New York EDI Collaborative Files Report on Required Market Changes, Asks for Extension on Contested Items

A New York collaborative has filed a report concerning EDI changes directed by the PSC in its recent retail electric market order (click here for background), but asked for an extension on several required changes because the issues remain contested on rehearing, or are being further explored in additional phases of the proceeding.

"To best prioritize development, the [EDI] Working Group focused on items where the required result were most certain. As a result, energy-related value-added services ('ERVAS')-related EDI development has been deferred because the discussions that would lead to business rules are in their initial stages in another proceeding. Additionally, in response to several petitions for rehearing, the Commission issued an order which stayed the low income requirements from the Order. In spite of the Order which stayed the low income requirements, the Working Group has continued to develop EDI Standards relative to low income customers with the understanding that a future Commission order could require changes to what has been developed," the report says.

"To implement revised standards, a full complement of revised EDI standards consisting of Implementation Guides, Testing Plans and Business Process documents is necessary. Once these procedures have been developed in the Working Group, utilities and ESCOs can begin the process of upgrading their business systems to map data to conform to the revised EDI transactions. Thereafter, utilities and ESCOs, along with their EDI Service Providers, can begin the process of testing the new transactions. While many of the EDI transactions that will ultimately appear in the Implementation Guides have been developed, Testing Plans and Business Process documents have not yet been developed. Because EDI testing involving all ESCOs and utilities requires time and expense, it is more efficient to test the changes when a critical mass of revised transactions is ready for testing," the report says

The collaborative therefore requested a 120 day extension of the EDI Standards Filing Date. "While the Working Group does not know if all regulatory matters impacting development of the revised EDI Standards will have been resolved by that date, it believes the likelihood that Implementation Guides, Testing Plans and Business Process documents for a critical mass of revised EDI Standards will be developed by that date."

To see what EDI standards and changes on settled issues have been developed by the working group, see the EDI collaborative report (click here).