The purpose of MHHS Qualification is to confirm that Parties are ready to operate under the required industry processes and standards for the new Marketwide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) arrangements. All REC Parties wanting to operate in the new market arrangements prior to MHHS Milestone M14 (Deadline by which all suppliers must have the systems and services in place to accept MPANs under the new Target Operating Model (TOM)) will need to qualify through MHHS Qualification; MHHS Milestone dates are held on the MHHS Programme Website, M14 is targeting October 2026.

Where existing Parties are not MHHS Qualified by M14:

• Suppliers are not able to migrate Metering Points to the new MHHS arrangements until they are MHHS Qualified
• Meter Operator Agents cannot be appointed to MHHS Metering Points until they are MHHS Qualified

Market Entrants that will begin operating after M14 are not required to complete MHHS Qualification via the MHHS Programme, and the REC MHHS requirements have been embedded into the wider REC Market Entry process. Further information can be found in the Entry Assessment Information Pack in Category 3 Documents.

All existing Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) were Qualified ahead of the migration period commencing. Qualification of Suppliers and Meter Operator Agents (MOAs) is being delivered through multiple Qualification Waves, by completing Qualification Testing (QT) starting before migration commences, and continuing through live operations.

The MHHS arrangements allow for a period where ‘Reverse Migration’ is possible. This applies where a Supplier who is not yet MHHS Qualified registers a Metering Point that has already been through migration (and is being settled under MHHS arrangements). After M14, Reverse Migration will cease and only Suppliers who are MHHS Qualified will be able to register Metering Points, via a Switch. This is true for all migrated or non-migrated Metering Points.

The Retail Energy Code (REC) and Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) Code Bodies have worked together to develop and maintain a suite of documentation for REC Parties to understand and complete MHHS Qualification:

Qualification Approach & Plan

The REC and BSC Code Bodies and have developed the MHHS Qualification Approach and Plan (QA&P). This document sets out the high-level approach to REC and BSC MHHS Qualification and is available via the MHHS Programme website.

The QA&P outlines the key requirements that Parties will have to follow to complete MHHS Qualification, an outline of the roles and responsibilities, and includes an appendix with the expected timeframe for the Qualification activities broken down by Wave. There are additionally 4 annexes to the QA&P:

• Annex 1: Non-SIT Licensed Distribution System Operator (LDSO - known as DNOs in the REC) MHHS Qualification Testing Approach
• Annex 2: Non-SIT Supplier & Agent MHHS Qualification Testing Approach
• Annex 3: New Entrant Non-SIT LDSO MHHS Qualification Testing Approach (first draft due to be published Autumn 2024)
• Annex 4: Non-Completion of Qualification

Qualification Assessment Document

To support the Qualification process, all participants wanting to operate in the new market arrangements prior to M14 will need to complete a Qualification Assessment Document (QAD), providing REC and BSC Code Bodies with information regarding their MHHS delivery (including evidence from relevant test phases). The Code Bodies will use the information in the QAD to assess whether Parties have provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate they have the appropriate systems, processes and controls in place to meet the MHHS requirements as outlined in the respective Codes. All Parties are required to submit the QAD, whether they are completing QT or SIT.

A reference copy of the QAD is available in the Qualification section on the MHHS website, however the QAD will be submitted via the QAD Portal (SOFY).
Further information on the QAD Portal can be found via the ‘Qualification Assessment Document (QAD) Portal Walkthrough: 18 June 2024’ MHHS Webinar.

Requirement to Test Traceability Matrix

The REC and BSC Code Bodies have provided Requirement to Test Traceability Matrix (RTTM) templates for each non-SIT Party type to support the assessment of testing activity. They clarify minimum requirements for test execution in Pre-Integration Testing (PIT) and will set out what is expected for QT as well as any evidence that must be provided – for example, to support the QAD submission. Parties are required to complete the template to show that all tests have been executed and to provide evidence of this. The RTTMs are available via the MHHS Programme website under the Qualification Overview section.

REC MHHS Assessment Criteria

The purpose of MHHS Qualification is for the REC Code Manager and BSC to assess whether their Parties have the appropriate systems, processes and controls in place to be able to operate in the Market in-line with their obligations under the respective codes.

Parties will be completing various activities, including PIT, SIT/QT, and the QAD to be able to demonstrate that they will be able to comply with their code obligations. The REC Assessment Criteria for MHHS Qualification captures and maps which of these activities the REC Code Manager requires Parties to complete for the various MHHS Requirements.

How to keep up to date

The MHHS Programme has multiple Working Groups around MHHS Qualification to provide Programme Participants with updates to the MHHS Qualification Approach and Plan; further information on these Working Groups can be found under ‘Qualification Level 4 Working Groups and Subgroups’ under the Qualification Governance section of the MHHS Website. If you are interested in joining this Working Group, please contact PMO@mhhsprogramme.co.uk.