WIREDGOV

YPO, the UK’s largest publicly-owned buying organisation has taken home two awards at The Energy Live Consultancy Awards (TELCA) 2016 held in London last week.

Beating off tough competition from the likes of Utilitywise and Make It Cheaper, YPO won the award for ‘Best Customer Service’ for its commitment to outstanding customer support and advocacy.  Georgina Penfold, who leads YPO’s services for Energy Solutions was also named ‘Industry Expert of the Year’ following nominations by her peers in the energy sector.

The awards celebrate the achievements of the UK’s very best energy consultants, brokers and other third party intermediaries at the annual award ceremony held at the spectacular Honourable Artillery Company grounds in central London. More than 560 people packed out the venue, to see just 12 winners take home prizes, with organisers reporting a record number of entries for this year’s awards. 

YPO was the only public sector organisation shortlisted at the awards, competing in a field made up entirely of commercial energy professionals. Established in 1974 to aggregate the procurement spend of its owning local authorities, YPO has helped drive public sector efficiency savings through its bulk buying power for product supplies and centralised contract services initiatives.

The YPO energy team represents over 100 different organisations ranging from county councils, educational establishments, charities and the emergency services along with individual public sector sites.  The experienced energy traders handle a cumulative gas, electricity and liquid fuels spend of almost £300 million per year, while the energy solutions arm provides supply chain management for renewable energy technologies and low energy building services – all backed by expert advice in energy efficiency and energy policy. 

YPO’s managing director Simon Hill said he was “thrilled” by the organisation’s achievements.

“Procuring energy for business is much more complex than buying energy for homes,” said Simon. “Public sector organisations have strict legislation to follow, making it a particularly challenging task. We provide a service to help take away the pressure of this task, which is why it’s incredibly meaningful for us to be recognised for our outstanding customer service and industry expertise.

“Our team of skilled and experienced energy specialists have walked in the shoes of our customers and know the challenges they face. They not only provide a friendly, professional and approachable service, they also make sure that the customer receives the best possible experience and value for money when dealing with suppliers of gas, power or services, through our brokerage.”

YPO’s category buyer for energy Steve Sefton said he was “extremely proud” to be part of the award-winning team.

“We pride ourselves on our knowledge, experience and passion so it’s very rewarding to receive such a commendable accolade,” said Steve. “As social value champions, we see our role as partners to not only our customers, but also our suppliers. We maintain strong relationships with both and are always striving for improvement and development.

“With the market always fluctuating, energy procurement decisions are a critical element to any commercial strategy. At YPO, we offer guidance to help with decision-making and recognise how important the role of customer support plays in that.”

YPO’s category manager for energy solutions, Georgina Penfold received the highly-acclaimed award for ‘Industry Expert of the Year’ and said she was “incredibly shocked but pleased” to win her award.

“I'm delighted by this recognition and in particular by the support I've received from contacts throughout the utilities sector.  It doesn't happen in isolation - I'm lucky to work with some excellent suppliers and ambitious clients and we have a good team here at YPO to help our customers become more energy efficient”

As a not-for-profit organisation, YPO returns a dividend to its members totalling almost £7million in 2015, a substantial injection back into the heart of public services.

For further information or images, please contact Grayling on 0113 273 9900.

Myriam Khan Myriam.Khan@grayling.com)

Eleanor Cropper (Eleanor.Cropper@grayling.com)

Jo Willis (Joanna.Willis@grayling.com)

Or Fiona Wilkins (Fiona.Wilkins@ypo.co.uk) at YPO on 01924 834907. 

Notes to editors:  

• YPO is the largest public sector buying organisation in the UK. Fully owned by 13 local government member authorities, YPO has also established formal relationships with further 41 organisations - known as associate member authorities - across local government and the wider public sector.
• YPO has an annual turnover in excess of £660 million, with a range including approximately 30,000 products and 80 public sector framework contracts.
• YPO was crowned Supplier of the Year in the over £10 million turnover category for the second consecutive year at the BESA Education Resources Awards 2015.
• YPO won silver in the UK Employee Experience Award 2016 for the category ‘Loving your Customer’, as well as the ECMOD Direct Commerce Award 2016 for ‘Outstanding customer service B2B’.