Business water for healthcare

A multi-site dental group we work with had been on the same retailer since the market opened in 2017. Twelve practices, twelve separate accounts, none of them ever reviewed. When we ran the comparison, four of the twelve were on rates from the original wholesaler default and the other eight were on slightly different terms each, with no consistent renewal cycle. Bringing them onto one retailer simplified the back office and adjusted the rates at the same time.

Healthcare water sits in a particular shape. Consumption is stable, twenty-four-hour, and almost never reviewed because it’s a small line in a budget dominated by staff and clinical costs. That’s exactly why it tends to drift further from market.

This page covers how we help UK healthcare providers review their water arrangements. For care homes specifically, see our care homes water page. The mechanics of switching are in our main business water switching guide. Our business water service covers the open UK market across every commercial sector.

How we help healthcare operators

We start with the bill stack and the meter list. For a multi-site group. Dental practices, GP surgeries, clinics, hospitals. This is rarely in one place. By the time we’re done, you have a single view: every site, every meter, every renewal date, plus an estimate of where the bills sit relative to current market rates.

From there, we pull live quotes from licensed retailers operating in each of your wholesaler regions and benchmark across the estate. For larger sites (hospitals, mid-size clinics), we’ll also look at trade effluent if a kitchen or autoclave area discharges to the public sewer.

Why healthcare water is different from a typical commercial account

Where water hygiene touches procurement

We’re a procurement specialist. We don’t manage legionella risk, TMV testing or water hygiene compliance. Those sit with your water hygiene contractor and your Responsible Person under HSG274.

Where it touches our side: some water retailers bundle hygiene services with the retail contract. Sometimes that’s good value, sometimes it isn’t. We’ll flag when a bundled offer adds material value and when keeping the contracts separate gives you cleaner control. Most healthcare operators we work with prefer to keep water procurement and water hygiene compliance on separate contracts.

Multi-site healthcare groups

Dental groups, GP federations and private healthcare chains usually have water arrangements that grew piecemeal. Each new site brings whatever contract was in place when it joined. There’s no consolidated view and no single renewal cycle.

Portfolio consolidation onto one retailer with a single annual review is the cleanest move. The unit rate matters, but the bigger gain is administrative. One bill format, one renewal date, one contact when something goes wrong.

How a healthcare water review works