For individuals, the equation is often simple: a natural gas or electricity contract = a consumption site. For businesses, communities and professionals, the calculation can be a bit complicated. An energy contract can be said to be “multi-site”. It then combines the energy supply of several sites, such as several laundries, several restaurants or several warehouses for example.

Centralizing its energy supply contracts into a single agreement reinforces operational efficiency and negotiating power. This solution simplifies administrative management with a single invoice. It also makes it possible to save money by benefiting from the same pricing conditions for all sites. How to properly negotiate and manage a multi-site contract?

Our advice.

Step 1: Prepare your multi-site purchase contract negotiation

Whatever your sector of activity, the size of your company or the type of your counter, you must first of all define a purchasing strategy adapted to your challenges.

The secret to a good negotiation?

Know your needs and consumption profile perfectly. Good preparation is the prerequisite for write clear, precise and exhaustive specifications and obtain the most competitive offer.

Define the scope of the multi-site energy contract

The first step is to precisely clarify your needs and to define the scope of the multi-site contract.

To define the scope of the multi-site contract, you must:

• Group sites by energy and by geographical area: concerning natural gas, the geographical scope influences the negotiation. The rate varies according to the tariff zone and some gas suppliers do not serve certain areas.
• Analyze the perimeter entity by entity.

Collect data

Negotiating a single supply contract for all of a company's sites requires centralizing all administrative and technical data, as well as existing invoices, in advance.

You need to:

• Retrieve delivery points (PDL or RAE) of each of your electricity and natural gas meters.
• List all your current energy suppliers and electricity and gas contracts : due date, horo-seasonal breakdown...
• Know your energy consumption : gas and electricity consumption site by site, subscribed powers, consumption profiles (constant over the year, Winter-Summer option, Day/Night option...)
• Know the current rates contract by contract and the delivery rates applied by Enedis and GRDF.
• Combine all the information in a single document useful in bills to negotiate your energy contracts.

Collecting electricity and gas data and bills is a tedious, time-consuming task and has no added value. You can simplify this step by hiring an energy consulting firm.

Did you know that?

SirEnergies centralizes all of your sites and archives your data in a single customer area. This unique platform facilitates access to all your information (electricity and gas contracts, amendments, invoices, energy consumption, etc.).

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Adapt your purchasing strategy to your business

Each business is unique. Each site has a specific consumption profile. Before negotiating your multi-site energy contract, you must establish a clear and adapted purchasing strategy:

• Ensure administrative data : start, duration and signatories of the multi-site contract.
• Determine the acceptable level of risk for you based on the resilience of your business. You will in fact have the choice between multiple and more or less risky electricity and gas offers, at fixed price, indexed, or variable.
• Know the constraints of your organization to adapt the contract: centralized, regional management and payment, site by site...
• Define your points of vigilance : security deposit, tacit renewal, evolution of the park...
• Integrate the purchase of energy into a more global policy : green electricity, local supplier...

Step 2: Negotiate your multi-site power purchase contract

Negotiating a multi-site contract is a long and complex process. Calls, emails, reminders, multiple identifiers and passwords for each customer area of each supplier: the barriers are numerous. Here are some tips for effectively negotiating your energy contract if you manage a multi-site business.

Tip 1: ensure daily monitoring

Prices change daily.

The electricity and natural gas markets are European exchanges where prices fluctuate every day depending on many factors (supply level, demand level, geopolitical factors, CO2 certificate price, oil price, etc.)

For se position at the right time, it is important to monitor daily, observe trends and anticipate upward and downward developments.

Tip 2: target energy suppliers to consult

Not every energy supplier is right for your business.

Some electricity and gas suppliers are better positioned on small multi-site consumers and others on large single-site consumers. It is therefore necessary to choose the suppliers the better adapted to your typology. You can also, to improve your carbon footprint and your CSR policy, prefer to sign a contract with a local supplier or a supplier committed to green energy.

Tip 3: require a single response date

1 day can make a difference. Once the specifications have been sent, you must ask for the same response date from all suppliers in order to be able to compare prices with the same quotation day.

Tip 4: compare price offers on a common basis

Comparing offers is the critical step. It is essential to draw up a comparative table of contractual conditions and prices offered by all energy suppliers. The breakdown of prices will avoid an unpleasant surprise and will allow you to distinguish between really fixed prices and those likely to change during the contract.

Tip 5: analyze all contract clauses

The multi-site contract must correspond to your specific needs and your consumption profile. If money is the lifeblood, other clauses — other than pricing — should draw your attention to optimize your budget:

• Consumer management services : they will allow you to monitor gas and electricity consumption site by site and to adjust the supply.
• The clauses for adding and deleting sites: they are the key to flexibility to adapt the multi-site contract at any time to the evolution of your business and the number of sites.
• Clauses for managing peak consumption: controlling possible penalties in case of overconsumption helps to gain financial visibility.
• Termination and renewal clauses: they make it possible to maintain flexibility and to anticipate possible end of contract costs.

Tip 6: decide quickly!

It's time to sign. The longer you ask for the validity of the offer, the more your price will be degraded. In fact, the supplier's risk taking to keep the price on the market for one, two, three days or more will be passed on to you.

Negotiation is a complex process.
It requires a perfect knowledge of the electricity and gas markets, a great deal of expertise to understand pricing offers and a great deal of responsiveness.

Did you know that?

The experts of SirEnergies support you in your negotiation to seize the best opportunities and subscribe to the contract with the best quality-price ratio!

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Step 3: Manage your multi-site energy contract well

Once the multi-site contract is signed, your objective should be to keep control of your consumption, your bills and your electricity and gas budget.

With the SirEnergies application, you adopt a proactive approach to continuously optimize your energy strategy. Our unique and ergonomic platform allows client companies and communities to:

• Gain visibility through monitoring : the SirEnergies application offers a global and detailed vision to monitor the performance of your sites in real time. You can analyze your energy consumption site by site, and its evolution over time.
• Gain financial visibility through real-time monitoring of expenses electricity and natural gas.
• Manage your electricity and gas contracts independently or accompanied by an expert.

The multi-site energy contract is an effective solution for businesses and professionals with several sites. Administrative simplification, single invoice, price competitiveness, financial savings...: the advantages of a multi-site contract are numerous. On the other hand, its negotiation and management are long and complex processes that require in-depth expertise in the electricity and gas markets. Personalized support from experts makes it possible to negotiate the most competitive offer adapted to your consumption profile, and to maintain control of your electricity and natural gas bills over the long term.