Oil, Gas & Fuel Distribution
For producers, importers, terminals, distributors and forecourt operators. We reconcile volume, quality and margin records from custody transfer to the pump.
Our perspective
Between production or import and the pump, fuel changes hands several times, and each transfer is measured by a different party with different equipment and temperature corrections. Losses and quality disputes sit in the gaps between those measurements, where loading records, tank dips and laboratory results are kept in separate systems. We work on the data, reconciliation and reporting across that chain, with most weight on distribution, terminals, retail fuel and quality. FuelVeriq, our pre-launch product for quality and supply-integrity records, has not yet been deployed.
Market signals
01
In September 2026 the IEA forecast world oil demand to decline by 2.5 mb/d in 2026. Global oil production fell to 100.1 mb/d in August 2026, with more than 10 mb/d of Gulf output shut in.
02
From 2 February 2026, UK motor fuel traders must submit fuel price updates to the Fuel Finder scheme within 30 minutes of any change.
03
Standard grade (95 octane) petrol became E10, containing up to 10% renewable ethanol, in Great Britain in September 2021 and in Northern Ireland in November 2022.
04
Fuel quality disputes are usually settled on chain-of-custody evidence, so a reading without a documented sample history carries little weight.
How we help clients
Volume reconciliation from terminal to forecourt
TF-07OperationsWe join loading records, delivery notes, tank dips and sales by site, corrected to the same temperature basis, so a loss can be located at the transfer where it occurs. A site, carrier or product with a persistent variance then stands out from normal measurement noise.
Fuel quality and sample custody records
TF-10RiskSample points, custody of each sample and versioned laboratory results kept in one case file give a quality dispute an evidence trail. FuelVeriq is our pre-launch MVP for this work; pilot enquiries are open and no deployment is claimed.
Retail price data and Fuel Finder reporting
TF-06Technology & DataUK forecourts must report price changes to Fuel Finder within 30 minutes. We connect the price-setting process, the forecourt system and the reporting feed, and log each submission so a missed or late update can be found and explained.
Margin by site, product and supply route
TF-08FinanceCost per litre from purchase, duty, freight and storage, joined to pump prices and shop sales by site, shows which sites and supply routes earn their place and how fast a duty or wholesale price change reaches margin.
Site plans for falling road-fuel volumes
TF-01StrategyAs electric cars take a larger share of new sales, network owners need site-by-site scenarios for fuel volume, shop and service income, and charging. We build those models from each site's own sales history and state every assumption.
Emissions reporting for fuel suppliers
TF-11SustainabilityFuel suppliers in the EU already monitor and report emissions for ETS2. We map which entities and volumes fall in scope and build the report from the same volume records used for reconciliation, so the two cannot disagree.
What changes next
UK fuel duty after December 2026
The temporary cut in UK fuel duty has been extended to 31 December 2026, together with a further cut in the rebated rate for red diesel. Retailers and distributors need pump prices, Fuel Finder submissions and margin reports to move together on the day the rates change.
A rising electric share of new car sales
The UK ZEV mandate requires 33% of new cars sold in 2026 to be zero emission and 38% in 2027, and the 2027 to 2035 targets are under government review. Whatever the review decides, forecourt volume plans need a range of demand scenarios instead of last year's run rate.
Carbon cost placed on fuel suppliers
ETS2 becomes fully operational in 2028 and puts the obligation on fuel suppliers, who will buy allowances to cover the emissions of the fuel they release. Suppliers trading in the EU need verified volume data per product and contract terms that pass the cost through.
Business challenges
01
Volumes measured on different bases
A terminal loads on one temperature basis, a depot dips on another and the forecourt sells at ambient temperature. Until every figure is corrected to the same basis, a variance report mixes physical loss with measurement difference.
02
Measurements without custody
A water or density reading means little in a dispute if nobody can show where the sample was taken, who held it and which laboratory result belongs to it.
03
Losses nobody can explain
Shrinkage between terminal, depot and forecourt is hard to investigate when shipment records, tank readings and laboratory findings sit in different systems and formats.
04
Warnings treated as verdicts
An automated alert is a reason to investigate. Systems that present a threshold breach as proof of wrongdoing create disputes instead of settling them.
05
Price changes reported late
UK traders must report price changes to Fuel Finder within 30 minutes. Where the price is set in one system and reported from another, a missed update is found by a customer or the regulator before the operator sees it.
Where the opportunity sits
One case file per investigation
FuelVeriq links source measurements, notes, sample custody, versioned laboratory findings and private evidence in a single case, with file hashes and an audit history of who changed what.
Rules an investigator can read
Each rule is specific to the measurement method and unit and keeps the observations behind every warning it raises, so an investigator can see exactly why it fired.
Test the workflow before any integration
A guided demonstration on synthetic records lets an operator, laboratory or regulator test the investigation workflow before any integration work is scoped.
How we approach it
We start read-only with the records that travel with the fuel: purchase and loading documents, delivery notes, tank dips and wetstock data, sales and pump price history, and laboratory reports. We follow one delivery from terminal to sale, note each point where volume or quality is re-measured or re-typed, and turn the findings into a prioritized task list with an owner and an acceptance check for each item. Data, reconciliation and reporting work is delivered by the same team in the client's own systems. FuelVeriq, our quality-records product, is an MVP demonstration running on synthetic records, with authenticated measurement ingestion, shipment CSV import, explainable rules, investigation cases and technical exports. It has not been deployed with any operator. Integrations with sensors, ERP, terminal, laboratory or government systems have not been verified, and no certifications or predictive AI are claimed. Reservoir and process engineering, metering certification, laboratory testing and safety systems stay with qualified specializts.
How our experience is evidenced
No client engagement in oil, gas or fuel distribution is published, and we have not yet delivered one. This page describes our approach and the capabilities we would apply. FuelVeriq is a pre-launch MVP demonstration built and operated by THEFOCUS, with pilot enquiries open. It has no deployments, customers, partnerships, certifications or pilot results.
How an engagement with THEFOCUS starts
A first conversation is about your situation. If there is a fit, we propose a scoped diagnostic with a fixed deliverable before any larger commitment.
Discuss this with us01
A working conversation
Forty-five minutes with the person who would lead the work. We ask about the decision, the systems behind it and the deadline.
02
A scoped diagnostic
Read-only access, a fixed timeframe and a written finding: what the records show, what it costs and what to change first.
03
A plan you can act on
Changes, owners, measures and exclusions in writing. The same team then builds and measures, or hands over cleanly.
- One accountable team
- The people who diagnose also build the systems and measure the result.
- Partners chosen per problem
- Independent specializts join for the parts that need them, under one contract.
- Records before dashboards
- Orders, ledgers and logs are reconciled before any recommendation depends on them.
Questions executives ask
Is FuelVeriq in use by any fuel company or regulator?
No. It is an MVP demonstration with pilot enquiries open. There are no deployments, customers, government partnerships or pilot results to report.
Does FuelVeriq connect to tank sensors or our ERP?
Not today. The MVP accepts measurements through an authenticated API, manual records and validated shipment CSV files. Sensor, ERP, terminal and laboratory integrations have not been verified, and any pilot would scope them separately.
Can FuelVeriq prove fuel fraud?
No. A FuelVeriq warning is a reason to investigate, based on rules whose inputs are kept and shown. Findings of fraud or liability belong to investigators, laboratories and regulators.
Do you work upstream as well as in distribution?
Our work across the chain is on commercial, financial and operational data: volumes, contracts, partner and management reporting, and margin. Reservoir, drilling, process engineering and safety-critical systems stay with specializts in those fields.
What does a pilot enquiry involve?
A guided demonstration using synthetic records, followed by a conversation about your data sources and the investigation workflow you want to test. Nothing is committed at the enquiry stage.
Discuss this with us
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