In March 2021, Ofgem published changes to the DCC Operational Performance Regime (OPR) . It split DCC performance measures into three areas:
- Systems Performance
- Customer Engagement
- Contract Management & Procurement
To underline the importance of understanding its customers’ needs, and in recognising concerns customers have raised, Ofgem introduced financial incentives for Customer Engagement. To help evaluate the DCC’s performance in this area the SEC Panel is required to submit an assessment of how the DCC performed in the Regulatory Year.
The submission is formed of three core themes:
- The timing and frequency of engagement
- The quality of the information provided by the DCC
- How customer views have been considered in decision-making
Each core theme contains a subset of questions. The Panel must score each of these sub-questions on a scale of 0-3 and submit their views to Ofgem. Ofgem will then take these views into consideration when making their final decision.
The overall score will impact the margin retained:
Purpose
As part of the OPR guidance Ofgem requires the SEC Panel to seek the views of SEC Parties when completing their submission.
Consequently, this consultation has been issued to all SEC Parties to seek views on how well the DCC has engaged during the 2021/22 Regulatory Year. The consultation also invites feedback as to the best way to engage with SEC Parties when such feedback is required for future submissions.
The SEC Panel will review the responses and incorporate views expressed into their final submission. Any responses that you wish to remain confidential may be issued to Ofgem via SECAS for part of their wider deliberation.
Responding to this consultation
A set of nine survey questions are contained in the online form below. Responses are limited to one per SEC Party. You are welcome to save a copy of the questions below into a Microsoft Word document so you and your SEC Party members can collaborate on your response before submitting it to SECAS.
If you have any questions or wish to respond verbally, please contact Rosie Knight at rosie.knight@gemserv.com and or SECAS@gemserv.com with the subject line ‘OPR 21/22 – DCC Engagement Consultation.’
Responses are requested by 5pm on 29 April 2022.