Regulation of the contract quality of the integrated water service, i.e., of each of its individual services 655/2015/R/idr

December 28, 2015

Italian version

With resolution 655/2015/R/idr, the Regulatory Authority for Electricity Gas and Water approves the service quality code for the regulation of the contract quality of the Integrated Water Service, i.e., of each of its individual services (RQSII), following a complex process of consultation (665/2014/R/idr, 273/2015/R/idr and 560/2015/R/idr).
The measure defines minimum contract levels and quality objectives of the Integrated Water Service, through the identification of significant indicators for maximum times and minimum quality standards, uniform throughout the country, for the services to be provided to users, also determining methods for recording, reporting and verifying data on services provided by operators upon user's request.
In case of failure to meet specific quality standards in individual services provided to users, the Authority introduces automatic compensations to be paid to users, and a penalty mechanism for general quality standards of all the services.

The service quality code  identifies maximum times and minimum quality standards, specifically for billing procedures, division of payments into instalments, handling customer calls, written requests, complaints, consumer help-desk, emergency services, execution of work, meter and pressure level checks and communication flows between operators in case of non-integrated management of integrated water service (SII). In addition, in order to provide certainty to the start and termination of the contract relationship, there are general and specific standards for budgeting service connection, activation, transfer, reactivation and deactivation.
In view of the non-commercial nature of water and the need to ensure service to all users and compliance with the minimum service accessibility quality requirements and the strong territorial connotations of the service itself, the measure ensures the presence of at least one help-desk per province, while also providing a minimum number of opening hours for physical  help-desks.
The Regulatory Authority has also provided that the integrated water services (SII) operator be required to comply with a general standard as far as the emergency call arrival time indicator is concerned.
The resolution provides that the Local Authorities  in charge may promote the achievement of a quality level higher than the minimum provided throughout the country submitting a reasoned ad hoc request to the Regulatory Authority. The achievement of these incremental levels involves the provision of rewards and penalties in addition to those already defined in the service quality code.
The service quality code address the following specifically:

• times and procedures to start and terminate the contract relationship;
• times and procedures for the management of the contract relationship, specifically the following items:
  • charge, billing, payment and payment in instalments;
  • complaints and written requests for information and billing adjustments;
  • physical help-desks management;
  • phone service quality;
• times and procedures for the management of contract quality requirements in case Article 156 of Legislative Decree 152/06 is applied;
• specific and general integrated water service (SII) contract quality standards;
• automatic compensations in case of failure to meet specific standards;
• requirements to record and notify contract quality data to the Regulatory Authority and the Local Authorities  in charge;
• simplified sampling verification of integrated water service (SII) contract quality data notified by the operators.

The introduction of incentivizing mechanisms for the achievement of quality improvements above the minimum levels established by resolution 655/2015/R/idr along with the measure's regulation are deferred to subsequent measures.
The service quality code  (RQSII) comes into effect for all operators starting 1 July 2016, with the exception of some aspects that regard automatic compensations, communications with the Regulatory Authority and telephone service quality, which will come into effect on 1 January 2017. Operators who serve fewer than 50,000 inhabitants are exempt from the communication requirements with the Regulatory Authority and from publishing recorded information and data.

This sheet is for disclosure purposes only; it is not a measure.