Harmonisation Retail Design Service (HRDS)

This is the reference point for the baseline documentation and change control process relevant to the Harmonisation Retail Market Project.

About HRDS

In 2009 as a result of NIE's Enduring Solution project there was an opportunity to harmonise the market messages and Supplier-facing processes used in the NI and ROI electricity retail markets. This body of work was completed in January 2010 and there is now a suite of market documents covering jurisdiction-specific market message guides and market procedures. Since January 2010, it has been a requirement to have a common change process to ensure these documents remain synchronised and also to ensure that the impact of any harmonisation change requests are understood and managed in a co-ordinated fashion.

HRDS is a joint activity between ESB and NIE and acts as the first contact point in assessing discussion requests and identifying whether they will impact the baseline documentation or whether they are jurisdiction-specific. Where a proposed change has been identified to impact the baseline this requires a co-ordinated approach to developing common market change requests which are discussed and agreed at the Harmonisation Working Group (HWG) forum. Ultimately, any agreed changes are approved by the Harmonisation Steering group (HSG).