We have asked companies to publish an annual performance report because water companies’ statutory accounts are not detailed enough for us to assess their performance. The reports should be accessible to all stakeholders so that they show how the sector is delivering for its customers, environment and wider society.
The financial components of the annual performance report are based on our existing regulatory accounts framework but widened so that all stakeholders can consistently assess companies’ relative and absolute performance.
The report does not replace the requirements for companies to develop and take ownership for their own reporting on how they are delivering for their customers.
The annual performance report should include the following information.
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| 1. Regulatory financial reporting | A baseline level of historical cost financial information aligned to the way in which price controls (and associated regulatory performance commitments and incentives) have been set. |
| 2. Price control and additional segmental reporting | Further disaggregation of revenue and costs, to allow stakeholders to review companies’ performance against final determinations. |
| 3. Performance summary | A high-level report of the performance of the appointed business, including outcome delivery and the regulatory financial results of the regulated business. As a minimum it will include reporting on outcomes and delivery service levels and cost performance. |
| 4. Additional regulatory information | Additional financial and non-financial information, including (but not limited to), additional accounting policies, financeability statement, current cost reporting, totex analysis. |
In section 4, companies are required to show totex to split by wholesale upstream services and calculate unit costs. As each company has the flexibility to choose the cost driver it decides is the most appropriate for each service we are continuing to ask companies to publish some additional extra information separately from annual performance report on their website. This comprises:
- a methodology statement for upstream services totex reporting
- a commentary on significant movements in the year
- explanations of the main factors causing changes to their costs (‘cost drivers’) for each of the upstream services they provide
- an explanation as to why the cost drivers they have chosen are the most appropriate. Where the most appropriate cost driver information is not available we expect companies to use the next most appropriate and explain their reasoning.
Section 4 also contains data requirements which have been developed as part of the ‘cost assessment’ workstream for PR19.
Regulatory accounting guidelines (RAGs)
In preparing the annual performance report water companies must follow our regulatory accounting guidelines. The requirements are set in accordance with condition F of companies’ licences. These help ensure that the annual performance report is prepared consistently and in line with our overall regulatory reporting framework.
The RAGs are structured in the following five parts:
RAG 1 – Principles and guidelines for regulatory reporting under the ‘new UK GAAP’ regime.
This guideline sets out the basis on which companies are required to present information within the annual performance report, including the impact of GAAP changes, differences between regulatory and statutory accounts, and current cost accounting requirements,
RAG 2 – Guideline for the classification of costs across the price controls
This guideline covers the principles and cost drivers to be used to allocate historic cost capital and operating costs within the annual performance report.
RAG 3 – Guidelines for the format and disclosures for the annual performance report
This guideline sets out the format and the pro forma tables together with the associated disclosures required within the annual performance report.
RAG 4 – Guideline for the table definitions for the annual performance report
This guideline presents line definitions for the tables outlined in RAG 3.
RAG 5 – Guideline for transfer pricing
RAG 5 contains guidance on applying transfer pricing rules on transactions with associate companies, and the non-appointed business. It has been updated to reflect guidance for transactions between price control business units.