To fulfil specific roles in the retail energy market, organisations must become Qualified. This can involve Qualifying as a Party in a specific Party Category e.g., Supplier, Distribution Network Operator, Gas Transporter or Metering Equipment Manager (MEM); or to enable access to a specific REC Service, which is referred to as a Non-REC Party Service User. Once Qualified, these organisations will be able to access the services governed by the REC and have obligations to meet under this code.

For more information on the different areas of the REC Entry Assessment Process for both Parties and Non-REC Parties, please see the Entry and Exit User Guide.

REC Party Entry Assessment Overview

The Entry Assessment Information Pack provides an overview of the market entry assessment process that REC Parties will have to follow in order to qualify to enter the market. This will differ depending on the role each REC Party has in the market. A summary of this information is set out in the pages below, and the Information Pack can be found here.

REC Party Guidance – (Not including Metering)

In order to enter the market, REC Parties have to complete certain stages of the process. The Entry Assessment Forms document detail what the Code Manager requires from the applicant at different stages of the process. It also includes any supporting evidence (if required) that should be provided when filling in the different self-assessment forms. For more information, please see the Entry Assessment Forms here.

REC Party Assessment Forms – (Not including Metering)

This section details the key documents that are used in the Assessment Process for REC Parties. For these Parties, they will have to complete the following assessments: Business Solution Assessment, Internal Testing, External Testing (is conducted live with the Code Manager via an online medium) and an Information Security and Data Protection Assessment.

Business Solution Assessment (BSA)

The Business Solution Assessment is used to evaluate the applicant’s business and technical solutions. It should be filled in using the guidance from the Entry Assessment Forms document and is used as the basis for Internal Testing. The Business Solution Assessment can be found here.

Internal Testing

The Internal Testing Assessment involves running tests to demonstrate your systems and process can operate against a defined list of market scenarios, as part of the conclusion of the Business Solution Assessment. The market scenarios you need to test will be defined using a risk-based approach depending on the answers to your BSA. The full list of market scenarios is defined in the Joint BSC and REC Storyboards document which can be found here.

Information Security and Data Protection Assessment

The information Security and Data Protection Assessment is required in order for the applicant to gain access to the REC Services. It is the assessment of the Information Security Environment of the applicant. This has to be completed before an entrant can get access to the REC Services. It should also be filled out using the Entry Assessment Forms document. The ISDP can be found on the REC Portal here.

External Testing

The External Testing stage involves the applicant running tests, in conjunction with the Code Manager, to demonstrate your systems and processes can operate against a defined list of market scenarios. The outcome of these will be assessed by the Code Manager. After CSS go-live, External Testing will include testing relating to CSS.

Metering Entry Assessment Guidance

Metering Market Entry applicants go through a slightly different process to others entering the Market.

The process to become accredited under Consolidated Metering Code of Practice (CoMCoP) is as follows.

Electricity:

• Complete the Business Solution Assessment
• Internal testing (applicable if the applicant is to be sending data flows)
• ISDP Assessment (applicable if the applicant wishes to have access to EES).
• HQ Audit by the Code Manager
• Provisional certificate valid for three months
• Applicant to order sealing pliers after requesting a 3-digit prefix from the Code Manager
• Site Audit by Scheme Auditor
• Accreditation certificate issued

Gas:

• Complete the Business Solution Assessment
• Code Manager issues Scheme Auditor with the results of the Business Solution Assessment
• Site Audit by Scheme Auditor
• Accreditation certificate issued.

Metering Assessment Forms

For the Parties undertaking the Metering Assessment Process, they will have to complete the following assessments: Business Solution Assessment, Internal Testing (if applicable) and an Information Security and Data Protection Assessment (if applicable).

Business Solution Assessment

The Business Solution Assessment is used to evaluate the applicant’s business, technical and configuration solutions. It should be filled in using the guidance from the Entry Assessment Forms document and is used as the basis for Internal Testing (if applicable). Please see the: Application and Entry – CoMCoP Form for Electricity MEM Application, Application and Entry – CoMCoP Form for Gas MEM Application and the Application and Entry - CoMCoP Form for Gas MI Application.  

Information Security and Data Protection Assessment

The Information Security and Data Protection Assessment is required in order for the applicant to gain access to the REC Enquiry Services, if applicable. It is the assessment the Information Security Environment of the applicant. This has to be completed before an entrant can get access to the REC Services. It should also be filled out using the Entry Assessment Forms document. The ISDP can be found on the REC Portal here.

Non-REC Party Documents

The use of a REC Service, particularly the Electricity Enquiry Service (EES) is different depending on the organisation. There are a series of EES User Guides for: Suppliers, Distributors, MEMs, Third Parties and Non-Domestic Consumers. These documents provide helpful insight into how EES works and contain a series of FAQs.

Non-REC Party Assessment Forms

The entry assessment process for a Non-REC Party is different to the process of a REC Party, as the assessment is focused on their ability to securely process the customer data they could access.

The Information Security and Data Protection Assessment (ISDP) is the main stage in the process. It is the assessment the Information Security Environment of the applicant. This has to be completed before an entrant can get access to the Electricity Enquiry Service. It should also be filled out using the Entry Assessment Forms document. The ISDP can be found on the REC Portal here.

Controlled Market Entry

Once a Party has completed the different stages of the Entry Assessment process they enter into ‘Controlled Market Entry’, where the Code Manager can determine conditions that are temporarily placed on new entrants. These vary based on the nature of the business, their performance in the entry assessment process and their growth plans. These can include limits on customer registrations.

Please see the Controlled Market Entry Self-Assessment Form, which should be submitted to the Code Manager with the relevant supporting evidence, to allow a Party to exit from CMEC. This document requires the applicant to self-certify that they have successfully proved their operational capability. Guidance around the questions asked, how to respond and what evidence is required is also in the Entry Assessment Forms document. The Code Manager will review the form and seek evidence that the applicant can operate in accordance with the REC requirements. This will typically focus on performance in the market to date. Once completed, the Code Manager will advise the Party of its conclusions, prior to sharing these with the Performance Assurance Board (PAB).