Before signing your next business energy contract, confirm the current agreement's dates, the supplies included, the complete proposed terms and who has authority to accept. Resolve missing information before approving the offer. This checklist helps businesses in Great Britain prepare a reviewable decision pack; detailed price comparison and checks after signing are covered in separate guides.
Confirm the current position for each supply
Find the current contract confirmation, terms and latest bill. Record the supplier, legal business, supply address, end date and any notice provisions. Ask the supplier to reconcile missing or conflicting information in writing.
Ofgem's business switching guidance recommends checking when a switch is possible, the notice required and any exit fee. Requesting a quotation does not, by itself, give notice or end the existing agreement.
For multiple sites, keep one row per electricity and gas supply. Identify who owns the deadlines and record what the applicable terms say happens if no replacement agreement is arranged. Do not assume the existing prices continue unchanged after the fixed period.
Set a practical review point early enough to collect information and consider options. The appropriate timing depends on the agreements, business plans and market circumstances; a standard diary reminder is not a substitute for checking the actual notice requirement.
Build a reliable supply and consumption pack
Give everyone pricing the renewal the same information:
- Correct legal business name and relevant site addresses.
- Electricity meter point administration numbers (MPANs) and gas meter point reference numbers (MPRNs).
- Recent invoices and the current contract confirmation.
- Annual consumption, its source period and any actual or estimated basis.
- Relevant day, night or other usage splits.
- Proposed start dates and contract lengths to consider.
- Planned changes to equipment, opening hours, occupancy or premises.
Our identifier guide helps separate supply references from physical meter and account numbers. Check uncertain matches before using them for a new agreement.
If figures are missing, label them as unresolved and ask how quotations will be prepared. A construction project nearing handover or a business adding equipment may need a different forecast from the previous year's usage.
Check that the comparison is complete
Use the quote-comparison guide to put offers on a common basis. At this stage, the decision-maker should be able to see the complete comparison, assumptions and any remaining uncertainty without rebuilding the calculation.
Confirm that the quotations concern the same supplies, dates and consumption. Check standing and applicable capacity charges, fixed and pass-through elements, metering or other service costs and relevant exclusions. Record when each offer expires.
Ask for a written explanation of broker remuneration and the services included. The broker-fee guide covers the calculation. Keep the supplier offer and any broker service agreement together, while recognising that they are separate documents with their own terms.
If an answer changes the comparison, circulate the revised version before approval. Avoid leaving an earlier total in an email while a later schedule contains different assumptions.
Read the final terms and confirm authority
Use this final approval checklist:
| Check | Before accepting |
|---|---|
| Customer and supplies | Legal name, identifiers and sites match the intended scope. |
| Dates and duration | Start, end, term and continuation provisions are understood. |
| Charges | Included, excluded and variable elements are clear. |
| Operational conditions | Payment, metering and relevant information requirements are understood. |
| Broker arrangements | Remuneration, support and separate service terms have been reviewed. |
| Authority | The right person can approve, with any LOA scope understood. |
Ofgem's contract guidance highlights contract type, duration, fees and broker commission. Ask for clarification where the final paperwork does not match the explanation used to obtain approval.
Use the LOA guide if a representative is involved. Do not assume permission to collect bills automatically establishes permission to accept the proposed supply agreement.
Retain the decision and hand over the next actions
Confirm that the authorised person has the exact current offer and complete terms before giving acceptance. Ofgem warns that business energy contracts have no cooling-off period after agreement, so resolve outstanding questions beforehand.
Retain the accepted version, approval record and relevant correspondence. Name the person who will check the supplier's response and track any subsequent questions. The detailed registration, supply-start, metering and first-invoice work belongs in the after-signing guide.
BBA Energy's procurement and renewal support can help organise this decision pack and supplier enquiries. Agree the scope for the particular engagement so that the business knows which tasks are being handled and which remain with its own team.