The Energy Consortium

What The Energy Consortium does

The Energy Consortium (TEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit energy buying consortium founded in 1994 and headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom. TEC operates as a contracting authority serving 192 member institutions across higher education, further education, museums/GLAM, and research establishments in England and Wales, with reported coverage of approximately 75% of all HE institutions in England and Wales. The organisation delivers six interconnected service lines: Energy Risk Management (flexible wholesale market purchasing), Water Managed Service (in partnership with Wave Utilities), Bureau Services (bill validation, contract management, energy monitoring, and compliance), ORBIT Portfolio Budgeting (a daily-refreshed, split-out budgeting tool viewable at full portfolio or individual supply level for the entire risk-managed period), Independent Market Intelligence (market analysis on gas, electricity, oil and carbon allowances), and Carbon Reduction and Sustainability support. Underlying technology combines framework agreements with strategic suppliers (EDF for energy, Wave for water, Stark for MHHS metering) and the proprietary ORBIT member portal, rather than a single monolithic SaaS platform. TEC is 100% owned by its members, governed by a Board comprising a Chair, five member-appointed Directors, one independent Director, and the Executive Managing Director. Revenue is generated through membership fees structured under a published scale of charges with full transparency on commissions; energy procurement itself is largely pass-through. Reported FY2023/24 outcomes include £11 saved for every £1 members spent through TEC Energy Frameworks, over £847,000 in water framework savings versus default wholesale charges, and over £1m in annual water savings across 90 members. TEC achieved the first UK Renewable Aggregated Power Purchase Agreement in the public sector, covering 20 universities, and was recognised as a model of good practice in the Universities UK 2025 efficiency report. Distribution is exclusively direct membership with no reseller or channel partner layer.

Name

The Energy Consortium

Legal name

The Energy Consortium (Education & Public Sector) Ltd

Website

https://tec.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Energy Consortium (TEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit energy buying consortium serving 192 higher education, further education, museum, and research institutions across England and Wales with energy procurement, water management, bureau services, and decarbonisation support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Procurement and Management Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Decarbonization Strategy & Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Advisory (EUABAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Unbundled Renewable Attributes Trading (Standalone EACs) (EUAGAFAF)

Keywords

• Energy procurement services
• Energy risk management
• Water managed services
• Portfolio budgeting tools
• Carbon reduction support

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees and Scale of Charges: TEC operates as a not-for-profit organisation. Bureau services are included as part of membership fees under their scale of charges. The organisation provides complete transparency on all commissions and fees, with members paying for services based on a published scale of charges rather than profit-generating pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Energy Consortium (TEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit energy buying consortium that delivers energy procurement, flexible wholesale purchasing, water management, bureau services, portfolio budgeting (ORBIT), independent market intelligence, and carbon reduction support to higher and further education institutions, museums, and research establishments across England and Wales. TEC operates as a contracting authority that provides framework agreements with vetted suppliers and a member portal for procurement, risk management, and sustainability outcomes.

Product overview

The Energy Consortium (TEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit energy buying consortium serving the higher and further education sectors, museums, and research establishments. TEC offers a unified suite of six interconnected energy management services: Energy Risk Management (flexible wholesale purchasing), Water Managed Service (via Wave partnership), Bureau Services (bill validation and monitoring), ORBIT Portfolio Budgeting (financial planning tool), Independent Market Intelligence (market analysis), and Carbon Reduction & Sustainability support. These services are delivered through a combination of framework agreements with strategic partners and the ORBIT member portal, providing comprehensive coverage of energy procurement, management, and decarbonisation needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Energy Risk Management Flexible energy purchasing service that spreads multiple purchases across the wholesale market to risk manage members' energy positions beyond standard supply agreements, delivered by TEC's expert trading team for higher and further education institutions, museums, and research establishments.
• Water Managed Service Water and wastewater management service delivered in partnership with Wave Utilities, covering water supply, billing, leakage management, water efficiency, and ancillary services for TEC members and wider public sector organisations.
• Bureau Services Expert energy management solutions including bill validation, contract management, energy and performance monitoring, data storage, compliance, and energy efficiency reporting, included as part of TEC membership under the scale of charges.
• ORBIT Portfolio Budgeting Portfolio budgeting tool providing fully split out, daily-refreshed budgets based on financial year, broken down by month and viewable at full portfolio or individual supply level for the entire risk-managed period, accounting for moving commodity and non-commodity costs.
• Independent Market Intelligence Market analysis and updates covering gas, electricity, oil, and carbon allowances, providing independent assessments of market prices and history via emailed reports and member-only website access.
• Carbon Reduction and Sustainability Advice, guidance, and support on energy reduction and decarbonisation solutions, facilitating discussion and knowledge sharing among members on carbon reduction journeys.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every £1 members spent through TEC Energy Frameworks in 2023/24, they saved £11 on average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and strategic.

• Wave UtilitiescoreTechnology or Integration · 27 October 2024Wave Utilities is TEC's water, wastewater and ancillary services framework partner. They provide managed water services including supply, leakage management, water efficiency, flexible billing, and ancillary services like AMR installation, leak detection, and Legionella risk management. The framework was retained in October 2024 with new agreements commencing 27th October 2024. Wave has supported over 300,000 customers and helps TEC members save over £1 million annually.
• EDFcoreTechnology or IntegrationEDF is TEC's energy supplier providing electricity and gas services. EDF delivers strategic account management and service development for TEC members, providing data and support to help TEC serve its membership effectively.
• StarkcoreTechnology or IntegrationStark is an independent metering agent that partnered with TEC for the Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) webinar. They are working with TEC to help members understand and prepare for MHHS requirements.
• EEVSsupportingTechnology or IntegrationEEVS partnered with TEC and Oxford Brookes University for a webinar on Measurement and Verification (M&V) in energy, providing expertise on quantifying energy savings and performance improvements.
• UKUPC (UK Universities Purchasing Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKUPC is the national network of regional purchasing consortia. TEC participates as part of UKUPC alongside NEUPC, BUFDG, NWUPC, SUPC and others. UKUPC provides strategic direction, collaborative frameworks, and responsible procurement initiatives across UK higher education.
• AUDE (Association of University Directors of Estate)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerAUDE is a strategic partner organisation representing university estate professionals. TEC collaborates with AUDE to advance sustainability and energy management in UK further and higher education sectors.
• EAUC (Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerEAUC is the sustainability charity for the post-16 education sector. TEC works with EAUC on events, conferences, and knowledge sharing including the Green Gown Awards.
• NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional purchasing consortium partner within the UKUPC network.
• NWUPC (North West Universities Purchasing Consortium)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional purchasing consortium partner within the UKUPC network. TEC exhibited alongside NWUPC at the NWUPC Annual Conference 2026.
• BUFDG (British Universities Finance Directors Group)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partner representing higher education finance professionals.
• SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional purchasing consortium partner within the UKUPC network.
• InfersenssupportingTechnology or IntegrationInfersens provided remote flow/temperature sensors for a ground-breaking trial on Legionella risk management. The trial, run by Wave and funded by the Market Improvement Fund, was the first of its kind in the UK.
• SOS-UK (Students Organising for Sustainability)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTEC supports SOS-UK's Student Switch Off programme and Green Campus Revolution, helping provide insights on energy performance in residences and supporting data analysis for student sustainability initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Crown Commercial Service (CCS): CCS is the UK's central government procurement body, running national frameworks for energy and utilities that compete with TEC's frameworks. It serves the entire UK public sector and operates at a much larger scale than TEC.
• YPO (Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation): YPO is a UK public-sector buying organisation providing framework agreements to local authorities, schools, and the wider public sector. It competes with TEC in energy and utilities procurement but across a much broader portfolio of categories.
• Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO): ESPO is a large UK public-sector procurement organisation owned by local authorities. It operates energy and utilities frameworks that overlap with TEC's offerings, but across a broader public-sector remit than TEC's HE focus.

Direct peers

• North West Universities Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC): NWUPC aggregates procurement for universities in the North West of England. It is a UKUPC partner of TEC and runs parallel framework agreements for the same higher-education customer base.
• Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC): SUPC is a UK HE purchasing consortium covering southern England institutions. It delivers framework agreements and procurement services comparable to TEC, and is a fellow UKUPC member.
• London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC): LUPC is a UK HE purchasing consortium serving London-based universities, including LSE which is a TEC member. It directly competes with TEC for London HE procurement aggregation and is a UKUPC partner.
• Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC): CPC is a UK public-sector purchasing consortium serving further education, higher education, and the wider public sector. It runs energy and utilities frameworks directly comparable to TEC's and overlaps on member institutions.
• North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC): NEUPC is a UK higher-education purchasing consortium that aggregates procurement across universities in the North East of England. It operates the same consortium-for-member model as TEC and is a named UKUPC partner alongside TEC.

Others

• EDF Energy: EDF is TEC's core electricity and gas supply partner and one of the UK's largest energy suppliers. It is comparable to TEC as a counterparty in the UK HE energy procurement value chain, though positioned as supplier rather than consortium.
• Wave Utilities: Wave is TEC's sole water, wastewater and ancillary services framework partner serving over 300,000 customers. It is an ecosystem participant in TEC's water managed service rather than a competitor, but is materially comparable in the UK water management space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-energy-consortium-education-and-energy-connected

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Energy Consortium