Provision of Consultancy Support to the CRU’s Customer Care Team (CCT) Dispute Resolution Function

Description

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”) is Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator. Our work impacts Irish homes and businesses ensuring safe, secure and sustainable energy and water supplies for all customers. The CRU’s mission is to protect the public interest in Water, Energy and Energy Safety. The CRU is guided by four strategic priorities that sit alongside the core activities we undertake to deliver on the public interest. These are: • Ensure security of supply • Drive a low carbon future • Empower and protect customers • Enable our people and organisational capacity Further information on the CRU’s role and relevant legislation can be found on the CRU’s website at www.cru.ie The Customer Care Team (CCT) sits in the Customer Policy and Protection, Legal division of the CRU. The team is responsible for delivering two key statutory functions for the CRU: • Providing the commission’s dispute resolution service for unresolved disputes between final customers and service providers. This obligation is set out in Section 7 of S.I. No. 463 of 2011 and Section 8 of the Water Services Act 2014. • Acting as a single point of contact to provide final customers with necessary information concerning their statutory rights in relation to engaging with energy undertakings and obligations of said undertakings, among other things. This obligation is set out in full in Section 8 of S.I. No. 463 of 2011. The CCT requires the specialist external support to assist in the investigation of complaint cases and to assist the team in reducing the current backlog. The successful tenderer should ideally be available to start immediately on the conclusion of this competition (currently estimated as late October 2023), providing two days of support per week for a minimum of 12 months. There is an option to extend these services by six months on two occasions (i.e., maximum 24 month contract), at the discretion of the CRU and with the agreement of the successful tenderer. The successful tenderer will have access to the CCT’s CRM system (Microsoft Dynamics). Through this system they will be assigned cases for investigation. The CCT usually investigate cases in the order in which they joined the queue for investigation. However, depending on the experience of the successful tenderer, specific cases may be directed to them for investigation. They will be expected to manage a caseload of between five and ten complaint cases at a time. Key activities involved in investigating a case will include: • Analysing information provided by the customer and relevant provider(s), and engaging with either party to ascertain additional information if relevant. • Drafting proposed decisions that summarise key facts of the case and the CRU’s proposed determination. • Liaising with the appointed CRU investigating officer to agree proposed decision (to uphold or not uphold the case, and any proposed compensation) for cases as appropriate. • Drafting final decisions taking any further comments received into account. • Using the CCT’s case management system to record case documentation in line with team procedures Lot 1: The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”) is Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator. Our work impacts Irish homes and businesses ensuring safe, secure and sustainable energy and water supplies for all customers. The CRU’s mission is to protect the public interest in Water, Energy and Energy Safety. The CRU is guided by four strategic priorities that sit alongside the core activities we undertake to deliver on the public interest. These are: • Ensure security of supply • Drive a low carbon future • Empower and protect customers • Enable our people and organisational capacity Further information on the CRU’s role and relevant legislation can be found on the CRU’s website at www.cru.ie The Customer Care Team (CCT) sits in the Customer Policy and Protection, Legal division of the CRU. The team is responsible for delivering two key statutory functions for the CRU: • Providing the commission’s dispute resolution service for unresolved disputes between final customers and service providers. This obligation is set out in Section 7 of S.I. No. 463 of 2011 and Section 8 of the Water Services Act 2014. • Acting as a single point of contact to provide final customers with necessary information concerning their statutory rights in relation to engaging with energy undertakings and obligations of said undertakings, among other things. This obligation is set out in full in Section 8 of S.I. No. 463 of 2011. The CCT requires the specialist external support to assist in the investigation of complaint cases and to assist the team in reducing the current backlog. The successful tenderer should ideally be available to start immediately on the conclusion of this competition (currently estimated as late October 2023), providing two days of support per week for a minimum of 12 months. There is an option to extend these services by six months on two occasions (i.e., maximum 24 month contract), at the discretion of the CRU and with the agreement of the successful tenderer. The successful tenderer will have access to the CCT’s CRM system (Microsoft Dynamics). Through this system they will be assigned cases for investigation. The CCT usually investigate cases in the order in which they joined the queue for investigation. However, depending on the experience of the successful tenderer, specific cases may be directed to them for investigation. They will be expected to manage a caseload of between five and ten complaint cases at a time. Key activities involved in investigating a case will include: • Analysing information provided by the customer and relevant provider(s), and engaging with either party to ascertain additional information if relevant. • Drafting proposed decisions that summarise key facts of the case and the CRU’s proposed determination. • Liaising with the appointed CRU investigating officer to agree proposed decision (to uphold or not uphold the case, and any proposed compensation) for cases as appropriate. • Drafting final decisions taking any further comments received into account. • Using the CCT’s case management system to record case documentation in line with team procedures As stated in procurement documents available to download from www.etenders.gov.ie using Resources ID CFT 2297487.