Delivery Assurance Group: terms of reference 2021-2027

Delivery Assurance Group
Terms of reference for 2021-27 regulatory period
(SR21)

The high level ‘Delivery Assurance Group’ (DAG) reviews the delivery of committed projects in Scottish Water’s investment programme, which are intended to achieve the objectives set by Scottish Ministers.

Ministers expect DAG and its working group to seek reassurance on the delivery of projects and sub-programmes included on the ‘Committed List’. It is the expectation of Ministers that for the purpose of reporting on the delivery of these projects and sub-programmes, the processes and practises operate without reference to them except where there is a statutory obligation to do so or where their involvement is indicated in these Terms of Reference.

Ministers expect DAG to focus on the delivery of committed projects and subprogrammes rather than financial expenditure.

All parties will ensure high level representation at the DAG meetings.

Remit of the Group

The Delivery Assurance Group (DAG) will ensure that appropriate arrangements are developed and put in place to report on the delivery of projects and sub-programmes included on the ‘Committed List’, alongside those outstanding from any previous regulatory period.

It will meet four times per year and will provide Ministers with authoritative, consistent, agreed and up-to-date information on delivery.

The DAG will notify the IPPG of any issues that affect the delivery of the committed projects or sub-programmes, which may impact on, or be impacted by, wider policies or strategies, or may give rise to the need to revise plans in order to meet the Objectives and associated Directions issued by Ministers.

The DAG will operate at a strategic level and will be supported by a working level group that will provide analysis and reports as directed and required by the group. The DAG will specify the remit, membership and work programme for the working group and ensure that the Terms of Reference are consistent with those for the DAG.

Membership

The group is chaired by the Scottish Government and the secretariat provided by the Water Industry team.

Membership is by invitation and is comprised of representatives from:

• Scottish Government, SG
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA
• Drinking Water Quality Regulator, DWQR
• Scottish Water, SW
• Water Industry Commission for Scotland, WICS
• Citizens Advice Scotland, CAS
• Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, SPSO

The secretariat will invite each member organisation to nominate its representative(s) at the start of any new regulatory period.

Existing members can choose to change their representative(s) at any time during the period. Changes should be notified to the secretariat, who will update the membership list accordingly.

Roles

All members commit themselves to embracing Ethical Business Practices (EBP) and adopting the principles of Ethical Business Regulation (EBR).

Nominated representatives are expected to articulate the views, expertise and interests of their member organisation as a whole, thereby allowing the DAG to reach a collective view on delivery.

Nominated representatives of the DAG should ensure they are adequately briefed by any other stakeholder representatives, present at the DAG Working Group, ahead of the meeting.

Regulators may be asked to provide additional reassurance to further enhance the understanding of the other DAG members.

Responsibilities

• Ensure that appropriate tools are developed and put in place to provide reassurance on the delivery of committed outputs, in terms that are consistent with the requirements of the regulators (DWQR, SEPA and WICS) and take due account of the practical needs of Scottish Water;
• Review the delivery of projects and sub-programmes included on then‘Committed List’, including the high level quarterly delivery update prepared by the working group;
• Through the quarterly report, advise Ministers of any issues affecting the delivery of projects and sub-programmes on the ‘Committed List’;
• Ensure a well-defined and agreed change mechanism is developed, operated and maintained to allow any changes to the projects and sub-programmes included on the ‘Committed List’;
• Approve the draft quarterly high-level delivery update prepared by the DAG Working Group for inclusion in the [Scottish Water Investment Programme Report];
• Recognise the procedures that have been put in place to sign-off completed projects with regulators;
• Refer questions, concerns or recurring issues to the working group or a new short life task group for consideration;
• Consider the findings of papers/reports referred up by the working group or other groups/forums (where appropriate), and agree whether any action or further investigation is required;
• Approve the end of regulatory period report prepared by the DAG Working Group, which sets out the extent to which the projects and sub-programmes included on the ‘Committed List’ have been delivered;
• Maintain an appropriate dialogue with the Investment Planning and Prioritisation Group (IPPG);
• Ensure that all work is undertaken to agreed deadlines and in alignment with the requirements, needs and processes of Ministers and other stakeholders; and
• Undertake any other duties with the agreement/by the direction of Ministers.

Review

The terms of reference for the DAG should be reviewed by its members throughout the regulatory period.

Delivery Assurance Group: terms of reference 2021-27

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