Business Stream onboards Scottish Public Sector

23 April 2020 Reading time: 2 mins

Edinburgh based water retailer, Business Stream, has successfully onboarded over 15,000 new Scottish public sector sites, at the same time as the business transitioned its entire workforce to operating from home, in line with the Government guidelines to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

The retailer was awarded the Scottish Government Public Sector Procurement contract at the start of the year. The contract, worth around £200 million, covers Scottish public sector bodies including Local Authorities, NHS Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, universities and colleges and Scottish Government.

The retailer is already working with the sector to deliver financial and environmental savings, with a key focus on helping public sector customers to contribute towards the Scottish Government’s ambitious net-zero carbon targets.

To support the delivery of the new contract, Business Stream also welcomed 16 new colleagues to the business.

In its response to COVID-19, the retailer has remained committed to protecting its employees and maintaining core services to its customers. Recognising the impact COVID-19 will have on businesses across the country, it has also been working pro-actively with the Scottish and UK Government, regulators and wholesaler providers of water to implement additional measures to support those in need. This includes providing payment support arrangements; a wide range of flexible payment plans; and temporarily suspending disconnection activity.

Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream, commented: “I am delighted to welcome our Scottish public sector customers and 16 new colleagues to Business Stream. Our dedicated team has worked incredibly hard to ensure that COVID-19 didn’t result in any delays to our onboarding process. We are looking forward to working in partnership with our public sector customers across Scotland, providing our expertise and services to help them save time, money and water.”

The contract represents a significant win back for the water company. Earlier this year it announced that it was the second largest water retailer in the UK, following its acquisition of Yorkshire Water Business Services and success in securing over £280 million of new contracts since the English market opened in 2017.