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.

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: Holly Corns

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) 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.