Guide / Choose your buying support
Choose and brief an energy adviser for your independent school
An energy adviser should solve a defined school problem. Establish what it will do, how it is paid and what authority you will grant it, then retain control of the supply decision and the service after award.
Decide what support would be useful
A TPI is a third-party intermediary, often described as an energy broker, consultant or adviser. The title does not tell you whether the provider compares the whole market, how it is paid or what continuing work it performs. Start with the gaps your school needs help to close: a fragmented meter portfolio, limited finance capacity, complex boarding demand, contract scrutiny or weak bill and usage management.
Ask for an answer in deliverables. For example, an agreed data book, a written market approach, complete comparisons, an acceptance protocol and a transfer plan. If you need continuing management, specify that separately. A sales presentation about expertise is not the same as a committed service with named people, frequency, outputs and a price.
One lead adviser can organise the exercise
Using a TPI is optional. Where the school decides one is appropriate, appointing one lead adviser can create a clear brief and accountable coordination. Select that adviser through the school's proper buying process. This is an operating choice, not a law requiring schools to use a broker or preventing them from obtaining independent assurance.
Avoid overlapping mandates that leave several advisers approaching the same suppliers without an agreed plan. Before appointment, check existing engagement letters, exclusivity, remuneration and termination provisions. Record how the new adviser will work with the school, existing support and any specialist reviewer. Ending practical contact with an old broker does not automatically end its contractual rights.
Understand the market it will actually approach
Ask which suppliers and products the provider can access, which it will approach for this requirement and why others are excluded. Establish whether it is acting as the school's adviser, a supplier's agent or in another capacity. Request a description of any preferred arrangements, incentives or restrictions that could affect the options presented.
The comparison should identify the suppliers approached, responses received and material limits of the exercise. A claim to access many suppliers does not establish that every supplier was asked or that every product is suitable. Ask the provider to explain a narrow result, an absent alternative or a recommendation to select a longer term.
Translate remuneration into a full-term cost
Require a written account of all remuneration: direct fees, supplier-paid commission, per-unit uplift, additional work, incentives and any amount payable on renewal, termination or a change of supply. State which figures are already in the energy offer so they are not added twice. Ofgem says supplier-billed TPI costs must be disclosed to all business customers through principal terms and on request; directly paid advisory fees need their own clear service agreement.
An invented illustration makes the method visible: an uplift of 0.2p/kWh on constant annual use of 250,000 kWh represents £500 a year, or £1,500 over three years, before tax. It is not a market quote. Actual commission can change with consumption and terms. Assess the complete economic cost alongside the service; a supplier-paid fee is still relevant to the school's value judgement.
Separate access to information from authority to bind
Read every letter of authority and engagement term before signing. Distinguish permission to obtain data, request offers, negotiate, place trades and accept a contract. Specify the customer, sites, purpose, duration, permitted recipients and process for withdrawal. Do not assume a document called a data authority has only that effect.
Our recommended starting position is that the school retains acceptance, with any exception expressly authorised and tightly defined. If a flexible purchasing arrangement includes delegated trading, agree the strategy, limits, reporting and escalation before trading begins. Ask a suitable professional to review material authority or liability questions. Business energy contracts can become binding over the telephone; do not rely on a later signature or cooling-off period to undo an instruction.
Check competence, conflicts and recourse
Test the proposed delivery team, school experience, capacity, relevant insurance and continuity arrangements. Seek evidence of work comparable to the actual estate, rather than an unsupported savings percentage. Identify any connections with governors, staff, group companies or suppliers and record their treatment under the school's governance.
Obtain the complaints procedure and, where relevant, evidence of current qualifying dispute-settlement scheme membership and eligibility. Membership of a voluntary code or a redress scheme is not a guarantee of competence or a favourable outcome. Ofgem's 20 July 2026 good-practice guidance sets expectations while further rules are being developed; do not treat it as a licence or individual approval of the adviser.
Make the appointment manageable after signature
Agree the service schedule, remuneration, authority, data handover, review dates and exit arrangements in the appointment. Name the school's owner and the provider's accountable contact. Keep the adviser appointment and energy supply award as separate decisions, with their own approvals and records.
This guide uses Great Britain energy guidance alongside England-focused school governance. Northern Ireland has a separate regulator and market arrangements; use the Utility Regulator's TPI information for that jurisdiction. In every setting, retain school-owned copies of the brief, offers, explanation, signed terms and continuing-service records.