value fields are null in the supplied data.

Supplier legal-entity verification

95% confidence

No verified company name or company number supplied

View supporting evidence

Supplier verification is marked not_applicable and both verified company name and number are null.

Competition information

99% confidence

Information not supplied in the published notice

View supporting evidence

No bid count, bidder list, scoring or evaluation narrative is provided.

SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS

Information not supplied in the published notice

Published values are estimates that include extension options; the buyer gives no guarantee regarding indicative volumes.
No standalone lot title, description or lot-level value is published for lot 1.
No bid count, unsuccessful bidder information, evaluation scores or detailed award rationale is supplied.
No verified company name or company number is supplied for West Mercia Energy; supplier verification is marked not applicable.
No pricing breakdown, energy volumes, tariff methodology or extension exercise decision is supplied.

MARKET THEMES

Relevant award themes

COMMON QUESTIONS

About this award

Who won Cheshire East Council's managed energy supply contract?

West Mercia Energy is the sole supplier named in active award 1.

What is the contract value?

The contract records £50.5m excluding VAT and £60.6m including VAT. The buyer describes published values as estimates including extension options.

When does the contract run?

It starts on 1 April 2027, initially ends on 31 March 2030, and may extend by up to two further 12-month periods to 31 March 2032.

Was the contract signed?

Yes. The contract data records a signed date of 22 September 2026 and identifies a contract document.

ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.

Fully Managed Energy Supply Service (Gas and Electric)

Opportunity overview

Awarded to

West Mercia Energy

Classification

Lots

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Scope, procedure and submissions

Legal basis

Covered By

Lots and requirements

Published documents

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Identifier

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Classifications

Identifier

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Award information

Items

Additional Classifications

Delivery locations

Suppliers

Related lots

Contracts and changes

Period

Renewal

Value

Documents

Agreed Metrics

Observations

Period

Observations

Period

Observations

Period

Observations

Period

Observations

Period

Recorded locations

Notice and amendment history

Award intelligence at a glance

Published outcome signals

Traceable procurement data

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

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