Topic:"Compliance Legislation" in M12663

23 C. Compliance Preparedness and Assurance - 24 Compliance Preparedness and Assurance for Phase II is budgeted at $0.34M and includes the - 25 following component costs: - 26 Phase II Readiness Assurance Consultant ($0.10M) These costs wi...

AI summary Compliance Preparedness and Assurance for Phase II is budgeted at $0.34M, covering consultancy fees for a Readiness Assurance Consultant and a NERC Compliance Consultant to ensure IESO Nova Scotia meets reliability standards and transitions smoothly into its operational role.

& lt;sup>27 Subject Matter Expertise – Phase II was referred to as "Operational Planning and Strategy" in the 25/26 application. & lt;sup>28 Compliance Preparedness and Assurance includes NERC compliance and assurance consultants, and comb...

AI summary The document refers to 'Subject Matter Expertise – Phase II' being renamed 'Operational Planning and Strategy' in the 25/26 application. It also mentions that 'Compliance Preparedness and Assurance' includes NERC compliance activities and combines several line items from the 25/26 application.

8 (a) Year to date actual results for transitional costs detailed in Table 2: 2025/2026 Actual Results Variance Cost Category Budget ($) December 31, 2025 (A-B) (Millions) ($) (Millions) (over)/under A B budget PMO Support 0.72M 0.89M (0.1...

AI summary The document provides a comparison of budgeted and actual transitional costs for the year to date in 2025/2026. Key categories include PMO Support, Subject Matter Expertise – Phase II, and Compliance Preparedness and Assurance. Actual results show variances from the budget, with total transitional expenses exceeding the budget by $0.69M.

NON-CONFIDENTIAL 1 Request IR - 22 2 Reference: Exhibit B-3 (page 35, lines 11-14, Compliance preparedness and assurance) 3 IESO Nova Scotia states that "The differences between the annualized expenditures under the 4 2025/2026 test year a...

AI summary The document discusses the decrease in the 2026/2027 budget for Compliance Preparedness and Assurance, attributing it to the completion of significant upfront consulting work in 2025/2026. This work included establishing compliance planning activities for Phase I and preliminary Phase II.

NON-CONFIDENTIAL 21 foundational compliance frameworks, assessing readiness under applicable NERC and 22 NPCC standards, and developing transition plans to support the transfer of compliance 23 accountability. 24 25 For 2026/2027, the budg...

AI summary The text discusses the transition from initial framework development to ongoing compliance implementation and internal capability building, with a reduction in external consulting support for 2026/2027. It also mentions the continuation of Phase II compliance activities and the assumption of lower external advisory support compared to prior years.

23 • Subject Matter Expertise Phase II: Please refer to the response to DGT IR-24 20. 25 • Compliance Preparedness and Assurance: The $0.34M was based on a team 26 of 4 resources required for up to 12 months or 240 working days, at fractio...

AI summary The IESO Nova Scotia provided a response to Port Hawkesbury Paper LP regarding compliance preparedness and assurance, estimating costs based on historical consulting fees and using a figure of $340,000 for its application.

- 5 2026/2027B is 23% lower than 2025/2026B and 2025/2026A. IESO Nova Scotia noted that this decrease 6 is primarily attributable to the completion of significant upfront consulting work undertaken in 2025/2026. 7 IESO Nova Scotia elaborat...

AI summary The IESO Nova Scotia noted a 23% decrease in 2026/2027B compared to 2025/2026B and 2025/2026A, primarily due to the completion of significant upfront consulting work in 2025/2026. This included external consultants supporting compliance planning and readiness activities. The 2026/2027B budget reflects reduced external consulting costs as the organization shifts to ongoing compliance implementation and internal capability building.

Response - IR-1: - (a) There is no specific threshold for satisfaction with an explanation, it is instead based on professional judgement. We consider ourselves to be "satisfied" with an explanation when it directly responds to the questio...

AI summary The response outlines the criteria for being satisfied with explanations provided by the IESO, emphasizing professional judgment, consistency, and compliance. The process involved reviewing the Application, preparing interrogatories, and comparing responses to Good Utility Practice principles.

Illegal or Unethical Acts Proponents must not engage in any illegal bidding practices, including conspiracy, bidrigging, price-fixing, bribery, fraud or collusion. Proponents must not engage in any unethical conduct, including lobbying or...

AI summary The document outlines prohibited illegal and unethical acts for proponents in the RFP process, such as bid rigging, fraud, and inappropriate communications. IESO Nova Scotia reserves the right to disqualify any proponent engaging in these activities or submitting misleading information.

Preventive controls - Board approved budget requirement. All procurement must be included in the Boardapproved annual budget or supported by an approved budget amendment. This control prevents unauthorized and unfunded spending ensuring al...

AI summary The document outlines preventive controls implemented by the Board to ensure financial accountability and prevent unauthorized spending. These include budget requirements, approval thresholds, purchase orders, segregation of duties, procurement methods, credit card restrictions, and expense report procedures.

- 4 (a) Please reconcile the 23 administrative and 21 technical FTEs to the 5 organizational chart referenced in the prior proceeding (M12412) and 6 identify any changes in role counts or scope. - 7 (b) Please identify any roles that were...

AI summary The text requests a reconciliation of FTEs between administrative and technical roles with prior organizational charts and identifies any changes in role counts or scope, as well as roles expected in 2025/26 that were not transferred, hired, or re-scoped for 2026/27, along with the variance impact.

l planning FTEs; and Exhibit A-1, pdf p.6-8 describes IRP and consultant selection. Please explain why $1 million in external IRP consulting remains necessary given the increased internal staffing. Reference: N-1(i), Exhibit B-2, pdf p.30-...

AI summary The text outlines questions raised regarding the budget for system planning, including the justification for external IRP consulting costs, reconciliation of interconnection study recoveries, and changes in budget allocations for compliance and other activities. It also asks for documentation to ensure no duplication of work.

these projects have not been fully scoped nor competitive bids received and so the costs are estimates. Any variances will be reflected in the Net Revenue Requirement Deferral and Variance Mechanism." 1. Given that there is uncertainty sur...

AI summary The text discusses budget estimates for Phase II of a project, highlighting uncertainties in scope and the use of a Net Revenue Requirement Deferral and Variance Mechanism. It also requests detailed budgeting methodologies and explanations for significant increases in subject matter expertise costs, including compliance and transition-related expenses.

fees associated with IESO Nova Scotia's transition into Phase II planning, including ensuring smooth employee transitions, NERC compliance, and IESO Nova Scotia's transition into its operational role. 2026/2027 budget for "compliance prepa...

AI summary The text discusses the 2026/2027 budget for IESO Nova Scotia's compliance preparedness and assurance, noting a 23% decrease compared to the 2025/2026 budget. The decrease is attributed to HR system setup and transition work completed in 2025/2026. Questions are raised about the calculation of PMO support costs and the activities expected to continue in 2026/2027.

dequate planning given 3 the size of the organization and the number of employees. Given progress to date, this is certainly 4 something IESO NS could and should update. 5 6 As for a potential vacancy rate, the IESO has said the organizati...

AI summary The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (CA) suggests that the IESO NS should reassess its forecast for Administration employee costs, as the current forecast may be too high. The CA also notes that the IESO NS should use comparator organizations to determine an appropriate vacancy rate.

17 ii. Employee Compensation 18 19 As noted above, the CA requested further information from IESO NS regarding its reliance upon 20 external consultants when establishing compensation for non-CEO roles. Although detailed 21 information was...

AI summary The CA requested information from IESO NS regarding the use of external consultants in setting employee compensation. IESO NS confirmed reliance on Timbar Consulting and HUB International Ltd., with HUB's work involving direct guidance rather than a written report. The CA requested the work product of these consultants, which IESO NS committed to providing.

nd there's really no risk to the organization. 30 31 So what are the internal controls and mechanisms that are going to be in place to 32 make sure that we have our checks and balances for that? 33 34 A. (Johnston) So I hope the record sho...

AI summary The discussion focuses on internal controls and mechanisms to ensure prudent budgeting and accountability. The organization emphasizes its commitment to financial responsibility and the importance of the Board's oversight in ensuring compliance with the More Access to Energy Act .

- 3. require IESO-NS to apply to the Board for approval when significant unforeseen costs arise during a fiscal year, rather than permitting recovery through an open-ended deferral mechanism; - 4. confirm the Board's authority to direct di...

AI summary The proceeding outlines several regulatory recommendations for IESO-NS, including requiring approval for unforeseen costs, applying vacancy rate adjustments, aligning corporate incentives with ratepayer interests, and ensuring prudence in procurement costs. These measures aim to improve transparency, cost recovery, and compliance.

1 fulsome response. The question was: 2 3 4 5 6 Please specifically list all stated objects and activities under the More Access to Energy Act, which are not yet in force and the expected timeline. 7 I appreciate you had some questions 8 a...

AI summary The text discusses questions regarding the More Access to Energy Act, specifically about provisions not yet in force and their impact on Phase II plans. It also addresses the IESO's capitalization policy and the process for finalizing it, with references to audits and draft documents.

IESO NOVA SCOTIA PANEL 407 Cr-ex, (Rudderham) 1 Q. What I'm wondering, is that 7 Would it outline what the quantum Q. 8 or maximum amount of a bonus would be? 9 (Johnston) No, it won't. A. 10 Is there currently a quantum or Q. 11 maximum a...

AI summary The discussion revolves around the IESO's annual reporting process under the More Access to Energy Act, including the status of designing the report and the timeline for filing it, with the IESO stating that the process has not yet started and is expected to be filed in October.

IESO NOVA SCOTIA PANEL 503 Questions, (Chair) 1 that would be impactful and that are outside of the 2 asking for a blank cheque. 3 Q. And I didn't mean to suggest 4 that. I'm asking from the perspective of good governance. 5 A. (Johnston)...

AI summary The discussion centers on governance and controls to ensure proper budgeting, reporting, and oversight within the organization. The Chair raises concerns about the lack of detailed controls and documentation, while the respondent outlines existing measures such as budgets, audit subcommittees, and purchase order controls.