Utility bill audit RFP checklist
A fair way to compare utility auditors: give every bidder the same information, test them on the same accounts, and compare net benefit after fees. Use it whether or not Discovery is on your list.
1. What to send every bidder
- Site and account inventory: legal entities, service addresses, utilities, meters, active and inactive accounts.
- Jurisdictions and rate classes for each account.
- Annual electric and natural gas spend, by site if possible.
- Supply contracts and their terms, including capacity and transmission treatment.
- How much bill history is available and whether a letter of authorization can be signed.
- Any previous audit: who, when, which accounts, and whether they hold rights to later findings.
2. What to require back
| Area | Ask for |
|---|---|
| Scope | Every account or a sample? Which checks: rate class, tariff dates, meter multipliers, demand and ratchets, riders, corporate classification, capacity tags |
| Commodities | Electricity, natural gas, water and sewer: which are covered |
| Pilot | Findings on the same 10 to 15 accounts, with tariff citations and a recoverability view |
| Fees | Percentage, base (refunds, credits, recurring savings), recurring-savings period, baseline method, exclusions |
| Evidence | Sample claim workpaper, utility acceptance letter, proof of a posted refund |
| Independence | All compensation sources, including supplier commissions; whether audit-only scope is available |
| Authority | What the auditor may do without written approval (the answer should be nothing that changes an account) |
| Bill pay (if bundled) | Who holds funds, payment approval steps, reconciliation, late-payment handling, ERP export |
| Coverage | States and provinces served, including regulated ones |
| References | Two clients of similar size and industry |
| Data security | Storage, access, retention and deletion of bills and account data |
3. How to compare proposals
- Score pilot findings on accuracy and recoverability, not count.
- Convert every fee proposal to net benefit over the same period and baseline.
- Separate one-time refunds from recurring savings and from estimates.
- Check references for posted refunds, not just findings reports.
- If one firm will also buy energy or pay bills, score those functions separately from audit skill.
Questions buyers ask
How big should a pilot be?
Large enough to include each utility type and your most complex tariffs, small enough to finish quickly. Ten to fifteen accounts across three or more utilities is a common size.
Should we hire more than one contingency auditor?
Not on the same meters at the same time. Overlapping contingency auditors create disputes over who found what. Split by account set or run a pilot first.
Find out what your bills should have cost.
Send one recent bill per site, or a list of accounts. We tell you where we expect findings before you sign anything. No upfront audit fee.