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Switching Operator Outage Notification Lead time

  • 1
    Initial Assessment
  • 2
    Solution Development
  • 3
    Consultation
  • 4
    Decision
  • 5
    Awaiting Implementation
  • 6
    Implemented
Step 6 of 6
Implemented
Summary
Within the Switching Operator Service Definition, the Central Switching Service (CSS) Provider is required to provide 10 Working Days’ (WDs) notice of planned system outages. However, within the CSS Provider’s processes and the Switching Operator Change Management Process Category 3 document, an 8 WD lead time is set out. This change seeks to address this discrepancy.

Latest update and next planned activity

Date of latest update
Latest Update
30/11/2022 - The REC Technical Expert Panel voted to approve R0055 for implementation on 24 February 2023.

Impacts Overview

Priority and rationale
Standard

Priority last updated on 29 May 2026

Solution development

Problem Statement
Across REC products there is an inconsistency in the defined lead time for the CSS Provider to provide notification of scheduled maintenance and system outages. This may result in uncertainty for Switching Data Service Providers around when they should submit an Operational Switching Service Change. This is to ensure there is sufficient lead time for any change to be included within a planned maintenance release, and for CSS Users planning their operational activity around CSS availability.
Proposed solution summary
  1. As the CSS Provider, I want the service levels to be consistently defined across relevant REC Products. This will ensure that I am clear on the lead time I need to provide for planned outages and can meet the defined service level.
  2. As a CSS User, I want to understand how much notice I will get for planned outages of the CSS, so I am able to appropriately plan my activity reliant on this service.
  3. As a Switching Data Service Provider, I want to understand how much notice I will get for planned outages of the CSS. This will ensure I am able to appropriately plan my Operational Switching Service Changes and associated activities.

No documents available.

Change Plan

Service Provider Impact Assessment

Completed

Start:

06 Jul 2022

Due:

19 Aug 2022

Completion:

19 Sep 2022

Party Impact Assessment

Completed

Start:

19 Aug 2022

Due:

26 Aug 2022

Completion:

13 Sep 2022

Preliminary Change Report Issued

Completed

Start:

26 Aug 2022

Due:

14 Oct 2022

Completion:

14 Oct 2022

Consultation Issued

Completed

Start:

14 Oct 2022

Due:

14 Oct 2022

Completion:

14 Oct 2022

Final Change Report Issued

Completed

Start:

14 Oct 2022

Due:

18 Nov 2022

Completion:

18 Nov 2022

Responsible Committee Decision

Not Started

Start:

18 Nov 2022

Due:

30 Nov 2022

Completion:

Original submission

Change details

Ann Perry - DCC
6 Jul 2022

Change details

REC Service Definition Switching Operator Document Outage Notification Leadtime amendment
Within the REC Service Definition Switching Operator document it advises the following text:
“4.5 Scheduled Maintenance shall not occur between 16:00 and 01:00 hours. In the event of Scheduled Maintenance, the Switching Operator shall provide notice to Market Participants and Switching Data Service Providers at least 10 Working Days before the outage, and the Switching Operator shall report on unplanned outages as soon as reasonably practicable, after becoming aware of an unplanned outage”.
However, within the DCC Operational Internal and Category 3 procedure document DCC have listed an 8 working day Leadtime for any Change/Release that has an outage and this document has been baselined. DCC request for the number of days to be amended from ‘10’ to ‘8’ in the REC Service Definition Switching Operator document.
There are two documents referencing different lead times which will cause confusion for the Switching Data Providers. DCC have also built the switching toolset to have an 8-day lead time which would require updating, as well as updates needing to be made to all process documents and Category 3 procedure documents if the Service Definition amendment is not made.
The REC Service Definition Switching Operator document to be updated to specify 8 working days instead of 10 relating to scheduled maintenance.
In the initial planning stages of our documentation DCC Operational Change Management asked RECCo if they wanted any lead-times for changes. DCC were advised that DCC could specify the lead-times which is why an 8-day lead-time for outage notifications was chosen.

Related items

No
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No details provided

Impacts

Other (please specify in the Additional information box below)
Other (please provide details in Additional information box below)
No direct Consumer impact
No details provided
The impacted document is the REC Service Definition Switching Operator.
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Switching Operator
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No
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Priority & timing

No
The current drafting will cause confusion with the Switching Data Providers as 2 documents reference different lead-times. Also, DCC have built the switching toolset to have an 8-day lead time so this would need to be updated as well as all process documents and Category 3 procedure documents related to Operational Change Management which have already been signed off by REC. Furthermore the External Switching Data Service Providers would need to update their internal processes to feed into DCC’s change process as they have built it following an 8-day lead-time
This is a document only change.
DCC are not aware of any dependencies
No details provided
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Activity

Proposed solution summary changed to As the CSS Provider, I want the service levels to be consistently defined across relevant REC Products. This will ensure that I am clear on the lead time I need to provide for planned outages and can meet the def…
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Implementation Date has been updated to 24 Feb 2023.
beth.brown has been allocated as SME.
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