Ofwat Roadmap actions

O1. Update the Open Water website. Update and regularly maintain the Open Water website so it provides customers with clear guidance on the market and incorporates the outputs of Market Improvement Fund Project CATRID to enable customer to identify their retailer and wholesaler to make informed choices around tariffs and/or supplier.

October 2025: The Open Water website continues to operate effectively and remains up to date. Minor visual and layout updates have been made. Work to determine the best way to host the CATRID query tool is ongoing but is treated separately from this action.

August 2025: The Strategic Panel notes the changes Ofwat has made to its Open Water website and will request a development plan from Ofwat outlining expected future changes to the website.

June 2025: no change from the April 2025 update. 

31 March 2026

O2. Ofwat incentives on Wholesalers Ofwat incentivises and holds wholesalers to account appropriately to support efficient market functioning. Wholesaler provision of services to customers and retailers is rated through a business customer and retailer measure of experience (BR-MeX) incentive which drives performance and encourages correction of poor performance.

October 2025: R-MeX continues to operate as intended and remains under review. The measure is live and embedded, with Ofwat monitoring results and addressing issues through standard performance processes.

August 2025: The Strategic Panel will ask Ofwat to outline any additional expected changes to incentivise wholesalers.

June 2025: As noted in the April 2025 update, the business customer and retailer measure of experience incentive went live in April 2025. The outcome of BR-MeX is under review through established metrics.

31 March 2027

O3. Produce plain english guide Produce a guide in plain english to the Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) that provides sufficient and clear information on the metrics, and obligations and the protections afforded to customers. This guide will help inform decisions about whether to join the market. MOSL will support this by providing a plain english guide to the market codes.

October 2025: MOSL is preparing its part of the guide, a clear explanation of market codes. It will share this with Ofwat before Christmas. Ofwat will review the draft to ensure alignment with its own work. The overall project remains on track and aligns with the roadmap timeline.

August 2025: Ofwat and MOSL will undertake a scoping exercise in Q1 FY26/27 to progress development of a plain English guide. To inform this exercise, MOSL will develop a guide on the market codes held on its website.

June 2025: This is a joint venture with MOSL, who is responsible for providing explanations (not interpretations) of which market codes exist and what their purpose is. The focus for this guide will be on encouraging new market participants to enter the market and facilitating their experience. This could include details on licence application and would therefore be more of a signposting exercise than a precis of existing literature. Ofwat will lead a scoping exercise in Q3 FY25/26 to progress this.

31 March 2027

O4. Retailer and TPI ‘fairness framework’ Establish via the Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) a “fairness framework” to govern retailer and third party intermediary (TPI) behaviour and reassure customers their behaviours are not just guided by competitive market forces. TPIs should be transparent about their charges, commissions, partnerships and data sources to assure customers of their objectivity and boost customer trust. 

October 2025: The CPCoP requirements are in place and functioning. Ofwat continues to collect annual compliance statements and will make any enforcement outcomes public as appropriate. No current non-compliances have been identified, and Ofwat confirmed the framework remains active and under review.

August 2025: No change from June update.

June 2025: The obligations under the Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) require retailers to only work with TPIs which adhere to a set of principles of practice. Ofwat is gathering annual statements of compliance with the CPCoP from retailers. Any non-compliances will be investigated by Ofwat and instances of enforcement communicated as appropriate. The Panel will continue to monitor the engagement of TPIs with the market.

31 March 2027

O5. Wholesaler ‘fairness framework’ Define and deliver a wholesaler “fairness framework” via the market codes and license conditions. This is intended to reassure customers that wholesalers behave in the interests of customers and that is not impacted by the nature of being regional monopoly providers.

October 2025: The action remains under consideration. Ofwat has not yet taken a position or announced its intentions, and there is no change since the previous update.

August 2025: No change from June update.

June 2025: Ofwat recognises the action and is considering the merits of this in the framework of its statutory duties.  

31 March 2027

O6. Define list of fields/information to be included on or with customer bills Update the Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) to reference the fields and information, once agreed (see related C1 action led by CCW).

October 2025: Retailers are continuing to submit compliance statements under the CPCoP, and Ofwat has found no new compliance issues. The requirement remains in effect and under ongoing monitoring. No changes to report since the previous update.

August 2025: No change from June update.

June 2025: Completed by the publication of Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP). Ofwat is gathering annual statements of compliance with the CPCoP from retailers. Any non-compliances will be investigated by Ofwat and instances of enforcement communicated as appropriate. The Panel and CCW will continue to monitor the impact of the provision of this information to customers in the market.

31 March 2027

O7. Sandbox supports innovation Ofwat to implement provisions in licences and market codes to support sandboxing that allows ringfenced trials of new approaches to better support innovation and subsequent wider change

October 2025: A workshop on the Sandbox approach is confirmed for Q4 and will be a joint Ofwat/MOSL session. Ofwat will seek feedback from retailers and wholesalers on what a sandbox should include and how it should function. MOSL will facilitate initial discussions via the user forum in January, ahead of the workshop.

August 2025: Ofwat has confirmed that the scoping exercise will be held in Q4 FY25/26.

June 2025: An initial scoping exercise with market participants, Ofwat, MOSL, CCW and regulatory bodies will be held in Q3 FY25/26 to define and progress this.

31 March 2027

O8. Develop and communicate ISA process including SOLR Publish a clear explanation of the market processes to safeguard customer supply and service if a retailer or wholesaler were to fail. The process will apply to all retailers and wholesalers giving customers confidence that their service and supply will be secure if they switch.

October 2025: Work on the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) and cost recovery mechanism decisions is still underway. Ofwat confirmed this is a key milestone in the wider interim supply process, though it has taken slightly longer than expected. The plan is now to publish Ofwat’s decision on the relevant code changes and consequential updates in January 2026.

August 2025: At SP19a, the Strategic Panel noted the opportunity for legislative change when the Water Industry Act is reviewed and recognised this as a priority. More information can be found in the SP19a_03 paper.

June 2025: In May 2025, the Code Change Committee unanimously recommended the following two code changes for approval 1) Interim Supply: Initial Cost Support (CPW154) and 2) Interim Supply: Cost Recovery Mechanism (CPW153) (see the April 2025 update below for detail on what these aim to achieve). Subject to Ofwat's approval by 22 and 12 August respectively, the changes will be implemented on 12 September 2025.

31 March 2027

O9. Review the balance of regulation and competition Review the appropriate balance of regulation to protect customers and promote competition (supported by greater segmentation of smaller customers). This could include regulatory requirements for retailers to protect customers who have switched and come off the deemed rate from being placed on high standard variable rates at the end of their contracts. This aims to support the aspiration to gradually remove regulatory protections for sections of Group 1 customer as better data drives better understanding and engagement by them.

October 2025: The Strategic Panel responded to Ofwat's consultation on the Review of the Retail Exit Codes (REC), which included requesting views on redefining eligibility and exploring alternative models, such as fixed cost allowances or opt-in protections. In October, Ofwat published the Business retail market update 2024-25, the Business Customer Insights Survey 2025 and the Business retail market consultation. The customer insight report introduces new evidence about business customer behaviour and engagement, which may influence future thinking on competition. Stakeholders will be invited to respond to this “mini consultation,” building on the earlier REC review.

August 2025: The Strategic Panel is responding to Ofwat's consultation, which includes requesting views on redefining eligibility and exploring alternative models, such as fixed cost allowances or opt-in protections. The consultation can be found here.

July 2025: The only update from May 2025 is that the initial consultation on the 2025-26 review of Retail Exit Code (REC) protections in the market is now due to run from 10 July until 8 September. 

31 March 2028