A WORCESTER company at the forefront of the e-commerce revolution is in the running for a top national prize and a cash reward of £30,000.

BizzEnergy, based on Berkeley Business Park, has been short-listed for the E-Trading award in the Interforum and UK Online for Business E-Commerce Awards 2002.

The Warndon company, founded in May 2000, is an electricity provider to the business sector and uses the web for maximum effectiveness and impact.

Its innovative website, incorporating a sophisticated electricity-pricing engine, allows potential business energy customers to obtain free, on-line quotations within five-minutes.

The company claims this typically saves customers up to 30 per cent on their business electricity bills.

"A lean business structure and innovative technology, backed by industry-leading service standards, enable BizzEnergy to deliver superior customer satisfaction at lower cost," said chief executive Eddie Hyams.

He said it was particularly gratifying to be short-listed in a year that has seen a record number of entries from the West Midlands.

Twenty-five organisations have been short-listed for an award from a total of 111 entries in the region. Nationally, more than 1,600 businesses entered.

Two Herefordshire companies are also in the running, with Wiggly Wigglers, of Hereford, and Image Intelligence Ltd, Ross-on-Wye, both up for the Micro Business award.

"We're delighted to have been selected as a regional finalist in the e-commerce awards, despite facing some very strong competition in the West Midlands," said Mr Hyams.

"Our strength in e-trading is certainly helping the business go from strength to strength."

The E-Commerce Awards are sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Cisco Systems, and aim to celebrate and reward organisations that are successfully using e-commerce, new technologies or the internet to improve and transform their operation.

Now in their fourth year, the awards are open to organisations with fewer than 250 employees that meet certain criteria.

The national final is due to take place on Wednesday, July 3, when the category winners go head-to-head for the title of E-Commerce Awards Champion 2002 and a cash prize of £30,000.