Code Administration Code of Practice

What is the CACoP?

As part of Ofgem’s Code Governance Review, the Code Administration Code of Practice (CACoP) was established.

The CACoP is a cross energy industry Code document and aims to provide consistency in the approach and level of service associated with Code Modification processes.

It contains 14 principles to facilitate convergence and transparency in Code Modification processes and to help protect the interests of small market participants and consumers through various means, including more plain English in Modification reports.

What are the principles?

The 14 CACoP principles are summarised below:

1. Code Administrators shall be critical friends;
2. Documentation published by Code Administrators shall be in clear English;
3. Information will be promptly and publicly available to users;
4. The CACoP will be reviewed periodically and subject to amendment by users;
5. Code Administrators shall support processes which enable users to access a ‘pre-Modification’ process to discuss and develop Modifications;
6. A proposer of a Modification will retain ownership of the detail of their solution;
7. Code Administrators will facilitate alternative solutions to issues being developed to the same degree as an original solution;
8. Estimates of implementation costs to central systems will be produced and consulted upon prior to a Modification being recommended for approval;
9. Legal text will be produced and consulted upon prior to a Modification being recommended for approval;
10. Modifications will be consulted upon and easily accessible to users, who will be given reasonable time to respond;
11. There will be flexibility for implementation, to allow proportionate delivery times and realisation of benefits;
12. The Code Administrators will report annually on agreed metrics;
13. Code Administrators will ensure cross Code coordination to progress changes efficiently where Modifications impact multiple Codes; and
14. Code Administrators shall support prospective energy innovators.

Each Code Administrator takes it in turns to carry out the Secretariat function for all CACoP matters, including meetings and paper creation. This year (2019) the CACoP Secretariat is Grid Code, and you can find all relevant information here.

As required by SEC Section C7.2, SECAS must comply with the principles set out in the CACoP.

The CACoP document and asosiated documents are available to download below. Further information on the CACoP can be found on Ofgem’s website.

• Code Administrator Code of Practice v4.0
• Code Administrator Joint Working Practice
• Top five things SECAS will do as a Critical Friend

The SEC Modification Process and the CACoP’s Key Performance Indicator measures

Principle 12 of the CACoP requires Code Administrators to report annually on a number of agreed metrics relating to the progression of Modifications through each Codes’ modification process.

This table provides the metrics for modifications to the SEC.

*Under the SEC Modification Process, for Modifications that are not Fast-Track Modifications or subject to Self-Governance, the SEC Change Board provide the final recommendation to the Authority.