Bulk Change of Agent: Checklist for Suppliers

As part of an application to the PAB, a Supplier is required to provide a methodology statement for how it is processing the bulk change of agent. This page sets out a checklist of the questions that may be relevant to a bulk change of agent application.

It will be used by Elexon to check that the methodology statement and associated documentation provided by the Supplier in support of a bulk change of agent application are fit for purpose.

Migration Volumes and Timescales

• What are the migration volumes and timescales?
• What is the maximum daily volume being migrated and does this cover multiple GSP Groups?
• What assurances have been obtained from all parties, including the – Supplier, new agent, old agent, SMRS, DTN service provider – that these volumes can be processed and timescales met?

Volume of Appointments

• How many Metering Systems is the new agent currently appointed to?
• How many additional appointments will be made as a result of the bulk change of agent?
• What is the percentage increase?
• Has the new agent carried out a risk assessment under the Qualification process in relation to the increase?
• Does the new agent intend to re-qualify?

Project Management

• How is the bulk change of agent being managed?
• What are the key deliverables (e.g. software changes, test plans, quality assurance plans, risk management plans etc)?
• What level of sign-off is being given to project deliverables within the initiating Supplier’s business? How and when are go/no-go decisions being made?
• How are the external interfaces with new and old agents and SMRS being managed?
• What is being done to ensure the adequacy of inter-agent communications?

System and Process Changes

Changes to Facilitate Migration

• How do the processes being used to undertake the bulk change of agent vary from those used for lower volume changes and prescribed in the BSCPs, if applicable?
• Are any I.T. developments being undertaken, in order to facilitate the migration process itself (for example, are individual change of agent processes being batched up using expressly developed trigger processes)?
• If so, how are these I.T. projects being managed and what are the timescales for delivery?

Changes Required as a Consequence of the Migration

• Are changes to Supplier or new agent systems required as a consequence of the bulk change of agent? For example, is this the first time that the new agent will have operated in more than one GSP Group?
• Do the rules within the Supplier systems for appointing agents require amendment as a consequence of the change?
• If such changes are needed, how are these I.T. projects being managed and what are the timescales for delivery?

Preparation

• Has a reconciliation exercise been undertaken to ensure that the Supplier and old agent hold the same view of their appointments?
• Have any inconsistencies been addressed?
• Have the bulk change of agent processes been tested at sufficient volumes to ensure that problems will not arise (for example, in terms of the ability of the new agent to process flows from the old agent)?
• What volumetric tests have been undertaken?
• Does the migration plan include any “ramping up” to maximum volumes?

Staffing, Training and Location Issues

• Are staff from the old agent transferring to the new agent under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) Regulations?
• If so, what are the issues in terms of, for example, the training of staff in the new agent’s systems and procedures (compatibility of hand-held units etc), the location/re-location of staff, the availability of new agent personnel at old agent sites?
• How are these issues being managed to ensure that there is no disruption of service following the migration?

Monitoring and Exception Management

• How will progress of the bulk change of agent be monitored?
• What is the expected level of exceptions arising from the migration?
• How has this expected level been arrived at?
• What provisions are there in the migration plan for addressing these exceptions?
• What are the anticipated timescales and resource requirements for resolving such exceptions?
• Are there any backlogs of unprocessed data at the old agent that could result in the loss of information following migration?

Business as Usual Activity

• What precautions are being taken to ensure that the bulk change of agent process does not have an adverse effect on the Business as Usual activities of the new agent?
• What precautions are being taken to ensure that there is no loss of information as a result of operational activity during the migration period?
• What arrangements have been put place in relation to work management and loss of customers during the migration period?

Contingency

• What contingencies are there in the migration plan?
• What implications does the bulk change of agent have in respect of the old agent and its ability to vary the migration timescales?
• If the old agent is withdrawing its services completely and shutting down its systems, how is the risk of slippage being mitigated?
• What contingency arrangements are being made in the event that the old agent is unable to assist in the resolution of migration exceptions within the timescales of the transfer?
• What allowances have been made in the migration plan, in the event that the old agent is withdrawing its services and other Suppliers are concurrently transferring agent?

Previous Experience

• Has the initiating Supplier or any of the participating agents previously undertaken a bulk change of agent or comparable large scale migration?
• What are the lessons learned from previous activities and how have these been incorporated into the project plans?

Risk Management

• Has a risk management plan been developed?
• What key risks have been identified and what is being done to mitigate those risks?