Case study
Saffron Walden Town Council brought 14 water supplies onto one contract
Fountains, allotments, standpipes and council buildings, spread across several retailers with some bills charged in advance. Consolidated onto a single 36 month contract with over £10,000 in forecast savings.
Saffron Walden at a glance
The council’s water and wastewater supplies were split across multiple retailers, with some services billed in advance and contracts ending on different dates. We brought all 14 supplies onto one retailer, moved everything to arrears billing and aligned the end dates. The forecast saving over the 36 month term is more than £10,000.
Client overview
Saffron Walden Town Council looks after water across a varied estate in Essex. Public fountains, allotments, standpipes and council buildings. Some supplies are metered, some sit on rateable value billing, and over the years the council had inherited contracts with several different retailers.
Nothing about any single bill was wrong. The problem was the whole picture. Pulling together the council’s actual water spend meant cross checking statements from multiple suppliers against budget periods that didn’t quite line up.
The challenge
Several retailers, several billing cycles. Bills arrived at different times from different suppliers, each with its own format and portal. Answering a simple question about annual water spend meant a quarterly hunt through paperwork.
Some services charged in advance. A portion of the council’s services were billed before the water was used, then reconciled later. For a finance team trying to match spend to a budget period, advance billing is a running headache.
Contracts ending on different dates. Every supply had its own end date, which meant the council could never test the market on the whole estate at once. Renewals arrived as a drip feed of small decisions rather than one meaningful one.
How we approached it
The council’s brief was about control as much as cost. One contract for everything, one renewal date, and bills that arrive in the same period as the water they cover.
Consolidation makes that possible, and it usually pays for itself on the way through. Re-tendering 14 supplies as a single volume gives retailers something worth pricing for, which is where the saving came from.
What we did, step by step
Moved everything onto arrears billing. The supplies still being charged in advance were switched, so bills now arrive after the water has been used, in the same budget period it was used in.
Brought all 14 supplies onto one retailer. Water and wastewater, metered and unmetered, went onto a single account. One portal, one set of invoices, one contact when something needs querying.
Aligned the contract end dates. Every supply now finishes at the same point in the 36 months, so the next market test is one project rather than 14 small ones spread across the calendar.
What changed
Over £10,000 in forecast savings across the term. Re-tendering the combined volume produced better unit rates than the council had been getting on the previous piecemeal setup.
One supplier instead of several. Every water and wastewater supply on the council estate now sits with the same retailer. When something needs sorting, there’s one number to call.
Budgeting that takes minutes rather than days. One renewal date, one set of bills, one supplier relationship. Reading off the council’s annual water spend is now a one line exercise.
“Managing multiple water and wastewater accounts across so many sites had become difficult and time-consuming. The team helped us consolidate everything, move to billing in arrears, and streamline contract management. It’s been a major improvement in how we manage our services.”
Facilities Representative, Saffron Walden Town Council
Key insight
Fragmented billing hides cost even when every bill is correct. None of the council’s suppliers were doing anything wrong. The overpayment lived in the structure. Small volumes priced separately, advance billing muddying the budget picture, and no single moment when the whole estate could be tested against the market.
Consolidation fixed the structure, and the structure is what produces the saving at every renewal from now on.
Does this look like your organisation?
If you’ve got water bills arriving from more than one retailer, contracts ending on different dates, or a mix of metered and unmetered supplies, the same approach usually applies. Councils, schools and multi site businesses tend to inherit exactly this kind of setup. We’d start by mapping what you currently have, which usually takes one conversation and a recent set of bills.
Industry terms used on this page
- Arrears billing
- Invoices that cover water already used, arriving in the same budget period as the usage. The alternative, advance billing, charges you before the water is used and reconciles later.
- Rateable value billing
- A charging method for unmetered supplies based on a property’s historic rateable value rather than measured consumption. Common on older or smaller supply points like standpipes and allotments.
- Retailer and wholesaler
- In the business water market the wholesaler owns the pipes and treats the water, while the retailer handles billing and customer service. Switching retailer changes who you pay, not the water or the pipework.
- Consolidation
- Bringing multiple supplies, sites or services onto a single contract with one retailer, one billing cycle and one renewal date.
- Coterminous contracts
- Contracts arranged to end on the same date, so the whole estate can be tendered in one exercise instead of piecemeal.
Common questions
How long does a consolidation like this take?
From audit to switch is usually inside a normal procurement window. The longest part is serving contractual notice on whichever supplies are mid term. The market comparison and tender itself is the quick bit.
Was the council’s water supply disrupted at any point?
No. Switching business water retailer doesn’t change the wholesaler or the pipework. The water keeps coming. The only thing that moves is who you pay.
Can metered and unmetered sites really sit on the same contract?
Yes. Most retailers will hold both metered and rateable value supplies on a single account, which is what made consolidation workable for the council given the mix on their estate.
Why does moving from advance to arrears billing matter?
Advance billing means paying for water you haven’t used yet, then reconciling later when actual consumption comes in. Arrears billing means each invoice covers consumption that’s already happened. For a finance team matching spend to a budget period, that’s far simpler to work with.
Could a similar approach work for our sites?
If your water bills come from more than one retailer, your contracts end on different dates, or you have a mix of metered and unmetered supplies, the same approach usually applies. We’d start by looking at what you currently have.
How many water bills does your organisation juggle?
If the answer involves more than one retailer, send us a recent set. We’ll map what consolidation would look like.