Best Practices Selecting Carbon & Energy Software

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report provides sustainability and energy leaders with a framework to save time and reduce risk in selecting carbon and energy management software. Prior Verdantix research has found that rising energy costs, price volatility, environmental regulation, stakeholder pressure, and internal pressures drive firms to purchase carbon and energy management software, but individuals in energy and sustainability roles often lack experience in selecting enterprise software. Verdantix has identified six best practices for the selection of this type of software: mapping out user groups, identifying present and future usage scenarios, specifying technical preferences, ensuring commercial and technical scalability, demanding evidence of value delivery, and understanding the total cost of ownership. By following this step-by-step process software buyers will avoid purchasing software that is not aligned with their business objectives for energy and sustainability performance. These best practices will also ensure engagement of internal stakeholders in different functions to achieve enterprise-wide support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CARBON SOFTWARE MARKET SUFFERS FROM TEETHING TROUBLES

New Software Buyers Wrestle With The Software Procurement Challenge
Rapidly Evolving Applications And Suppliers Complicate Decisions
Buyers Fail To Extract Important Information From Suppliers

BEST PRACTICE FRAMEWORK FOR SELECTING CARBON SOFTWARE

1. Map Out User Groups For Carbon & Energy Management Software
2. Identify Present And Future Usage Scenarios
3. Gather Information On Product Flexibility And Innovation
4. Ensure The Supplier Has Commercial And Technical Scalability
5. Push Suppliers To Show Evidence Of Value Delivery And Service Levels
6. Quantify Implementation Costs, Not Just Software Costs

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1. External And Internal Drivers Trigger Software Purchase Decisions
Figure 2. Buyers Need To Overcome Multiple Challenges To Avoid Software Risks
Figure 3. Buyers Need To Enhance The Software Selection Process To Avoid Flawed RFPs
Figure 4. Effective RFPs Include User Groups, Usage Scenarios And Desired Functionality
Figure 5. Carbon And Energy Software Usage Scenarios Map For Several User Groups
Figure 6. Business Goals Link Usage Scenarios And Functionality Requirements
Figure 7. Buyers Choose Between Four Carbon And Energy Software Deployment Options
Figure 8. Revenues, Funding And Employees For 17 Carbon Software Suppliers
Figure 9. Software Suppliers Partner With Services Firms To Accelerate Growth
Figure 10. First Year Carbon And Energy Software Costs For Three Deployments

COMPANIES MENTIONED

Accenture, Advantage IQ, AECOM, AT&T, C3, CA Technologies, Capgemini, Carbon Disclosure Project, Carbon Hub, CarbonSystems, CH2M HILL, Chevron, Colliers International, Credit360, CSC, Deloitte, E.ON, Enablon, EnerNOC, Eni, Enviance, ENXSuite, ERM, ExxonMobil, Fresh & Easy, Fujitsu Services, Google, Greenstone Carbon Management, Hara, Hitachi Consulting, HP, Honeywell, HSBC, IBM, ICF International, IHS, IMServ, Infor, Infosys, Intel, Itron, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Johnson Controls, KPMG, Landis & Gyr, Logica, Pace Global, ProcessMAP, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Reed Elsevier, RWE, SAIC, Salesforce, SAP, SAS, Shaw Group, Shell, Siemens, Solvay, Standard Chartered, Summit Energy, Sympliciti, Tesco, Unilever, United Nations, URS Corporation, US Bank, US Energy Information Administration, US Environmental Protection Agency, US General Services Administration, Utilyx, Valero, Vedanta Resources, Verisae, Wal-Mart, Wipro, WSP