In accordance with Article 12(5) of European Directive 2019/944, household customers are entitled to participate in collective switching schemes.
“Collective purchasing” consists of purchasing electricity or natural gas to meet the needs of a group of customers. The aim is to increase the volumes negotiated in order to obtain better conditions on the market. Collective purchasing is open to all residential and professional consumers.
Collective purchasing process takes place in three stages:
1. Agreement and mandate
Consumers participating in collective purchasing form a group by means of an agreement in which they define their responsibilities. Consumers may also appoint a third party (an “intermediary”) to organize the collective purchase. The responsibilities and rights of the intermediary are defined by a mandate between the consumers and the intermediary.
2. Specifications and call for tenders
Consumers or, where applicable, the intermediary must draw up precise and detailed specifications to enable suppliers to respond as effectively as possible to the call for tenders, which is organized and, ideally, published to attract the widest possible interest. Where residential customers participate in collective purchasing, participation must be open to all residential customers who meet the conditions for joining the selected standard product.
The specifications must contain at least the start and end dates of the intended supply and adequate information on the supply points of the interested consumers.
It is furthermore essential to verify that all current consumer supply contracts can be terminated with effect from the start date of supply specified in the call for tenders. Where this is not possible, the call for tenders must provide sufficient flexibility to allow new consumers to be included during the supply period.
3. Selection and contracting
After the tender has been closed, the bids submitted must be evaluated, in order to select the bid or bids that best meet the selection criteria.
Once a supplier has been selected, consumers, registered for collective purchasing, receive a supply contract proposal. At this point, it is their responsibility to check whether the proposal is acceptable to them and whether they wish to conclude the contract and initiate the change of supplier (or change of contract with the same supplier).