Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
Ofwat has set out plans to extend its customer service satisfaction measure into the non-household water market with a pilot to launch later this year.
The regulator said it would establish a new performance commitment to improve the quality of service provided to retailers and business customers via the BR-Mex.
The new mechanism would complement the Market Performance Framework (MPF) reform to drive better outcomes for customers.
Aspects of the proposed BR-Mex will be piloted later this year after a survey on its design, which is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2023-24.
The performance commitment is being developed for PR24, which runs from April 2025 to 2030.
The regulator said preparations for PR24 this year include further work on performance commitments, and a review of C-Mex and D-Mex, which were introduced for the customer and developer markets at the start of PR19.
The financial incentive mechanism for customer service was designed to drive improvements across the industry and allow comparison with other sectors. C-Mex has been criticised for not measuring complaints.
Ofwat said through 2023-24 it will continue to work with MOSL to resolve frictions in the retail market and encourage participants to collaborate to deliver better services. Areas the regulator will consider for the market include how interim supply arrangements in the market can be strengthened.
For PR24, water efficiency in the non-household market has become a hot topic with many calling for a greater focus on demand management for business customers, who account for around one-third of water consumed in England and Wales.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.