The Secretariat

The Secretariat facilitates the operation of the Partnership. The Secretariat itself is provided by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and is funded by DeECC through its grant to the Energy Saving Trust. The Secretariat team comprises the Partnership's Director (Mark Brown), three Co-ordinators (Dafydd Morriss, Mathias Hessler and Sara Pearce) and one Assistant Co-ordinator (Emily Bacon).

The Partnership has over 1000 partners, representing 600 companies and organisations. A list of partners is available here. Partners contribute hugely and voluntarily to the work of the Partnership, with an in-kind contribution of time estimated at some £1.3 million per year. This work involves some 77 different streams of work through 14 working groups. There are over 80 regular meetings of these groups per year and up to 20 workshops, seminars and other events. Some 20 research projects are also commissioned per year. The Secretariat is responsible for facilitating all these activities, as well as maintaining an active web presence and publication of regular news bulletins.

The Secretariat directly supports the Chairman's Advisory Group and The Council. It sets working group meetings agendas, facilitates the implementation of work plans, leads the annual planning process, develops and recommends strategy, and provides reports on performance against plan and budget. It also prepares the Partnership's annual funding submission to Defra.

Main activities

Coordination and administration

• Ensuring that the Government's climate change, energy efficiency and fuel poverty policy initiatives are brought to the attention of relevant groups and partners
• Identifying areas, and the means for potential collaboration, between working groups
• Cross-linking Partnership activities with other relevant DECC-funded programmes
• Cross-linking Partnership activities with those in other relevant Government departments (e.g. CLG, BIS, Defra, HMT and the devolved administrations)
• Managing the Partnership's budgets for administration and project costs
• Arranging all meetings for The Council, Chairman's Advisory Group and sector working groups and main sub-groups and producing appropriate minutes and notes of these meetings
• Organising the Partnership's workshops, seminars and conferences
• Providing information to the partners and the public on the activities of the Partnership and sector working groups

Planning and reporting

• Setting up and managing the annual planning process
• Producing the Partnership's work plan and funding submission to DECC.
• Managing the preparation and submission of all sector working groups' 3-year strategic  business plans, annual work plans and project investment cases
• Preparing and presenting to the Chairman's Advisory Group The Council a quarterly progress report, against the workplan, of the Partnership's overall objectives and budget and that for each sector working group

Projects and technical support

• Commissioning projects by issuing requests for quotation/tender, arranging for and participating in the evaluation of quotes/tenders and appointing contractors
• Managing contractors and ensuring projects are delivered on budget and on time
• Adhering to EST's procurement policies
• Chairing working group meetings in the absence of regular chairs or deputy chairs
• Providing technical support and subject matter expertise to back up the activities of the Partnership
• Setting up and managing the establishment of new working groups, when agreed by the CAG and The Council.
• Preparing and submitting responses on Government policy and scheme consultations

Representation

• Representing the Partnership on several committees
• Representing, and providing advice about, the Partnership to foreign governments, agencies and international bodies (e.g. the International Energy Agency, European Commission, G8 and enquiries from Australia, Brazil, and South Africa)

Communications

• Developing and maintaining effective communication processes with partners through the Partnership's website and regular eNews bulletins
• Promoting the work of the Partnership in relevant forums and media
• Producing the Partnership's Annual Review
• Staging the Annual Partnership Conference.

Details

Calendar of meetings
Current projects
Reports and publications
Annual Review
eNews bulletins
News articles

Contact details

The Secretariat can be contacted here.