Cyd’s retrofit procurement expertise called upon in York

Cyd Innovation played a vital role in building the foundations for a new retrofit initiative that will make it easier for residents in York to access a supply chain they have confidence in. For

YorEnergy, a collaboration of eight partners led by City of York Council, appointed Cyd Innovation as a strategic procurement partner, after a survey revealed 78 per cent of people didn’t know which brands to trust for retrofit solutions.

Cyd Innovation led on the introduction of a robust procurement process to develop a database of qualified and competent suppliers and installers.

This included producing relevant documents to capture key attributes such as good governance and technical qualifications, auditing applications, and approving or providing feedback where necessary.


The dynamic purchasing system will allow residents to find suitable firms to work on all aspects of retrofit, including solar panels, heating solutions, EV charging points, insulation, and windows and doors.

Steven Reynolds, managing director at Cyd Innovation, said:

“We’re passionate about people being able to appoint a trusted company to deliver impactful energy efficient improvements to their home. YorEnergy now has a vehicle for York’s residents to discover those installers, while each member of the supply chain can position itself as a firm that has undergone a rigorous assessment process to be a leader in its field. Our auditing of the applications has been a particularly pleasing aspect of the project. The quality of the initial suppliers has been fantastic, and our feedback to those who narrowly missed out on approval this time has been well received and we look forward to reviewing more submissions in the coming weeks and months.”



Cyd also used its sector experience to speak at events and liaise closely with the supply chain. Steven added:

“The retrofit sector is relatively new, and therefore there may be some trepidation from installers. We have worked hard to build trust not just in the industry, but in ourselves and the vision of YorEnergy, by responding to queries and turning around audits quickly to help brands avoid becoming disenfranchised.”

On working with YorEnergy, Steven said:

“It’s been a fantastic partnership to progress the initiative to where it is. In addition, we have been able to demonstrate the added value we bring, for example with key introductions to organisations running similar pilot schemes. This has allowed for sharing learnings and discussing best practice. It’s brilliant for the retrofit sector as a whole.”