Lancaster Arms, Leicester
An incorrect opening reading led to a bill of almost £50,000. The customer describes NEC's work on the complaint and Ombudsman process, with the bill reduced by nearly £20,000.
Read the Lancaster Arms accountEst. 2001 · Multi-site operators
Run five venues or fifty and the energy admin multiplies: renewal dates scattered across the year, bills from several suppliers, meters nobody remembers, and a small crisis every time a site changes hands. We give the whole estate one named consultant as your point of contact, backed by our billing and metering teams, as we have for pub groups and independent operators since 2001.
Trusted by Greene King, Star Pubs & Bars and Stonegate Group. Our story
A customer’s view · Longbow Venues
“They take the time to understand the nuances of our business, from operational demands to long-term objectives, and use that insight to guide their recommendations.”
A good rate at renewal is the easy part. Estate management is the work between renewals: billing errors, meter problems, sites changing hands, and a clear point of contact when something needs attention.
We steer contract end dates together over successive renewals, so instead of a dozen scattered negotiations a year, your estate goes to market with the buying power its combined usage deserves.
Track meter details, contract end dates and notice windows together, so you can plan renewals and reduce the risk of a site moving onto out-of-contract rates.
Every invoice for every site is checked against the contracted rates and actual reads. Where a supplier has it wrong, we raise the dispute and chase it. You see the correction, not the correspondence.
Openings, closures, acquisitions and changes of tenancy each mean supplier registrations, final accounts and potential disconnection risks. We coordinate the supplier admin and flag unresolved issues.
New supplies for new sites, meter upgrades and smart meter installations across the estate, all handled by our billing and metering team instead of each supplier's queue.
Water, broadband and telecoms, merchant services, EPOS and insurance can all sit alongside your energy contracts, so the whole estate's utilities run through one named consultant.
For procurement and estates teams
Start with the work you need covered: procurement, contract administration, billing, metering or support for sites joining the estate. Share your timetable and we'll confirm the right contact to discuss your brief.
We can discuss these alongside fixed contracts. Suitability depends on your energy use, budget priorities, approach to market risk and supplier availability. We'll agree the scope and purchasing responsibilities before any arrangement is put in place.
Discuss your procurement requirementsAn initial conversation does not need a letter of authority. If supplier records are needed for a review, we'll explain the authority required.
These published customer accounts show how our team handles disputed bills and supply problems. They describe individual billing corrections, not projected annual savings for an estate.
An incorrect opening reading led to a bill of almost £50,000. The customer describes NEC's work on the complaint and Ombudsman process, with the bill reduced by nearly £20,000.
Read the Lancaster Arms accountA neighbouring business used the pub's supply number by mistake. After NEC's billing team investigated the transfer, the customer reports that Scottish Power waived a balance of £11,180.40.
Read the West End Bar accountAddresses and a letter of authority get us started. A recent bill for each site helps us pin down contract end dates and current rates.
We pull contract end dates, rates and usage for every meter, then flag what needs attention first: out-of-contract sites, billing errors, unbilled meters.
We prioritise urgent sites and explore common end dates for the rest. At each renewal we compare available supplier offers and disclose our commission.
Your named consultant answers for every site, whether the question is a renewal, a bill, a meter or a tenancy change, with our billing and metering teams behind them. No supplier queues.
We work with tenanted and managed pub groups, including through our partnerships with Star Pubs & Bars and Stonegate Group, and with independent operators running a handful of pubs, restaurant and hotel groups, and breweries with tied estates. If your sites share an owner but not a supplier, an end date or a filing system, that's the problem this service exists for.
No. Almost every estate arrives with us that way. We plan around each contract's end date, prioritise urgent issues such as out-of-contract sites and billing errors, and explore aligning renewals where the contract terms allow it.
No. Most contracts have fixed terms, so switching everything on day one usually isn't possible or sensible. We work with the contracts you have, act at each renewal window, and only recommend a change where the numbers stand up.
A letter of authority (LOA) lets us speak to suppliers on your behalf, so we can pull contract details, usage data and billing history for every site. It doesn't let us sign anything. Every contract decision stays with you.
The same way as our single-site brokerage: we're paid a commission by the supplier, built into your unit rate, and we disclose what that commission is on any contract we recommend. There's no separate management fee, and the estate review itself is free.
Yes. Sites joining or leaving the estate mean supplier registrations, final accounts and potential disconnection risks. We coordinate that admin with the suppliers and keep you informed of outstanding issues.
Yes. Use our procurement enquiry form to tell us your organisation, service requirements, approximate site count and response deadline. We'll confirm the right contact and discuss the scope before you send tender documents. A tender enquiry does not require a letter of authority.
Yes. We also arrange water, broadband and telecoms, merchant services, EPOS and business insurance, so a multi-site operator can put every utility contract for every site through one point of contact.
Send us your site list and a letter of authority, and we'll come back with a free estate review covering each site's contract, its end date, and which sites need attention first. Call 024 7632 8995 or get in touch online.