SA Water regulatory determination 2020: monitoring and evaluating performance
- Project Released: 7 Oct 2020
- Project Closes: Dec 2020
- Contact: Amber Miller
Overview
SA Water Regulatory Determination 2020 Monitoring and Evaluating Performance Framework has been developed to introduce an appropriate level of independent oversight into SA Water’s ongoing investment planning and evaluation processes.
It will provide information to stakeholders on how SA Water’s operational and longer-term investment decisions are delivering benefits to its customers, stakeholders and its owner.
This increased transparency throughout a regulatory period should minimise the occurrence of unforeseen investment needs being presented for stakeholder consideration during engagement and consultation on the next Regulatory Determination.
Status
Current status is Final
- Initiate
- Submissions
- Final
Final
In June 2020, the Commission made a regulatory determination in relation to the maximum revenue that the South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water) can recover from the provision of drinking water and sewerage retail services from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2024: SA Water Regulatory Determination 2020 (SAWRD20).
The SAWRD20 final determination provided a high-level summary of the way in which the Commission proposed to monitor and evaluate SA Water’s performance over the regulatory period, while noting that further consultation would be required to finalise the framework.
In summary, the monitoring framework aims to introduce more transparency for stakeholders into SA Water’s ongoing investment planning and evaluation processes. Initially, the framework will focus on four areas:
- service standards with performance targets (an existing requirement)
- expenditure and revenue outcomes (an existing requirement)
- key investment areas (an enhancement), and
- long-term asset management and planning (an enhancement).
However, a framework of the nature proposed is able to evolve over time, with additional areas able to be added where there is value for stakeholders in doing so.
It is expected that, over time, this greater level of transparency will assist stakeholders to hold SA Water to account for its performance and provide the information necessary to more effectively participate in regulatory determination processes, to the extent they wish to do so.
Importantly, the Commission’s framework does not seek to duplicate SA Water’s existing internal monitoring and evaluation activities. Rather, it seeks to introduce a greater level of transparency in key areas that are likely to be of interest to SA Water’s stakeholders.