QUOTATION ACCURACY SCHEME

The QAS is intended to provide information so that you can assess whether the specific Connection Charge included within our Connection Offer to you is accurate in terms of consistency with our Connection Charging Statement

• It is not intended to be a mechanism for you to challenge the total cost of the connection offer, but instead to challenge that the cost is comparable to the tables in the Statement of Methodology of Charges for Connection (F1 and F2 Tables).
• If the breakdown of costs included in the Connection Offer is sufficient such that they are within the bands of the indicative costs in Tables F1 and F2 then you would not be eligible to challenge the accuracy of the Connection Offer.
• If the breakdown of costs included in the Connection Offer is such that they are outside the bands of the indicative costs in Tables F1 and F2 then you would be eligible to challenge the accuracy of the Connection Offer. 
• If there is insufficient information provided within the connection offer to enable you to understand and compare the breakdown of costs with Tables F1 and F2 then you would be eligible to challenge the accuracy of the Connection Offer.
• If we are able to provide additional information in support of our charges then no payment would be made.
• The accuracy assessment will work both ways, i.e. any error may be an omission and a re-issued Connection Offer could be higher or lower than the original Connection Charge.
• Some tolerances for the error would apply, for example within 5% or £150 (whichever is the greater). This prevents a disproportionate effect for say small lengths of cable if our view and your view on the required length differ.
• You must challenge the accuracy of the Connection Offer within the 90 calendar day validity period of the offer or within 10 days of the quotation being accepted.

• The QAS price schedule enables you to compare your quotation with a range of charges. If your connection charge is outside that range with no explanation as to why, then we may deem the quotation inaccurate. 

  • The schedule of prices are published in the Statement of Methodology and Charges for Connections within the F1 and F2 Tables.
  • The validity period of the connection offer at the time we receive the challenge in respect of an unaccepted offer will be kept on hold until the investigation is completed, where upon the validity clock will resume from where it had got to if the challenge is unjustified and will of course be reset where the challenge is justified as we will issue a new offer.
  • You must compare your connection offer with these tables and if you believe we have made an error you must notify us in writing.
  • The Connections Quality Assurance Manager will review the Connection Offer and if they accept that we have made an error, for example in estimating quantities then the Connection Charge will be deemed inaccurate. In these circumstances, a penalty payment will be paid to you and a new Connection Offer issued.
  • Where we review the Connection Offer and accept that we have not provided enough information and therefore the Connection Charge is outside the bands of indicative costs, the Connection Charge will be deemed inaccurate, a penalty payment will be paid to you and a new Connection Offer issued. The revised Connection Charge may in fact be for the same value but with additional information provided.
  • If we are able to provide additional information in support of our charges then no payment would be made.

If the tolerance for the error is within 5% or £150 (whichever is the greater)then no payment would be made.

The following information should be contained within the offer:

• The total cost of the work; and
• The cost presented in such a way that the quotation can be cross referenced and compared with the published charges; and
• A description of the works involved to provide the connection in order that the quotation can be cross referenced and compared with the published charges; and
• The likely timescales associated with providing the connection; and

Confirmation where appropriate are subject to the Quotation Accuracy Scheme.

You can make a challenge by issuing a written statement in one of the following ways:

1. Complete the online QAS enquiry form; or
2. Write to the Connections Quality Assurance Manager, Northern Powergrid, Northumbria Works, Mill Street East, Dewsbury, WF12 9AH; or 
3. Email QAScheme@northernpowergrid.com

Challenging the connection charge will not stop you from accepting the connection quotation.

This QAS does not affect your right to enter into our complaints process in respect of charge (or of any of the other terms of your connection offer) by Authority under section 23 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Challenging the connection charge will not affect your right to enter our complaints process. However, we have the same quotation accuracy reviewing process for challenges under the Quotation Accuracy Scheme (QAS) and for complaints. This means that the outcome of an accuracy challenge under the QAS would not be changed if it then became the subject of a complaint about accuracy, and any remedy due under the QAS would be deemed adequate to cover any issues regarding the accuracy or completeness of the quotation in question.