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1.     
Approve the decision to award the 12-month (April
2025 – March 2026) contract for gas for all Chorley Council
properties to Corona Energy, entering a framework agreed following
recent tender exercise carried out by Inspired Energy Plc is
noted.

2.     
Approve the Director of Governance or Director of
Planning and Property to formally execute the above contract. The
contact is due to commence on 1st April 2025.

3.     
To note that the Director may need to formally
execute the above contracts prior to this approval, reflecting the
decision taken by members in previous years. This action will only
be taken following advice from Inspired Energy Plc to secure
preferential rates, as a forecasted increase in unit prices would
have had a financial impact on the Council.
 
Reasons for recommendations:

1.     
Inspired Energy Plc is appointed as council’s
utility management agent and has secured rates for a 12-month fixed
term contract via the Countess of Chester Hospital  NHS Foundation
Trust Framework with the following suppliers:
·        
Gas – Corona Energy
·        
Electricity – Bryt
Energy

2.     
Due to the ongoing uncertain utility commodity
climate Inspired Energy advised Chorley Council to enter a 12-month
fixed term contract for. This allows for ongoing market monitoring
with the potential for lower rates to be secured in 12 months with
longer fixed term contracts to be considered.
 
Other
options considered and rejected:
Procurement of commodities via
YPO framework has been considered and rejected because, once YPO
have brokered the utility Procurement, they do not provide ongoing
support, bill validation or energy monitoring. They also do not
support the council in analysing energy usage per site and
assisting with the councils’ carbon neutral
objective.