⏱️ Pricebook Cut-Off Times & Validity

⏱️ Pricebook Cut-Off Times & Validity

This article explains how pricebook cut-off times work when suppliers release new pricing, and when submissions can (and cannot) be accepted.

It exists to remove ambiguity, prevent avoidable ticket noise, and set clear expectations around supplier pricing behaviour.


🧭 The Golden Rule (Read This First)

Brokers should always assume the latest available pricebook at the time of submission applies.

Cut-off times reflect normal supplier practice, not guarantees.
Submissions made close to cut-off times are processed on a best-endeavours basis and are subject to supplier discretion.

Once a new pricebook is live, earlier pricing cannot be reinstated.


⚡ Supplier-Specific Cut-Off Rules

🔌 Scottish Power / E.ON / EDF

  • Cut-off: 🕠 5:30pm on the day of release

  • Submissions after this time are best endeavours only

  • Acceptance after cut-off is not guaranteed

  • Brokers should not delay submissions to “wait and see”


🔋 Valda Energy

  • Cut-off: 🕠 5:30pm on the day of release

  • At Valda’s discretion, submissions may be accepted up to two days later

  • Condition: the customer signature date must be before the original cut-off

  • This is not guaranteed and cannot be requested via ticket


⚡ SSE

  • Cut-off: 🕠 5:30pm on the day of release

  • Submissions after cut-off are not guaranteed

  • No manual overrides are available


🔥 British Gas Lite (BGL) / British Gas Business (BGB)

  • Pricebooks typically last one week

  • Standard cut-off is Sunday at 23:59

  • If no new pricebook is issued, the previous pricebook may continue to apply

  • Where the 1st of the month falls close to a Monday, suppliers may delay launching a new pricebook and keep the existing pricebook open until the 1st

  • Any extension beyond Sunday is entirely at supplier discretion and subject to wholesale price movements

Important behavioural rules:

  • A customer signing before cut-off does not guarantee submission

  • If the pricebook closes before the sale is submitted, the submission cannot be lodged

  • Brokers should not assume Monday or month-start availability unless pricing is still live at the time of submission


⚠️ Important Notes (Please Read)

  • Pricebook timing queries do not require a ticket

  • ⛔ Tickets should not be raised to “check” whether older pricing can still be used

  • ✅ A ticket is only valid if:

    • a submission was made before cut-off, and

    • incorrect pricing was applied after submission

If no MPAN/MPRN is involved, the issue is almost certainly reference-only and covered by this article.


❓ Common Questions

Q: Are these cut-off times guaranteed?

No. Cut-off times reflect normal supplier behaviour, not contractual guarantees. Suppliers may change, suspend, or withdraw pricebooks at any time.


Q: What happens if a supplier withdraws prices earlier than the stated cut-off?

If a supplier withdraws pricing immediately due to market movement or internal policy, those prices are no longer available, regardless of the published cut-off time.

In these cases, submissions may not be honoured, even if attempted before the expected cut-off.


Q: Can the Help Desk override pricing if I submitted “in time”?

No. The Help Desk cannot reinstate withdrawn prices or override supplier decisions. Pricing acceptance always sits with the supplier.


Q: Should I raise a ticket to check whether a pricebook is still open?

No. Brokers should assume the latest available pricebook applies at the time of submission.

Tickets should only be raised after submission if incorrect pricing has been applied.


Q: Can I hold a price while waiting for customer signatures?

No. Prices are not reserved until a completed and submitted sale is received. Waiting for signatures carries market risk.


Q: A customer signed at 23:35 on Sunday. Why can’t the sale be submitted on Monday?

Because submission depends on the pricebook still being live at the time of submission, not just the signature date.

If the supplier closes the pricebook before the sale is lodged, the submission cannot proceed, even if the customer signed before 23:59.


Q: Why do pricebooks sometimes stay open longer than stated?

This can happen at supplier discretion, often due to stable wholesale markets or month-start alignment. Brokers should never rely on this.

If pricing remains open longer, that is an exception; not the rule.


📌 Summary

  • Pricebooks change; suppliers decide

  • Cut-off times guide behaviour; they do not guarantee outcomes

  • Submitting early avoids disappointment

  • The Help Desk cannot override supplier pricing logic

When in doubt: submit using the current pricebook, not the one you hope still applies.

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