Retail energy choice is slowly, but certainly becoming an option forbusinesses seeking another means of controlling their costs . Although anumber of consumers have gone through several cycles of choosing andnegotiating a purchase contract with an energy supplier, this process isstill new to most.In rare case s the customer will have the expertise to perform thi stask itself , but more often it is advi sable to obtain specialized assi stancefor both the supplier selection process and the actual contract negotia-tion and documentation process. It is possible that, over time, the needsand de sires of customers expressed throughout the marketplace willforce a uniformity of supplier proposals and contracts. With such ~ uni-formity, the selection process can become much easier and uni versallyunderstood like an y other not commodity or production input.