In today’s fast-paced business world, organisations across Aotearoa are relying more than ever on a complex network of vendors and suppliers. After staff costs, the supply chain is often the biggest expense for any business. Yet, many companies struggle to manage these relationships effectively—leading to compliance risks, costly contract breaches, and underperforming suppliers.
While there are plenty of software tools out there, most fall short of delivering a truly integrated solution. What’s missing is a smart combination of technology and expert consulting to help businesses manage vendors and contracts strategically—not just administratively.
What’s the Gap?
The real gap lies in the disconnect between what businesses need and what most tools offer.
Many vendor and contract management platforms are either repurposed CRM systems or basic document storage tools. They might help with workflow automation or compliance tracking, but they often lack:
Real-time performance monitoring
Predictive analytics
Risk mitigation tools
Visibility into supplier costs, categories, and contract links
These tools tend to operate in silos, leaving businesses without the insights needed to make informed decisions. And without the internal expertise to build a robust vendor strategy, many organisations miss out on cost savings and expose themselves to unnecessary risk.
How Software + Consulting Can Close the Gap
A truly effective solution combines smart software with expert guidance.
On the tech side, imagine tools that offer:
AI-powered supplier analysis
Automated compliance alerts
Dynamic dashboards
Risk scoring models
Pair that with consulting support to:
Segment suppliers strategically
Optimise contract terms
Establish best-practice onboarding and performance management
This dual approach ensures the technology aligns with your business goals—and that you’re getting the most out of it.
What Happens When the Gap Is Closed?
Closing this gap can transform how your business manages suppliers and contracts.
Benefits include:
Lower operational risk
Better compliance
Cost efficiencies
Stronger supplier partnerships
With better visibility and analytics, you can negotiate smarter, spot underperformance early, and avoid supply chain disruptions. Plus, you’ll be able to scale your vendor strategy as your business grows or the market shifts.
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know
There’s a real opportunity here for Kiwi businesses to rethink how they manage vendors and contracts. By combining advanced tech with expert consulting, you can turn supplier relationships into strategic assets that drive competitive advantage.
Start Small, But Start
It’s okay to start small. Begin by reviewing your current supplier and contract management setup. Understand your stakeholders’ needs, identify key risks, and prioritise what matters most.
Then, let’s work together to build a software solution that fits your business.
Ready to take the next step? Contact us today to book a consultation and explore how smarter vendor management can help your business thrive.
At Total Utilities, we’re always looking for smarter ways to help Kiwi businesses reduce energy costs and improve operational efficiency. One of our recent pilot programmes with a logistics company delivered exactly that—and the results were both immediate and eye-opening.
We installed Panoramic Power, a real-time energy monitoring system, at one of their trial sites. Within just 24 hours, the system flagged 74kW of continuous energy waste. The source? A few misconfigured control settings in the site’s Building Management System (BMS). The solution? A simple five-minute adjustment.
💡 The impact:
$10,000+ in annual savings, unlocked almost instantly
No need for major upgrades or capital investment
Immediate ROI from a low-risk pilot programme
But the story doesn’t end there.
As the system continued to monitor energy use, it uncovered a further $60,000 in potential savings—this time related to the site’s refrigeration system. These insights are now guiding the client’s decisions around future upgrades, maintenance priorities, and operational changes.
Why this matters:
This pilot proves the power of real-time energy visibility. It’s not just about identifying waste—it’s about enabling fast, cost-effective fixes that deliver measurable results. For businesses in logistics, manufacturing, or any energy-intensive sector, this kind of insight can be a game-changer.
Energy waste often hides in plain sight. Without the right tools, it goes unnoticed—and costs businesses thousands every year. With Panoramic Power, our clients gain the clarity they need to act quickly and confidently.
Ready to uncover hidden savings in your operations?
Whether you’re managing a single site or a nationwide network, we can help you take control of your energy use and unlock real value.
👉 Book a demo today and see how Panoramic Power can transform your energy strategy.
At Total Utilities, we’re passionate about helping Kiwi businesses navigate the complexities of energy procurement—especially in a market where prices continue to climb and certainty is hard to come by.
Recently, we partnered with a nationwide truck dealership and service agent facing a familiar challenge: a looming electricity contract renewal with a significant price increase from their existing retailer. With multiple sites across Aotearoa and rising operational costs, they needed a smarter, more strategic approach to energy management.
That’s where we came in.
Through a competitive tender process, market benchmarking, and strategic negotiation, we secured a new electricity contract with an alternate supplier—15% lower than the renewal offer. But the benefits didn’t stop there.
The Results:
✅ 15% reduction in electricity costs ✅ Improved contract terms and flexibility ✅ Enhanced long-term energy certainty across multiple locations
This outcome is a testament to the power of informed decision-making and proactive energy strategy. By leveraging market insights and our deep industry expertise, we helped our client not only save money but also gain confidence in their energy future.
Why It Matters:
Energy is often one of the top operating expenses for businesses, yet many organisations renew contracts without exploring alternatives. In today’s volatile energy landscape, taking a strategic approach can unlock significant savings and resilience.
If your business is approaching a contract renewal or simply wants to understand its energy options better, we’d love to kōrero. Whether you’re a single-site operator or a nationwide enterprise, we’re here to help you make smarter energy decisions.
📣 Let’s Talk
If your business is approaching a contract renewal, managing multiple sites, or simply wants to explore smarter energy options—now is the time to act. Reach out to Total Utilities for a no-obligation kōrero about how we can help you reduce costs, improve certainty, and future-proof your energy strategy.
Stay informed. Stay prepared. As New Zealand continues its transition to a low-carbon future, Total Utilities will keep bringing you the latest insights and opportunities to stay ahead.
Since 2018, the New Zealand Electricity market has been defined by falling natural gas supplies, record quantities of coal to be burned at Huntly, inconsistent hydro storage levels and rising costs. All of these factors have led to price instability, and the timing of your next electricity contract negotiation can have a significant impact on the prices offered.
Example: Food and Beverage Industry In this example, our proactive approach to procurement achieved the green pricing before the customer’s contract end date.
In total, eight retailers bid for forward energy supply.
Had they waited until the last minute, the likely number of participant retailers would have been reduced to 3 or 4.
Advance pricing is 32% lower than last-minute pricing.
Example: Hotel Industry In this example, our proactive approach to procurement achieved the green pricing before the customer’s contract end date.
The customer was able to smooth out their energy contract costs over the term of supply.
Advance pricing is 38% lower than last-minute pricing.
Waiting until the last minute to renew your electricity contract could be risky.
Why Act Early?
Allowing your electricity contract to expire or delaying securing a new one can expose your business to unnecessary risks and higher costs. Electricity prices are highly volatile due to factors like hydro storage, so timing your contract negotiation is crucial.
Waiting too long can lead to significantly higher electricity prices. Delaying until the last minute often leaves you with fewer options and less favorable terms. By acting early, you can negotiate better terms and avoid disruptions in service or unexpected cost increases.
Strategic Planning
Start looking at prices six months before your contract ends. This gives you time to find the best deal or reassess the market closer to contract expiry.
Optimal Contract Term
The best term for your electricity contract depends on market conditions and your business goals. Longer-term contracts can offer price stability and potentially lower rates, while shorter-term agreements provide flexibility but often come with higher costs and risks.
Total Utilities procures a range of contract terms and provides recommendations that balance short-term flexibility with long-term price security, ensuring your contracts align with your business strategy and market conditions.
Shop Around
In addition to acting early, it’s essential to compare different offers. The electricity market is competitive, and prices can vary significantly between providers. By comparing offers, you can ensure your current supplier’s renewal offer is competitive.
Proactive Procurement Total Utilities offers services to help you:
Why Total Utilities? With over two decades of experience, Total Utilities conducts around 300 market reviews annually, providing strategic advice tailored to your business needs. They help optimise utility costs and ensure reliable procurement.
Smarter tools, deeper insights, better decision making — discover how Panoramic Optimise can transform your future of energy management.
Enhanced User Experience: Enjoy a sleek, intuitive design with quicker navigation and AI-driven quick search for improved results in seconds.
End-to-End Personalisation: Customise dashboards, widgets, device grouping, and naming. Tailor benchmarks, thresholds, and visualisations to your unique needs.
Continuous Innovation: Benefit from regular feature updates, cutting-edge improvements, and AI-powered features with a forward-looking roadmap.
Empowered Team Performance: Engage stakeholders across various departments with tools for teamwork, task delegation, and incident management.
Improved Performance and Security: Experience 80% faster load times, 50% fewer network errors, and top-tier data security on a robust cloud infrastructure.
Smarter Energy Intelligence: Gain deeper insights into energy patterns, custom benchmarks, and proactive maintenance with AI-powered tools tailored to your KPIs and workflows.
Smarter decisions with customisable widgets.
Multiple views, smarter insights, and deep data exploration.
Our expert team can help you unlock significant energy savings with a short-term return on investment (ROI). Typically, we can identify up to 25% savings with an ROI of less than 2 years.
We achieve this by conducting a comprehensive site-wide energy audit (Type 1), examining everything from lighting and HVAC systems to chillers, boilers, refrigeration and other energy-intensive systems. Additionally, we install Panoramic Power our non-intrusive energy intelligence system, providing real-time device-level energy data visibility. For more information check out a brief overview of our service here.
