Report 2013-109 Recommendation 8 Responses
Report 2013-109: California Public Utilities Commission: Improved Monitoring of Balancing Accounts Would Better Ensure That Utility Rates Are Fair and Reasonable (Release Date: March 2014)
Recommendation #8 To: Public Advocates Office
To further its mission to obtain the lowest possible rates for reliable and safe utility service for ratepayers through its reviews of balancing accounts, Ratepayer Advocates should document the method used for its selection of balancing accounts to review.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2016
ORA has revised its Audit Manual to provide staff with guidance to document the methodology applied for selecting balancing accounts to review when examining investor-owned utility financial records and documents. This practice will document why ORA has selected certain accounts and not others for review, consistent with its statutory mandate (PU Code Section 309.5). ORA will provide the State Auditor with the revised manual.
- Completion Date: November 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From September 2015
As described previously a Audit Guide was developed for use by ORA auditors based on the recommendation by the state auditor. I will be following this report with a letter describing implimentation history of the audit guide and enclose a copy of the guide for your review.
- Completion Date: August 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented
The audit guide that Ratepayer Advocates references in its response does not include the method it uses for selecting balancing accounts to review. Ratepayer Advocates did not provide additional documents to support its claim of full implementation.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
1-Year Agency Response
Although Ratepayer Advocates provided an audit guide as support that it has implemented this recommendation, it did not provide its one-year response to this recommendation. However, it asserts that the audit guide it created addresses this recommendation.
- Completion Date: August 2014
- Response Date: April 2015
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
We reviewed the audit guide that Ratepayer Advocates provided and found that the audit guide does not include requirements for its management or staff to document the method that Ratepayer Advocates used for selecting the balancing accounts to review.
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
6-Month Agency Response
ORA has developed an audit guide for use by internal auditors.
- Completion Date: August 2014
- Response Date: September 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
Ratepayer Advocates did not provide the audit guide it references to substantiate its claim of full implementation.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
60-Day Agency Response
ORA is in the process of creating an audit guide to provide guidance on selection of balancing accounts for review. An internal draft guide has been prepared and is going through an internal review process with ORA's auditors and managers. I anticipate the guide to be completed within the next few weeks.
- Estimated Completion Date: 5/16/14
- Response Date: May 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2013-109
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.