Case Study: Delivering £23m in Value for OVO Energy Through Strategic Procurement

23 Apr
Posted by: Janet Strzebrakowski
Category: Case Studies
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OVO Energy case study image highlighting procurement transformation and strategic cost management in the energy sector.

With major changes to its metering strategy, OVO Energy needed a procurement partner that could deliver both speed and commercial value. Barkers stepped in to provide expert support—resulting in a successful tender and £23m in savings.

OVO Energy required specialist support to tender for emergency and maintenance metering services. Using our metering procurement expertise, Barkers worked closely with OVO Energy to successfully appoint a new service provider. This enabled OVO Energy to deliver its metering business strategy while achieving savings of approximately £23 million against anticipated costs.

Challenge

OVO Energy needed commercial and procurement support to develop a new metering strategy, define service requirements, and manage the full procurement process through to contract award. This included drafting tender documentation, managing clarifications, coordinating stakeholder and bidder communications, evaluating bids, conducting commercial negotiations, drafting terms and conditions, preparing recommendation papers, supporting governance approvals, producing final contract documentation, managing bidder debriefs, and delivering a contract management handover pack for the Go-Live date.

The scale of the project, tight deadlines, and multiple stakeholder interdependencies added complexity and required careful coordination throughout the process.

Solution

To meet OVO Energy’s objectives, Barkers provided a senior procurement and commercial consultant with extensive experience in utilities metering projects and operational delivery. Our focus was on providing strategic guidance while ensuring the successful delivery of the contract award.

Barkers managed the project’s complex interdependencies and used its in-depth utilities market knowledge to secure a strong commercial outcome.

Client engagement was maintained through regular stakeholder calls and weekly progress reports, with all procurement activity aligned to OVO Energy’s governance requirements.

Throughout the process, Barkers remained focused on meeting the project timeline while achieving the best possible commercial results. A comprehensive handover pack was provided to ensure OVO Energy’s contract management team could effectively manage the new contract going forward.

Result

Through Barkers’ strategic procurement support and commercial expertise, OVO Energy achieved significant financial and operational benefits. The project delivered a successful outcome that aligned with OVO Energy’s metering strategy while maximising value.

  • Successful completion of the procurement tender
  • £23 million in savings against anticipated costs through competitive tendering and commercial negotiations
  • Additional commercial benefits secured

“I have worked with Barkers in the past and was already aware of their strong procurement and commercial expertise, as well as their in-depth knowledge of the relevant market sector.

Once the team was briefed on our desired outcomes and the delivery timeframe, we worked together to assess the feasibility of our plan and build something achievable. This approach helped manage internal expectations and foster trust in the plan.

As with any procurement project, unforeseen challenges and changes arose that could impact timelines. Barkers supported us through these, challenged them when appropriate, and adapted the work as needed. Throughout, Barkers consistently put the project and its outcomes first, demonstrating a high level of integrity.

The result was delivered on time, was robust, and provided clear benefits. I would not hesitate to work with Barkers again.” – David Anderson, Director Procurement & Supply, Ovo Energy

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Delivering £23m in Value for OVO Energy Through Strategic Procurement – Case Study

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Author: Janet Strzebrakowski
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