This page outlines how your performance as a BSC Party or Party Agent will be monitored and managed by Elexon through the Performance Assurance Framework (PAF).
What is Performance Assurance?
Under the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC), Performance Assurance is about making sure Parties and their Agents submit accurate and timely data for the energy they generate, consume, and trade.
Our Performance Assurance team, under the oversight of the Performance Assurance Board (PAB), conducts regular audits, checks, and monitoring to verify that Parties have robust systems and processes in place.
If any issues are found, Elexon supports BSC Parties and their Agents in identifying the root causes and taking action to fix them, helping ensure the market runs smoothly.
How we manage and monitor performance
We use our Performance Assurance Framework (PAF), which includes rules, tools, and procedures for Elexon to carry out Performance Assurance. It is the structure that defines how we assess performance, what happens if we find any issues, and how we make improvements.
Who does it apply to?
Performance Assurance can be applied to any BSC Party or Party Agent that has been identified as posing a potential settlement risk and selected for one or more Performance Assurance Techniques (PATs). They are referred to as Performance Assurance Parties (PAPs).
These are defined in Section Z of the BSC as:
- Suppliers
- Virtual Lead Parties (VLPs)
- Virtual Trading parties (VTPs)
- Data Collectors (DCs)
- Data Aggregator (DAs)
- Data Services (DSs)
- Meter Administrators (MAs)
- Licensed Distribution System Operator (LDSOs) – including in their capacity as Supplier Meter Registration Agents (SMRAs) and Unmetered Supply Operators (UMSOs)
- Exempt Supply Notification Agents
- Registrants of Central Volume Allocation (CVA) Metering Systems
- CVA Meter Operator Agents (MOAs)
What you need to do
All PAPs are required to:
- understand and comply with their obligations under the Code
- to take an active role in monitoring and managing their own performance.
If you work for a PAP in an operational role connected with Settlement, you should:
- understand the relevant Code obligations and work to ensure these are met
- make sure you are familiar with the Performance Assurance work Elexon carries out around these obligations
- actively engage with Elexon’s periodic consultations on Performance Assurance – especially those for the annual Risk Evaluation Register (RER) and Risk Operating Plan (ROP)
PAPs should also familiarise themselves with how we manage and monitor performance and the Performance Assurance documents.
Suppliers and CVA Registrants are also accountable for making sure that your Appointed Party Agents (such as DCs and CVA MOAs) carry out their work in accordance with the provisions of the BSC and BSC Procedures (BSCPs).
Performance Assurance of BSC Agents
BSC Agents such as the Central Data Collection Agent (CDCA) and Funds Allocation Agent (FAA) are not PAPs and are not subject to Elexon’s performance assurance process.
If information obtained through the PAF suggests a BSC Agent may have made an error or failed to meet its obligations under the Code, the Performance Assurance team pass this on to Elexon’s Service Management team to investigate, and support them in resolving any issues if necessary.