See also: Change Proposal, Change Issue Group

A REC Issue is a problem that affects the rules or principles of the Retail Energy Code (REC). It can be related to the legal, regulatory, or policy aspects of the code. A REC Issue may become a Change Proposal in accordance with the Change Management Schedule.

Raising a REC Issue

Any interested person, stakeholder, REC User, Service Provider or the Code Manager can raise a REC Issue. To raise a REC Issue, the proposer needs to submit the Issue form via the REC Portal.

The form will guide a proposer through the stages and will detail all the information they will need to provide. The form will be automatically saved as they complete it to allow them additional time to provide all the information should it need to be continued at a later time.

When ready to submit, the Portal will check that all mandatory information has been included and alert the proposer if anything is missing. Once the form has been submitted the proposer will receive an automatic confirmation that it's been received for review by the Change Management Team.

The Code Manager welcomes a conversation with any proposer if they wish to raise an issue or a change. The Code Manager can help decide the most appropriate route to resolve an issue and can help clarify understanding. The Code Manager may also already be exploring a similar issue so it can be efficient to engage in a conversation.

Issue Progression

Once the Issue form is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Change team. The proposer will usually be told of a decision to accept or reject the Issue within five working days. If longer is needed, they will be advised of the timeline and the reasons for the extension.

When an Issue is accepted, it will be assigned a reference number (starting with an ‘I’), and an Issue page will be created to hold the relevant information. This page will be accessible through the Change Register on the REC Portal.

Once an Issue has been accepted, it may undergo an Assessment stage. During this stage, a Lead Analyst will be assigned to coordinate the Code Manager's initial assessment and identify any technical and/or assurance support required. 

The Code Manager will define a problem statement, identify potential impacts on REC Products, Parties, Service Providers, stakeholders, and Consumers, and establish a set of solution requirements necessary for success. Additionally, the Code Manager will suggest a Proposal Plan with key activities and dates and determine which committee will be the Responsible Committee for the approval of the Issue.

If a proposal does not have a developed solution, it will go through the Definition stage of the process. This stage may include activities such as Solution Development, Impact Assessment, Legal Review, and workshops. Once the solution is sufficiently developed to progress to consultation, an Issue will be progressed as a Change Proposal.