The group is run by trading parties but works closely with MOSL through its User Forum.
The RWG's key objectives are to:
- Provide a forum for retailers and wholesalers to work together constructively
- Deliver change for the benefit of customers
- Identify, discuss and prioritise opportunities, issues and market frictions
- Drive consistency and standardisation where required through the development of good practice guidance
- Promote effective adoption and implementation of good practice
- Promote benefits and successes with customers and stakeholders
- Embrace and promote innovation across the market.
By creating specialist sub-groups with subject matter experts from various retailers and wholesalers, the RWG has produced several good practice guides covering a number of topic areas which you can find below. Some good practice guidance has subsequently been formalised into the market codes.
The RWG was created by Simon Brown and Simon Bennett in 2017 to reduce market frictions, foster trading party collaboration and to improve the overall customer experience in the non-household market. Our present chairs are Richard Stanbrook and Simon Bennett. RWG membership remains fluid and open to retailers and wholesalers.
Please see below for a full list of all RWG sub-groups. If you would like to know more about the topic or who is engaged on the group then contact the sub-group chair directly.
Guidance
Unplanned events sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Matthew Glover
Output: A unplanned events and incidents good practice guide to encourage standardisation where possible.
Planned activites sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Matthew Glover
Outputs:
- A planned activities good practice guide to encourage standardisation where possible
- Successful code amendment (CPW099: 'Clarify the responsibilities of trading parties during a planned event'), that clarifies the arrangements in the Operational Terms Part D (planned activities and affected services) between wholesalers and retailers in line with the good practice guide.
Customer service sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Lissa Balmer
Outputs:
- A customer complaints good practice guide to encourage a consistent and collaborative market approach to handling customer complaints, reducing complexity for retailers and customers and ensuring the right routes are followed to achieve a positive customer outcome
- A memorandum of understanding for retailers and wholesalers to set out their respective responsibilities in resolving complaints that have a wholesaler-related component.
Eligibility sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Mike Rathbone
Outputs: The subgroup is working towards a market eligibility guide on Temporary Building Supplies (TBS).
Governance sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Paul Stelfox
Purpose: This sub-group oversees the overall governance and administration of the RWG and helps to set out its forward-looking workstream priorities. The sub-group is aiming to ensure that the future RWG governance structure maintains the culture and spirit of the RWG, seeks positive solutions and encourages trading party adherence to good practice guidance that has been produced.
Water Efficiency sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Barry Millar
Purpose: The sub-group oversees the development and delivery of an industry led Water Efficiency Action Plan, which will deliver improved levels of water efficiency in the non-household market for the benefit of all water consumers and the environment.
Inputs/Outputs:
- RWG Water Efficiency sub-group letter to Ofwat and Environment Agency addressing the challenges of advancing water efficiency goals in the market
- Water Efficiency Action plan of activities for key stakeholders to undertake to advance water efficiency goals in the market
- Joint Ofwat and Environment Agency letter reply to RWG Water Efficiency sub-group
Policies sub-group
Status: Active
Chairs: Lynette Cross and Trevor Hobb
Outputs:
- A Using Data Loggers with Wholesaler Meters good practice guide to encourage a consistent and collaborative market approach, reduce complexity for retailers, customers and third-party intermediaries. The document also provided guidance on how to connect to and access data from a wholesaler’s water meter
- A Leak Allowances good practice guide to encourage a consistent and collaborative market approach, reduce complexity for retailers and customers and provide guidance on ownership and responsibility for leaks
- A Return to Sewer allowances good practice guide to encourage a consistent and collaborative market approach, reduce complexity for retailers and customers and ensure that charges and allowances are correct and fair.
Tariff sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Martin Mavin
Purpose: To investigate how to simplify the existing primary tariff structure in the non-household water market.
Vacants sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Kat Grimley
Purpose: To work with MOSL on improving the vacancy process for trading parties.
Meter Reading Standards sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Sam Byrom
Outputs:
- A centralised list of wholesalers that offer a meter reading services within their respective wholesale area
- A meter reading services good practice guide
- Standardised Skip Code Process.
Meter Reading Location sub-group
Status: Active
Chair: Angela Brown
Output: A good practice guide in relation to meter installation locations and abbreviation descriptions to increase meter reads.
Bilateral forms sub-group
Status: Inactive
Chair: Patrick Hargreaves
Output: A Bilateral Forms good practice guide, including examples of information retailers should include with forms to minimise the risk of rejection.
Gap and vacant schemes sub-group
Status: Inactive
Chair: Paul Stelfox
Outputs:
- A centralised list of wholesalers that offer either a gap site incentive scheme or vacancy incentive scheme
- Two successful code change proposals (CPW082 and CPW083), along with Gap Site Incentive and Vacancy Incentive guidance documents to standardise wholesalers’ provision of these schemes.
Disconnection for non-payment sub-group
Status: Inactive
Chair: Simon Bennett
Output: A Disconnection for Non-Payment good practice guide to provide standardisation and guidance for retailers, wholesalers and accredited entities in carrying out temporary disconnections for non-payment for ‘normal usage sites’. The document is due for review in 2022.
This guide is dedicated to the late Andrew Bamber.
Retailer Measure of Experience (R-MeX) sub-group
Status: Inactive
Chair: Gerard Lyden
Outputs: A code-adopted methodology to measure retailers’ satisfaction with wholesalers through a regular, centrally administered survey. The first R-MeX survey was conducted by MOSL in October 2020. To find out more about the R-MeX survey results, please click here.
Meetings
FAQs
The RWG has produced good practice guides across a variety of topic areas. Some of the good practice has subsequently been adopted into the market codes.
MOSL have long been a contributor to the RWG and support in secretariat services, communications and hosting the RWG webpage.
The calendar on the the RWG page is populated with the forthcoming meetings, as well as the central MOSL calendar. If you can’t find the meeting you are interested in then please email the chair for that meeting.
All topics relevant to the non-household market where we can improve the customer experience are on the table. If you feel that your potential topic is not covered by the existing sub groups then please contact both the main RWG chairs so it can be discussed at the Steering Group.
Most good practice guides include a summary table to indicate which elements of good practice the trading party has adopted.
Adherence to the guidance is voluntary but Ofwat expect trading parties to explain why on an annual basis. Also some guidance will after a specific time period follow an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) route so therefore will become mandatory.
This is dependant on the topic, but the majority are reviewed by the relevant subgroup every one or two years.
All topics relevant to the NHH market where we can improve the customer experience are on the table. If you feel that your potential topic is not covered by the existing sub groups then please contact both the main RWG chairs so it can be discussed at the Steering Group.
All trading parties are automatically members unless they specifically request not to be involved. Please check with your Contract Manager.
The sub-group chairs can be found under each sub-group heading on the RWG page.